Southern California-based Stater Bros. Markets has announced the layoff of dozens of clerks The Los Angeles Times first reported the move by the San Bernardino-based Stater Bros., which pointed the layoff blame at inflation and President Trump’s actions on tariffs.  Stater Bros. Chief Executive Pete Van Helden, in a video released by the Times said it's not a secret that in the last four years “significant inflation” has affected the industry A group of 63 clerks learned of their layoffs in a video shown to them on Feb Van Helden also alluded at potentially more layoffs based on the economy It's unclear if employees at stores in the High Desert Van Helden explained that the 63 layoffs were to “hold the line on prices” and not affect Stater Bros He also shared ideas to reduce costs at the 171-store chain including slashing labor and electricity costs Van Helden explained that retail prices at Stater Bros increased about 30% in the last four years it’s likely that inflation is going to take off even above the 4.5% we're seeing now.” the added cost is passed along to Stater Bros which cost $5.19 per dozen a year ago and now cost $9.02 and some have chosen to shop at “lower priced” competitors like Walmart "The other common thing is that they're all non-union that's how they sell their products at a lower price,” Van Helden said they pay less benefits and they take that savings and they plow it into pricing.” Is the ‘enemy’ non-union competition?He shared that 25 years ago 90% of food stores in Southern California were unionized with customers changing their shopping habits to prefer large because they offer their products at a lower price," Van Helden said could “absorb the cost and go broke,” or continue raising prices leading to fewer customers and item selection is to hold prices and offset increases with a “cost of operations decrease.” New Starbucks: Saddle up, coffee shop is finally opened in the rural town of Phelan Nearly 150 workers and union leaders picketed Wednesday arguing that the move wasn’t about saving money to protect the chain from going under but to chill ongoing labor contract talks United Food and Commercial Worker Union Local 324 on Thursday during the first day of “bargaining with the biggest bargaining committee we’ve ever had made up of workers across Southern California.”  united force of proud members ready to get the contract we deserve,” the union stated “We began the bargaining session by presenting all of our proposals We had a lot of passionate discussions about the company’s perspective on the grocery industry and rising inflation and how they want to address it – on the back of us What they don’t understand is that we’re suffering from inflation too is able to remodel and open new stores,” the union stated We should be able to put food on the table have access to healthcare and be able to retire at the end of a long career More: North Apple Valley Industrial Specific Plan area ready to expand with more warehouses ratified a new contract that strengthens wages and benefits according to the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union The deal was reached after months of negotiation and active participation by tens of thousands of California’s essential grocery workers Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com CEO Pete Van Helden adds chairman’s titleStater Bros CEO Pete Van Helden adds chairman’s titleBoard member Sean Varner appointed as vice chairman After nearly three years on the board of directors CEO Pete Van Helden has been named chairman takes over the chairman’s role effective immediately the Southern California grocer said yesterday board member and managing partner of Inland Empire business law firm Varner & Brandt LLP I would like to thank Phil for his years of dedicated service to the company our teammates and our customers,” Van Helden said in a statement We wish him the best as he embarks on the next journey in his life.” Smith had served as chairman since Brown’s passing in late 2016 in 1987 as a controller and was promoted to vice president and controller in 1998 He held various finance and accounting leadership roles until being promoted to chief financial and accounting officer and executive vice president of finance a role he held until his retirement in 2012 Smith stayed on as a consultant at the request of Brown and then was asked to serve chairman following Brown’s death Related:Stater Bros. taps Greg McNiff as chief operating officer grew from less than 100 stores to more 170 locations across Southern California “It has been a privilege and honor to serve the Stater Bros team and our loyal customers over the last 35 years,” Smith commented and I look forward to seeing them take Stater Bros Varner joined the Stater Bros. board in June 2021 along with Janel Haugarth Varner’s appointment continued a decades-long professional partnership between Stater Bros He also was appointed to serve as corporate secretary and general counsel of Stater Bros “Varner & Brandt’s relationship with Stater Bros goes back many years and is based on mutual respect and aligned values,” Varner stated “I am honored to serve as vice chairman and look forward to helping Stater Bros achieve even greater success in the future.” Related:Stater Bros. hires Save Mart’s Rebecca Calvin as marketing chief Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018 he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine as well as participates in special projects podcasts and webinars and attends industry events Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor covering community news and politics in Long Island His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016 Supermarket News - InformaSenior Editor April 2018 - present Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher PressDesk/Online Editor Sept CRN magazine - CMP MediaManaging EditorMay 2000 - June 2007 Bank Systems & Technology - Miller FreemanExecutive Editor/Managing EditorDec Supermarket News - Fairchild PublicationsFinancial Editor/Associate EditorApril 1995 - Dec Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC Desk Editor/Assistant EditorDec Testa CommunicationsAssistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)Jan This Week newspaper - Chanry CommunicationsReporter/EditorMay 1989 - July 1990 Registered in England & Wales with number 01835199 2025 at 1:37 pm PT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Inland Empire Stater Bros grocery chain has 171 stores and now 63 fewer workers after recent layoffs of Courtesy Clerks (Photo Credit: Renee Schiavone)INLAND EMPIRE grocery chain leader blames the fear of inflation as the root cause according to a recent video announcement to workers CEO Chairman of the Board Pete Van Helden attempted to explain his position to workers still employed at his store saying that "it's impactful to everyone who hears the word 'layoff.'" eggs are selling for $9.02 a dozen," he said the company has been forced to raise prices Instead of passing along cost increases to customers the 171-store chain made a decision it had never made before: it laid off clerks to lower the cost of operations we can hold the line on pricing and not raise our prices if we can," he said Who is paying the price of the recent layoffs You may not notice them when you're checking out but check-out clerks and customers will likely feel their absence are paid approximately $16.50 an hour to bag groceries and load purchases into customer vehicles Inland Empire workers were fired in Grand Terrace and Ontario, as well as Costa Mesa and Orange in Orange County. On Wednesday, Orange County fired workers and supporters picketed Several who spoke with the Press Enterprise during the picketing had never experienced a layoff and non-unionized grocery outlets like Walmart and Aldi for offering lower-priced products customers put fewer items in their basket and have to choose what to purchase keeps less than two cents per dollar it earns While the company explores various ways to reduce costs adding solar panels to lower energy prices is one option "I'm certain we are going to have to reduce more jobs." Watch Pete Van Helden's video statement here Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. The track spotlights "a deliciously catchy vocal sample that loops in ecstasy over a classic and tough four-on-the-floor beat" Armand Van Helden and A-Trak have released a new track as Duck Sauce ‘Fallin In Love' is out today on D4 D4NCE and "spotlights a deliciously catchy vocal sample that loops in ecstasy over a classic and tough four-on-the-floor beat showcasing two dance music experts at their very best," according to the press release The pair broke their hiatus in 2020 with the ‘Mesmerize’ single and have since teamed up on several other releases, such as 'Clap Your Feet / 2 Da Face’ which was released in February and features vocals from Chicago underground house artist Fuzzy Cufflinxxx Check out 'Fallin In Love' via Apple Music below Last year, Van Helden celebrated the 25th anniversary of his career-defining single ‘You Don’t Know Me’ with a new track, ‘I Won’t Stop’. In 2023, A-Trak contributed to Defected's third 'House Masters Remixes' release, which contained his reworked version of Todd Edwards's 'When Your Alone’. Watch his How I DJ interview with DJ Mag here. Revisit our long read with the pair from 2020 The Southern California grocery chain laid off more than 60 store workers as a cost reduction effort to avoid raising food prices for consumers As the grocery industry grapples with ongoing concerns about high food prices Markets said ongoing inflation is one of the key reasons why the chain recently conducted layoffs The company’s announcement in mid-February that it eliminated 63 jobs across four stores to offset the cost increase on goods by reducing the costs of operations CEO Peter Van Helden said in a video to employees reviewed by Grocery Dive noting this will allow the company to avoid raising grocery prices further for consumers All of the layoffs impacted the courtesy clerk role did not respond to a request for comment on the layoffs “I know it's impactful to everybody when they hear the word layoff “Stater Bros.'s layoff of courtesy clerks is just going to exacerbate the understaffing issue in the stores and the industry as a whole,” United Food and Commercial Workers Local 324, which represents the chain’s unionized workers, said in a Facebook post last week Retail prices are about 30% higher than they were four years ago, leading customers to cut back on their spending and buy fewer items, Helden said, noting that a dozen eggs, for example, costs approximately $4 more than a year ago. While the company saw inflation soften last summer, it has risen during the last four months. In January, food-at-home prices rose at a 1.9% annual rate raised its food prices over the years due to inflation but that alone is no longer enough to keep the business healthy particularly with the prospect of new tariffs “With the recent announcements of new tariffs and probably more tariffs to come it's quite likely that inflation is going to take off even above the 4.5% we're seeing now,” Helden said Lower price rivals are winning over price-sensitive consumers partly because they are not unionized and they take that savings and they plow it into pricing is the non-union competition,” Helden said noting that 90% of Stater Bros.’ workforce is unionized The company is also looking at increasing its solar energy usage and cutting its corporate workforce to further reduce costs we're going to have to continue to reduce the number of jobs in this company,” Helden said The grocer operates 169 supermarkets in Southern California Get the free daily newsletter read by industry experts Both chains saw a smaller share of customers visit other stores just before or after stopping at their locations last year than in 2023 Online grocery sales have fluctuated since booming in 2020 but they appear poised for continued growth The free newsletter covering the top industry headlines Ichabod Crane runners and twin brothers Teddy Thiess-Helden Separated by five minutes in age but usually just seconds in race time the Thiess-Helden twins have been a serious highlight for Ichabod Crane cross country in 2024 11th grade runners Felix and Teddy Thiess-Helden have spent this season trading first and second in Colonial Council races and recording some of the strongest invitational times among athletes in the league having propelled Ichabod Crane to a conference second-best 5-1 this year Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content Ichabod Crane has one of the Colonial Council’s strongest programs in 2024 with their 5-1 conference record being good for second in the leag… TROY — With a Class C/D team sectional finals loss to Greenwich on Wednesday the team portion of Chatham’s season came to an end TROY — The Chatham girls' tennis team was swept Wednesday afternoon by second-seeded Greenwich in the Section 2 Class C/D team sectional final Two weeks after calling its football season off due to a lack of numbers Coxsackie-Athens will return Thursday to continue the season as an e… Email notifications are only sent once a day Get the Register Star and Daily Mail E-edition delivered directly to your inbox Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Have the latest food and drink articles delivered to your inbox every Thursday Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don't miss out on updates Sign up today to receive email newsletters of local daily obituaries Have the latest local news delivered every morning so you don't miss out on updates Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The remix comes hot on the heels of Def Leppard’s expanded edition of ‘Pyromania.’ Def Leppard have revealed a new Armand Van Helden remix of their hit “Photograph.” Van Helden debuted the remix today on BBC Radio 1 Ibiza It’s Def Leppard’s first collaboration with the veteran Boston producer who also performs regularly with Canadian DJ A-Trak as the duo Duck Sauce “Photograph” initially appeared on Def Leppard’s seminal 1983 album Pyromania The record was the first Def Leppard album to feature guitarist Phil Collen after Pete Willis’ departure charts and has since been certified platinum Earlier this year, Def Leppard shared a deluxe 40th anniversary edition reissue of Pyromania which included a full disc of never-before-heard demos and footage of two defining live shows from the period with Guitar World christening it “a masterpiece.” This new remix follows Def Leppard’s June standalone single “Just Like 73,” which features Tom Morello It marks their first song with the Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave co-founder Def Leppard lead singer Joe Elliott shared of the song: “It encapsulates a time that burned deep into our DNA We wanted to celebrate that very important and glorious time.” Morello added: “I played ‘Rock of Ages’ in my college cover band almost 40 years ago and here Def Leppard are still killing it in stadiums with a brand new tune that’s one of their best.” Order Def Leppard’s “Just Like 73” now. Your Ads Privacy ChoicesIMDb Thanks for visiting the Australian Open Website. We can see you’re using Internet Explorer, and wanted to let you know that we will no longer be supporting this browser in future. We’d recommend you download a new browser if you'd like to continue keeping up with all of the latest tennis news The Australian Open has unveiled an exciting music lineup for 2025 under its new entertainment banner AO LIVE will present a packed schedule of live music across the AO precinct over three weeks including bands culminating in three massive days of entertainment from 23-25 January in John Cain Arena Globally renowned artists including Benson Boone Kesha and Armand Van Helden will headline AO LIVE Presents in the tournament’s biggest music lineup “Music and live entertainment have always been central to the AO and what sets us apart from other sporting events,” Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said “AO LIVE is an evolution of the AO’s music offering and will see live music and entertainment across the whole precinct in January from fan-favourite performers in Garden Square to in-demand DJ's spinning anthems on Grand Slam Oval AO LIVE has entertainment covered for all tastes and is all-inclusive on a Ground Pass ticket AO LIVE Presents will put on three spectacular nights featuring international artists at the end of week two taking us into the finals “The huge success of Finals Festival over the past three years has proven there is great demand for high-profile music acts alongside the tennis and recent sold-out megatours have shown that fans still have eyes for big name shows in Melbourne arenas.” Tickets for AO LIVE Presents start from $89 which also includes Ground Pass access for the whole day pop sensation Benson Boone will take to the stage The American singer-songwriter has skyrocketed to stardom with more than 1.9 billion global streams to his name Benson made headlines with his memorable performance at the MTV Video Music Awards earlier this year where he took home the award for Best Alternative Video World-renowned DJ and producer Kaytranada performs on Friday 24 January The Grammy Award-winning Canadian artist is a household name in music globally having opened for The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours Til Dawn’ Tour in 2022 and performed at Coachella 2023 With two Grammy Awards and five nominations under his belt and electronic beats is set to ignite the dancefloor The final day of AO LIVE Presents will coincide with the Women’s Finals on Saturday 25 January delivering a full day of festival-style entertainment the event will feature performances from multiple artists culminating in a grand finale featuring pop icon Kesha and legendary DJ Armand Van Helden to close out the three-day affair boasts accolades from the MTV Video Music Awards alongside an extensive discography including hit singles “Tik Tok” “Right Round” with Flo Rider and many more Kesha is set to return to Australia for the first time in seven years to deliver a show-stopping performance celebrated for hits such as "My My My" and "You Don’t Know Me" featuring Duane Harden and continues to have an undeniable effect on dance music globally Any ticket purchased to AO LIVE automatically includes a full day Ground Pass for the same day allowing fans to not only experience world class music but witness incredible tennis enjoy delicious food and beverage offerings and explore the electric atmosphere that the Happy Slam is globally known for Tickets for AO LIVE go on sale at midday on Thursday October 10. Click here to sign up for tickets and more information Thursday 23 January 2024 - 5PM - 9PM AEDTBenson Boone+ Special guests Friday 24 January 2024 –  5PM - 9PM AEDTKaytranada+ Special guests Saturday 25 January 2024 – 2PM - 7PM AEDTKeshaArmand Van Helden+ Special guests Tennis Australia acknowledges that the AO is held on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country and we extend our respects to Elders past and present and to all First Nations People yet the energy inside the arena was peaking as if this was heading into the end of festival territory Review: Armand Van Helden + Kesha + Bag Raiders at John Cain Arena was headlined by the Women’s Singles Final With the sunshine showering down on Melbourne Park thousands of tennis lovers streamed through the gates early to catch practice matches as well as the doubles and junior matches programmed for the afternoon There’s an additional presence at the AO on this particular day; tennis-core outfits blending with fishnets skin-tight fluoro and summer-festival ready ensembles that have been primed for the third and final day of this year’s live music series U.S. heavy-hitters Armand Van Helden and Kesha were tasked with bringing things home for AO Live 2025 and it couldn’t have been a more perfectly programmed day of music With access to John Cain Arena open from 2pm punters streamed in early – the Kesha superfans taking up spots on the barrier while the rest of the earlybirds made good use of the half-open arena roof providing a sun-kissed dancefloor for Nigerian songwriter and performer Though not as heavily promoted on this line-up as AVH having Kah-Lo on a bill like this was the best way to start a day For those fans who have been following her since 2017’s breakthrough collaboration with Riton Your daily dose of everything happening in Australian music and globally Powering through a set of music that blended EDM with house Kah-Lo’s vocals and stage charm hyped the crowd up; beats pulsating through everyone courtesy of songs like “Drag Me Out” “fund$” and “Fake ID” Settling into perhaps the hottest part of the afternoon Sydney’s Bag Raiders take to the stage next: again another choice selection for a summer event like this it served as a timely reminder that the electronic duo was always way more than the popularity of “Shooting Stars” Rolling through a set that leant into their classic self-titled record (“Snake Charmer” as well as other selections that demonstrated the duo’s chemistry (“Nairobi” Bag Raiders set things up for the acts still to come – they know what to do Additional praise needs to also go to vocalist Ric Rufio normally seen touring the world with Flight Facilities who joined the duo on live vocals – infusing the show with soulful moments John Cain Arena has gone from an outdoor festival vibe A post shared by Untitled Group (@untitledgroupau) The comeback season the American pop artist has been on with the release of “JOYRIDE” in 2024 – the first single from her forthcoming sixth album and her first as an independent artist – has been impressive to watch Her journey has been one full of struggles particularly marked by her legal battle with former producer Dr Though her career had been halted by this back and forth for some years Kesha’s eventual release from her longtime contract with RCA and Kemosabe Records has led to this euphoric new arc: one marked by a gleeful lean into freedom and independence that she has so clearly yearned for Kesha’s return to Australia in 2025 was a clear drawcard for many in attendance today and the love shown between artist and audience was strong right throughout Her music has been the soundtrack for many fans’ adolescence and journey into young adulthood so to experience a set like this with life experience and hindsight injected into the mix attitude and a natural confidence – bolstered by impressive choreography and humour with her cast of dancers leading into a mash-up of “Cannibal” and “Backstabber”; slightly sped up versions of “Take It Off” and “Your Love Is My Drug” as well as tender moments that showcased her pure live vocals on “DELUSIONAL” and “Praying” it was hard to find fault with Kesha’s presentation here A post shared by Untitled Group (@untitledgroupau) Ending her performance with a one-two punch of “JOYRIDE” and “We R Who We R” (the latter complete with drag queens) stood atop a platform with a smile stretched across her face – a triumphant return The changeover between Kesha and Armand Van Helden’s sets saw a significant stream of punters leaving John Cain Arena; whether this played into the quick changeover or not the roof was open again and the iconic American DJ and house producer was launching into a set that served as a reminder of the legacy his music has grown it was hard to stop and believe that it was barely 6:30pm yet the energy inside the arena was beginning to peak as if this was heading into the end of festival territory AVH didn’t let up either; a master of his craft the set was relentless in its hits: mixing in classics (“Show Me Love” “Music Sounds Better With You” “Lola’s Theme”) with choice cuts including “I Need A Painkiller” “Bonkers” and “Wings (I Won’t Let You Down)” With “My My My” and “I Want Your Soul” providing prime throwback moments; and “Barbra Streisand” and “aNYway” reminding us of the timeless “Duck Sauce”-era of his career Armand Van Helden capped off AO Live with a fireworks and flare display timed with the drop of his final track – of course While it clearly would have been more effective if we weren’t still drenched in sunlight well into the evening such a display was the cherry on top of what had been a perfect day out for those wanting to have a well-timed day rave before continuing elsewhere into the night Armand Van Helden, Kesha and Bag Raiders played John Cain Arena, Melbourne for AO Live on Saturday, January 24th, presented by Untitled Group.  Tick to subscribe, untick to unsubscribe from any newsletters below: The popular event, which sees the Ulster Orchestra put a classical twist on dance anthems is set to take place in Belfast’s Ormeau Park on Saturday More: Snow Patrol announce Belfast Belsonic headline gig Classical will include renowned American DJ Armand Van Helden who is set to make his first appearance in the north Van Helden is best known for tracks including 1999′s You Don’t Know Me and more recently as part of music duo Duck Sauce whose 2010 single Barbra Streisand topped the charts in more than ten countries Originally held as a one-off event to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Lush! Nightclub in 2016, Lush! Classical has played the SSE Arena for the past eight years It is set to be curated by Brothers in Rhythm (Dave Seaman & Steve Anderson) while the musical scores will be arranged and conducted by Cliff Masterson, known for his work with artists such as Kylie Minogue and Depeche Mode. Tickets for the event go on sale on November 22. Facebook pageTwitter feedRSS feed@2025 The Irish News Ltd Armand Van Helden has announced a major show in Essex for the summer The American house producer and DJ will headline a set after racing at Chelmsford's City Racecourse on August 30, as part of the new Chelmsford Summer Sessions series Van Helden has had chart success in the UK and Europe including with the singles U Don't Know Me He's also known for pioneering the house and speed garage genres Armand Van Helden Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows Compare & Buy Armand Van Helden Tickets at Stereoboard.com Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Add to Calendar Add to Calendar This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Taking place from January 23rd – January 25th, a handful of international headliners will turn next year's AO LIVE concert series into one to remember. More Benson Boone As daylight savings kicks into gear and the months start to warm up the Australian Open has revealed the names who will be performing as part of their AO LIVE concert series this January AO LIVE will feature three days of music from a series of international headliners the festivities will be taking place at the larger John Cain Arena following a few years of sell-out performances Kicking off the event will be US singer-songwriter Benson Boone who will perform as part of his first tour to the country since 2022 Canadian music producer and rapper Kaytranada will take centre stage while US musicians Kesha and Armand van Helden will close out AO LIVE with a special pair of performances on the final night which is desribed as a “festival-style grand finale” by organisers Each evening will see the headline artists joined by special guests who are yet to be announced Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter The Australian Open has hosted their AO LIVE event since its launch in 2017 with a number of local and internationals artists performing at the iconic sporting gathering since and more have all graced the stages over the years The AO LIVE concert series takes place during the final days of the wider Australian Open with tickets to the concert series also providing audience members with a ground pass to the tennis that day as well “AO LIVE is an evolution of the AO’s music offering and will see live music and entertainment across the whole precinct over 21 days during January from fan-favourite performers in Garden Square to in-demand DJ's spinning anthems on Grand Slam Oval,” says Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley “AO LIVE has entertainment covered for all tastes and is all-inclusive on a Ground Pass ticket.” Tickets to the 2025 AO LIVE concert series are on sale from Thursday, October 10th, with full details available via the official website. Thursday, January 23rd, 2025 (5PM - 9PM AEDT) Friday, January 24th, 2025 (5PM - 9PM AEDT) Saturday, January 25th, 2025 (2PM - 7PM AEDT) The likes of Fatboy Slim and Armand van Helden remixed original tracks into mutant dancefloor beasts but thanks to streaming and risk-averse labels the right dance remix could make – or sometimes resurrect – a career Fatboy Slim’s mix of Cornershop’s Brimful of Asha took a marginal indie band to the top of the British charts Andrew Weatherall saved Primal Scream from potential obscurity with his remix of their lachrymose ballad I’m Losing More Than I’ll Ever Have (which became Loaded) and Todd Terry’s remix of Everything But the Girl’s Missing gave the band a new lease of life in electronic music Kelli Ali says that Armand van Helden’s 1997 remix of Spin Spin Sugar by her former band Sneaker Pimps – a classic of the early UK garage scene – introduced the group’s music to an audience “who were maybe searching for something to listen to outside the club when the sun came up.” She says: “It meant that our music crossed over to a whole generation of hardcore clubbers I still have friends saying they were dancing to the track recently which is pretty epic in terms of longevity for a remix.” But while people are still listening to the classics in 2024 “remixes don’t have the same immediate commercial impact as they did in the 90s,” says Wez Saunders chief executive of leading house music label Defected streaming platforms and social media have changed how music is consumed and discovered And remixes today don’t necessarily lead to massive chart hits.” Remixes have their roots in the disco scene of the 1970s, when the launch of the 12-inch single allowed producers such as Tom Moulton and Walter Gibbons to make extended versions of popular songs that would keep the dance floor moving In the 1980s producers such as Shep Pettibone and Jellybean Benitez wove a similar magic creating elongated versions of songs by stars including Madonna Pet Shop Boys and New Order that kept those artists in touch with the dance scenes they drew influence from But it was in the late 80s and 90s – at least in the UK – where the remix really thrived, as dance music took over the charts. Consider, for example, how Boston producer Armand van Helden took a forgotten bass lick from Tori Amos’s 1996 song Professional Widow and transformed a lurching piano boogie into an irresistible anthem or Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne strapped drum machines and samples to Happy Mondays’ lumberingly funky Wrote for Luck to create supercharged indie-dance In Mixmag’s 1998 list of that year’s 10 best remixes there are two British No 1s – Jason Nevins’ remix of Run-DMC’s It’s Like That and Fatboy Slim’s Brimful of Asha – as well as a No 3 hit Fatboy Slim’s remix of Wildchild’s Renegade Master who was nominated for best remixed recording at the 2023 Grammys for his rework of the Knocks’ Slow Song “If we analyse all the greatest remixes going back to the ones that were the highest watermark were all outliers in some way stylistically,” he explains “The remixer took them way out there in comparison to the original we could re-develop our sound for a new era.” ‘It meant that our music crossed over to a whole generation of hardcore clubbers’ … Kelli Ali of Sneaker Pimps performing in 1997 Photograph: Ian Dickson/RedfernsBut nowadays the only remixes getting traction tend to be when a new verse is added to a rap or pop track often simply to reinvigorate streamings and contribute to the song’s chart placing although Ice Spice joining PinkPantheress’s Boy’s a Liar last year was among the rare revamps that improved on the original There’s been a post-pandemic trend for pop edits in the dance world – such as Bored Lord’s take on No Doubt’s Don’t Speak played even in underground clubs – and sped up/slowed down versions of songs on TikTok but these aren’t artistic renovations in the way that the best remixes are Club-forward pop stars such as Charli XCX and Robyn commission their own innovative remixes though they rarely break out of fan circles One reason for the decline is that there were lots of formats to fill in the 90s thanks to labels using multiple CD single releases to edge songs up the charts CD singles disappeared and record labels tightened their budgets and “long records don’t tend to chart any more maybe because of streaming,” says London DJ and producer Erol Alkan of a format shift that favours shorter songs and truncated intros “people would have been buying the song on 12-inches as well which would have gone a long way to securing sales has led to a conservatism among record labels Woolford says that many labels today “will only commission remixes in a utilitarian way I often have conversations with house labels who want to commission them but they want very controlled and predictable results They stipulate sometimes they ‘just want a more banging version’ or something similar.” One consequence of this shift has been the decline of the dance remix specialist MK and Deep Dish were arguably better known for remixing other people’s records than making their own Todd Edwards and Carl Craig produced jaw-dropping remixes alongside their own sublime work Saunders says that remixes still play a role in artist discovery cross-genre promotion and keeping tracks relevant while Alkan believes remixes can still be important artistically mentioning the recent Bullion remake of Pytko’s Silent “He turned it into this absolutely near-perfect pop song took all the effects off and put the song to the front,” he says points out that there still are open-minded A&Rs and labels “I recently reworked Calvin Harris and Eliza Rose’s Body Moving into an eight-minute combination of Nuyorican soul-influenced almost jazz-funk that develops into a hardstep jungle smasher,” he says “This was for Sony – and I didn’t expect them all to get it but they absolutely did and loved it.” So come, remixers, and be bold: pump up the drums, jack up the bass and help unbreak my heart (Frankie Knuckles Franktidrama Club Mix This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The crews behind Index and District 8 have announced the names for its outing for the one day dance music festival event Saturday September 20th at Palmerstown House Estate With a capacity of 25,000 people up 5,000 people 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀: this Friday at 10am 𝗣𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀: this Thursday at 10am. Last year, the festival sold out in 24 hours. View this post on Instagram A post shared by DISTRICT X (@districtxfestival) Your support enables us to continue to publish articles like this one make podcasts and provide recommendations and news to our readers and be a key part of the music community in Ireland and abroad We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns Other cookies are those that are being identified and have not been classified into any category as yet We use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website you can opt out of these cookies by checking "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" and clicking the "Save My Preferences" button you can opt in again at any time by unchecking "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" and clicking the "Save My Preferences" button When a medium-sized cetacean resembling a dolphin washed up on a New Zealand beach Almost no one had ever seen anything like the male specimen before and researchers are now toiling to identify it The relatively unscathed remains could belong to a spade-toothed whale, according to the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) the science advisor of the DOC’s marine species team “There is no doubt that [a spade-toothed whale] is what it is,” van Helden said Spade-toothed whales are one of the most poorly-known large mammals only six samples have ever been documented worldwide The six samples include a jawbone with two teeth retrieved east of New Zealand which first identified the species in 1874 Two further specimens stranded on islands near New Zealand gave clues about their color patterns Coastal marine ranger Jim Fyfe first called in the find to the DOC sending pictures in an effort to identify it And when van Helden caught wind of the story Locals and authorities acted quickly to preserve the carcass They first buried it in sand to prevent rot “It looked like a massive giant dolphin, the shape of it,” van Helden told The Guardian the DOC will work to confirm van Helden’s conviction that it is indeed a spade-toothed whale he checked for its distinctive teeth — named after the flensing blades once used by whalers to remove blubber But they were broken off and rendered no proof The DOC has already sent tissue samples to the University of Auckland’s Cetacean Tissue Archive for DNA sequencing The institute boasts the second-largest collection of whale Authorities share a special interest in the project with 8,000 registered Maori people of the Te Rūnanga ō Ōtākou tribal council. It’s the first opportunity to dissect a possible spade-toothed whale, which the council interprets as a taoka — a treasure “It is important to ensure appropriate respect for this taoka is shown through the shared journey of learning, applying mātauraka Māori as we discover more about this rare species,” Te Rūnanga ō Ōtakou chair Nadia Wesley-Smith said. Sam Anderson spent his 20s as an adventure rock climber, scampering throughout the western U.S., Mexico, and Thailand to scope out prime stone and great stories. Life on the road gradually transformed into a seat behind the keyboard, where he acted as a founding writer of the AllGear Digital Newsroom and earned 1,500+ bylines in four years on topics from pro rock climbing to slingshots and scientific breakthroughs. Sign up to receive ExplorersWeb content direct to your inbox once a week. The final day of the Australian Open live entertainment ended with a show-stopping music festival set featuring pop icon Kesha and legendary DJ Armand Van Helden. More Kesha Kah-Lo delivers a high-energy performance to get the crowd dancing from start to finish. The Nigerian-born, London-based singer-songwriter captivates the audience with her infectious blend of house, disco, and pop, showcasing her powerful vocals and undeniably charismatic stage presence. The infectious beats and her soaring vocals have the crowd singing along from the first note of her upbeat dance tracks and an impressive stage presence. Audience members on the floor show off their best vogueing moves to the catwalk grooves.  Sydney-based duo Bag Raiders bring their signature electronic bangers and feel-good vibes to the stage with mesmerising visuals and a live set to ensure energy levels remain at a constant high to keep everyone dancing with a heavy thumping bass reverberating throughout the venue.  The crowd is treated to a mix of their classic anthems, including Snake Charmer and Right Here, whilst live vocalist Ric Rufio joins in with them for hits Way Back Home, Sunlight, Shooting Stars, and their huge remix of Troye Sivan’s Got Me Started. A changeover DJ set from Tyoow keeps the party going, playing classic hits and modern remixes blending hip-hop, R&B, electronic, and pop to create a vibrant and energetic atmosphere as the roof begins to close and the arena gets darker to prepare for the next performer. “Are you ready to fucking party?” Kesha shouts, arriving on stage with tennis racquet in hand and serves a forehand to hit a tennis ball out at the audience. The screen behind her flashes up with the word ‘FREEDOM’ as she sings a new unreleased song to celebrate her artistic liberation.  She launches right into her most iconic hit TiK ToK and says, “I’m going to teach you the new words; it goes like, ‘Wake up in the morning like fuck P Diddy!’” We join her in raising our middle fingers up in the air to the timeless party anthem.  Kesha’s white dress with the words ‘Thank you’ written across it soon becomes smeared with red blood by her dancers to match the theme of her next song, Cannibal, as they perform an intense routine to her song about the fierce attraction and metaphorical hunger for her love interests. She then starts to wield a knife around for the deep cut, Backstabber. The dancers place a nun’s veil on Kesha’s head and a large cross around her neck as she screams, “Shake your fucking ass!” She dives into Raising Hell featuring Big Freedia for the huge pop, gospel, and EDM track with bounce elements to raise the energy levels up a notch. She moves right into Take It Off, encouraging the audience to take off their clothes and rave. “This song is about my loser ex-boyfriend who broke up with me because I didn’t take him to the Taylor Swift party; he’s fucking delusional,” she exclaims as she asks us to light it up for her most recent song, Delusional. After a quick costume change, Kesha returns in a white singlet top with the words ‘Kath & Kim & Kesha’ across it. She continues to sing one of her biggest hot collaborations with Pitbull, Timber. The crowd goes wild, and a huge singalong strikes up. She dedicates Your Love Is My Drug to another loser ex-boyfriend. “It’s been way too fucking long, and I’m so happy to be here. This event is iconic,c but the day before I got on the flight to come here, my little baby kitty passed away. I fucking love cats, and it was so painful, and I almost couldn’t get on that flight, but I thought of all of you. When the world hurt too much, and it was too painful I used to stick my face in that little cat and it brought me so much joy,” she reveals, and she dedicates Hate Me Harder to her cat. Another outfit change sees Kesha return in a red patent leather number complete with matching knee-high boots, and she belts out her emotional and powerful anthem, Praying to showcase more depth and her incredibly strong vocals far from her usual talk-singing distorted vocals. “All I wanted out of 2025 was a sugar daddy and a yacht, so I came here tonight to the Australian Open to find me a sugar daddy. Anybody wanna be my sugar daddy?” She screams before launching into her recent electropop track, Joyride. She pops a bottle of champagne and sprays it over the front row of the mosh pit before launching an entire glass bottle at them.  “This is my last song, and I just wanna say we are who we mother-fucking are,” she says before ending with her hit We R Who We R. Pride marchers come out on stage bearing flags and drag queens in tennis-themed outfits for a big the final chorus. American DJ/producer Armand Van Helden continues the celebration as the roof opens back up and a giant inflatable tennis ball is thrown out at the audience to keep afloat above their heads. He unleashes his iconic house anthems, music blending classic tracks with fresh beats to create an electrifying atmosphere with a fireworks display to finish and close out the end of AO LIVE before the Women’s Finals match. Simon O’Neill performed a vocal recital Sunday night at Moody Performance Hall in Dallas “Art song recital” and “heldentenor” are two concepts we don’t often think of at the same time: the former is an event devoted to the concept of the miniature vocal form with a singer collaborating with piano alone The latter indicates a singer devoted to performances of Wagner and Richard Strauss on the operatic stage accompanied by a larger-than-usual orchestra one of the leading heldentenors of our age took the stage for the latest manifestation of the Dallas Opera’s Titus Art Song Recital Series joined by his pianist (and fellow New Zealander) Terence Dennis this was an art song recital with a difference along with what might be viewed as heavyweight items from the literature of song Beethoven’s cycle An die ferne Geliebte (“To the Distant Beloved”) opened the all-German program O’Neill immediately presented the combination of assertiveness and heft typical of the heldentenor voice An die ferne Geliebte leaps decades ahead of Beethoven’s contemporaries; the six songs are inseparably linked providing the performers with an opportunity to build an impressive momentum O’Neill and pianist Dennis accomplished this via careful attention to detail and Beethoven’s subtle tone-painting—for instance in the surprising breaks in the accompaniment in the opening song or the rippling piano passagework in “Leichte Segler in den Höhen.“  Although the poetry does not tell an on-going narrative O’Neill and Dennis created a sense of dramatic urgency in their performance Welch dunkel hier” from Beethoven’s Fidelio provided the first operatic excerpt of the afternoon this time in the reduction of the orchestral score proved a worthy match for O’Neill’s vocal performance communicating the agitation and agony of the imprisoned hero of the scene O’Neill adapted the Wagnerian quality of his voice to the subtleties of Beethoven A section devoted to Richard Strauss likewise began with songs and closed with an operatic scene demonstrating O’Neill’s ability to apply the burnished muscular qualities of his Wagnerian voice to the broad emotional range of Strauss’s songs He brought the required serene control to the sustained recitative of “Ruhe but turned on the heat for “Caecilie,” the third of the four songs from Opus 27 backed up ably by Dennis’s navigation of the complex piano part Yet another side of Strauss and of O’Neill came to the fore in the triumphant “Zweignung” (“Dedication”) The long instrumental introduction of “Falke thou rediscover”) from the opera Die Frau ohne Schatten once again showed off Dennis’s ability to convincingly create the aura of an entire orchestra (including a bird call) and provided a worthy preface for O’Neill’s exploration of that extended aria of rage and sorrow landing on the agony of the climactic high A-flat “Widmung” (“Dedication”) and “Du bist wie eine Blume” (“Thou art like a flower”) pulled the listener into more familiar art song recital territory to open the second half of the concert; the power of O’Neill’s voice gave a soaring depth to these early romantic miniatures especially in the sudden shift of key and mood in “Widmung.”  on to the home territory of any heldentenor with Siegfried’s death scene from Wagner’s Götterdämmerung; here O’Neill opened into full Wagnerian grandeur then quietly exited while Dennis played the Funeral March in Busoni’s transcription for piano more reflective side of Wagner in the form of the Wesendonck Lieder; Dennis and O’Neill reveled here in the interplay of piano and voice in the gentle counterpoint of “Schmerzen,“ and the murmuring pianissimo close of the final song passionate aria “Winterstürme” from Act I of Wagner’s Die Walküre closed the concert with O’Neill floating through the sustained phrases with solid command of the steadily rising passion O’Neil and Dennis turned to Strauss‘s lightning subtly erotic lied “Breit’ über mein Haupt dein schwarzes Haar” (“Spread over my head your dark hair”) for one final demonstration of O’Neill’s extraordinary vocal power and breadth of expression and characterization Posted Jan 30, 2019 at 12:17 pm by Sarah Now THAT is an excellent review my friends!!! XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong> Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" NEMO breathes fresh life into Black Book Records’ repertoire and marks Van Helden’s first label appearance since The Answer EP with the label boss in 2022 Marking only Brittle’s second release of her young career the two-for-one delivery follows “The Promoter,” which was also a collaboration with Armand Van Helden in June of 2022 Tamarin’s remix is a sure-fire bet to get the crowd moving Featured image: Armand Van Helden/Instagram Tags: , , , Categories: ShareSaveBusinessHollywood & EntertainmentChris Lake And Armand Van Helden Collaborate For Epic EP ‘The Answer’ByLisa Kocay Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights Lisa Kocay covers electronic dance music.Follow AuthorDec 11 06:02am ESTShareSaveThis article is more than 4 years old.Armand Van Helden and Chris Lake The four-track body of work boasts everything from house heaters The collaboration was sparked following a chance encounter at a Miami pool party where Lake ran into his longtime hero The two briefly caught up and exchanged emails and a month later Van Helden emailed Lake about working together Lake suggested meeting him in Miami for a few days of intensively working together showcases a desert battlefield where troops watch in disbelief as an enemy soldier approaches them strips away his protective gear and begins dancing—leaving the troops contemplating how to respond Lake took the time to share with Forbes the inspiration behind The Answer one piece of advice he’d give his younger self and more Lisa Kocay: What was the inspiration behind your and Armand Van Helden’s forthcoming EP The Answer Chris Lake: “I wouldn’t say there was a particular vision we set out to achieve with this body of work It was more a case of this being a representation of our discussions about what a collaboration between both of us could be and sound like We talked about merging our ‘eras’ into a body of work Kocay: Can you share any stories behind how some of the tracks on The Answer were created We spoke for a little while about collaborating and our first stab at it was remotely which I didn’t think truly captured something special so I suggested I go to Miami for a few days so we could do it properly but we’re in the digital age now and a lot of collaborations are done just by sending project files back and forth over the net but never working on a vibe together and I feel you get the extra magic in this EP purely by us physically working on this in the same space It was honestly a pleasure to work with him Chris Lake has produced hit tracks such as "Turn Off the Lights" and "I Want You." Courtesy of Corey .. Kocay: How did you pick the name of the EP the message obviously wasn’t taken seriously by everyone or wasn’t heard It’s time for that message to be reminded to us all Kocay: Do you remember the first song you heard that made you fall in love with electronic music Lake: “For me personally?  Robert Miles – ‘Children.’ Epic tune Kocay: If you could go back in time to when you first started making music and give yourself one piece of advice Kocay: Has there been an absolute highlight in your career thus far I’m just happy every time I get to do a great show and release a song I’m proud to have made The release marks the DJ's return to the FFRR label after 25 years Armand Van Helden has released a new single The new track has been released to mark 25th anniversary of the DJ’s classic single ‘You Don’t Know Me’ The track went on to secure the number one spot on the UK singles chart Armand Van Helden said: “I’d been experimenting with American freestyle music and trying to tap into the sound for a long time so this record is a mash-up of American freestyle and old big New York club music from 1993 - that’s what I was trying to spin with this track It’s a song that is ridiculous and I want people to be lit up and live in the ridiculousness when they hear ‘I Won’t Stop’.”  added: “I’ve always felt that Armand Van Helden was synonymous with FFRR thanks to records and remixes like ‘U Don’t Know Me’ and ‘Sugar is Sweeter’ which I played to death as a wannabe DJ back in the day.. To welcome Armand back to the label after 25 years with an incredible brand-new record that feels utterly current but classic at the same time Back in 2020, Armand van Helden and A-Trak aka Duck Sauce returned with the single, ‘Mesmerize’ Listen to Armand van Helden’s new single ‘I Won’t Stop’ below Boosted by "underground power with syncopated rhythms destined to fill dancefloors globally" Armand Van Helden and A-Trak have have joined forces once again under their Duck Sauce alias to release 'Clap Your Feet / 2 Da Face’ 'Clap Your Feet' features vocals from Chicago’s underground house artist Fuzzy Cufflinxxx while ‘2 Da Face’ promises "underground power with syncopated rhythms destined to fill dancefloors globally" After launching their collaboration in 2010 with the viral hit 'Barbra Streisand', the pair emerged from a hiatus in 2020 with the ‘Mesmerize’ single which was accompanied by an animated video; their first in six years They have since released several other collaborations including the 'Put The Sauce On It' EP in 2022 and the ‘LALALA' single in 2023 Last year, Van Helden marked the 25th anniversary of his classic single ‘You Don’t Know Me’, his debut on the FFRR label, with a new single ‘I Won’t Stop’ Meanwhile, in 2023 A-Trak popped up on Defected's third 'House Masters Remixes' release which comprised reworked cuts of Todd Edwards including a "frenetic twist" on 'When Your Alone’ by A-Trak Duck into our long read with the pair from 2020.