So here we go...Introducing to you The Top 10! Check out the DJs, listen to their tracks, tell us what you think. We couldn't be happier with the talent that has come through in this competition and we'd really like to give a huge congratulations to everyone that took part!

Hed Kandi says: Nathan really went to town to ensure that he could incorporate the sample into today’s main room and festival sound. The breakdown reminds us of this years season in Ibiza, happy smiling faces and when it kicks back in you know the crowd are going to be jumping! Massive congratulations to Nathan on winning this years competition, I’m sure we’ll be seeing plenty more from him in 2012.

How they made the record: To make this record I selected a sample called ‘old days’, a piano riff from the sample pack. Using Logic Pro 9, I felt that I could use this riff as the basis of the record and produce a solid beat to fit with the infectious sound of the piano riff. I also added some smooth strings, a lead synth along with plenty of FX to build up a track with a main room sound that will work in clubs across the world.

Click here to learn more about Nathan Cozetto!

  Tejl feat. Kicki - Oh

Hed Kandi says: Tejl came in a close second because we really loved the way that they cut up the samples along with adding a hypnotic vocal hook that I’m sure we’ll be singing along too for a little while yet.

How they made the record: For this track I've used quite a lot of samples from the Sample Magic - Hed Kandi Disco House Samples package. All the high hats, percussion and snares is from the collection alongside all the effect sounds. The main "riff" is a mixture of different music loops from the sample package, I processed them a bit, re-sampled some of the parts to make the sound more dirty and gritty. The bass sound is made with the TB 303 software clone from the wonderful Swedish Audio Realism company, I've always been into the TB 303 machine and it is great for fat bass lines and with this TB 303 clone you get super sound right out of the box. The vocal is sung by Kicki who I've been working with a couple of times, the vocal was actually from another track, but it fits the sound of the track very well, so I kept it.

Click here for more on Tejl!

  Souljackerz - Can't Get Enough

Hed Kandi says: Souljackerz aka Stuart & Matt deliver a very good traditional rendition of the Hed Kandi Disco Heaven sound, another entry with an infectious vocal, we’re digging this.

How they made the record: We used Ableton Live 8 Suite and FTP to swap files across the 200 miles between us. Starting with the groove, we used single hits from the Hed Kandi sample pack mixed with our own drum sounds. On top of this we over-layered then filtered the rhodes and synth from the sample pack with subtle reverb and panning. The sax was recorded live and chopped in Ableton, while the 'cerrone' bass (also from the HK pack) sat perfectly under our vocal. Finally we added bass-licks, vocal chops, live keys, FX and lots of automation to make it shine- and ended up with a delicious slice of disco-house.

Hear more from Souljackerz!

  Adam A - Wait For The Sunshine

Hed Kandi says: Disco for the sunshine, we can hear this one as we’re soaking up some rays on the beach! This is screaming out for a laidback vocal.

How they made the record: I Started Auditioning the samples from Sample Magic & Hed Kandi present Disco House pro-audio loops and samples collection. It was hard to pick a Sample to use as they were all good. I didn't want to pick a full music sample as I wanted to be more creative and add my touch to it and make it in to my own. I picked the samples: Hk_syn125_dirtychord and Hk_gtr125_melopick. I used Logic Pro 8 For the production. I went for more of a funky Piano style record with a progressive analog synth lead with acoustic style bass.

Say hello to Adam A!

  S69 feat. Stevie Becks - Take Us Dancing

Hed Kandi says: There must be something in the water, the Swede’s are everywhere and this entry from S69 got our attention with its haunting vocal yet distinctively damn right funky groove. This is a really solid production.

How they made the record: We got the vocal from the amazing singer-songwriter Stevie Becks quite a while ago and had been trying out loads of different ideas back and forth and when we saw that Hed Kandi were throwing a competition with the release of the Sample Magic collection we just had to have a go at doing a Disco House record. It all started with the bassline which is the funky core of the record and then it was built from there. Samples used were a funky guitar riff (hipicky) that went right in there grooving with the bass and a rhodes loop (rhodenpad) that gave some nice backing to the piano and the synth playing the chords. Further a drum loop (bassis_top), loads of drum one-shots and FX from the collection was used. The record was produced in Propellerheads Reason which we think is a great creative environment to work in.

Check out more from S69!

  Tom Rider - Elle

Hed Kandi says: Tight production and really well mixed, hat’s off to Tom, this one has been on stuck on repeat for a little while!

How they made the record: I'm little bit of tired of "the supersaw synth trend at the moment“ sound, so when I heard new Hed Kandi´s Sample Pack, I was very happy for this classic collection of loops. I have some favorite samples from this pack, but the  hk_mus125_copyrght  sample brought me a lot of memories of time when I started playing this kind of music in the clubs. For this reason I try to produce the track in a classic way, no extra mighty effects, wild cuts etc.. I added some additional sounds and background vocals to bring more nostalgia in the track. Sincerely I would prefer the full vocal version, but its hard to find some new "house diva”, especially in non-english speaking country. I´m big fan and a user of Steinberg´s Cubase, which, despite some flaws, always do a great job. New compressors LA-2A and 1176 LN from IK Multimedia must not miss on every my record now, and of course with NI Komplete you are always safe ;-)

Find out more about Tom Rider!

  Lets Press Go feat. Cazza - Work It Out

Hed Kandi says: We’re a massive a fan of disco and this one takes it to the club utilizing a funky as hell bassline along with an uplifting vocal line.

How they made the record: We started out by picking the samples we liked from the Hed Kandi/Sample Magic pack, - however making them work together due to the different keys was a real challenge and narrowed down our selection. We use Apple Logic Pro for EVERYTHING, and once we got the samples in the same key we chopped up the two bass samples and used bits from both. The guitars eventually got the same treatment as we tried to get different "loop parts" to gel together by only playing part of the original sample. The two "Drum loops" gave us the main groove without causing the top end to be messy and enabled us to mute one and create an A/B change. The kick drum had a slight EQ cut at 200hz to make it a bit "softer" which also made it sit better with the bass. We already had the vocal recorded (Work It Out) and only later realised that we had used a sample from the library called WORKIT - (hk_mus125_workit3_Fm) Suddenly it all made sense!

Let's Press Go!

  DJ Steven Uttridge & Chris Lavish feat. RJay - Mrs. So & So

Hed Kandi says: A very good production, a driving house track that uses an infectious sample that will keep the dance-floor moving and that’s not forgetting the vocal for them to sing along too as well!

How they made the record: The vocals were recorded with original lyrics to add more feel to the track to captivate the sample. The sample was twisted up using ohmicide plug-in , the sample loop was edited and re-shuffled in the main part of the track but the full loop was opened up in the break.  Software used: Logic Pro 9 and Hed Kandi sample loop used: "Music Goes On" in the bonus loop - music loop file.

Listen to more from these boys!

  Terry Lex & Annie Sollange - Love Potion

Hed Kandi says: Some great laidback soulful Beach House vibes coming straight out of Bern in Switzerland.

How they made the record: Terry just used a Single Kickdrum (hk_kick_woody), Single Snare (hk_snare_funka) and Single Hat (hk_hat_nicehat) from Hed Kandi's Sample CD as a part to build the Drumgroove. All Keys and other Intruments were played and recorded with Hardware Racks (Yamaha TX802, Korg Triton, Moog, Roland D550 and Korg TG77). Lyrics and Vocals by Annie Sollange. Mixed ITB with Cubase and Mastered @ Push On Music Studio, Switzerland.

Say Hello to Terry Lex!

  Colin Sales & S.U.Z.Y - All About The Love

Hed Kandi says: Glasgow’s Colin Sales hooks up with vocalist S.U.Z.Y to deliver a cool early door’s production.

How they made the record: When I saw there was a Hed Kandi producer competition I jumped at chance to enter!  The first thing I did after I bought the Sample Magic pack, was listen to the musical parts.  I fell in love with the very first sample (called 'Backtime'), and I knew no matter how the others sounded, I had to use this one! I built the track around the sample using Song Acid Pro, and I added in a tiny little synth sound using Logic Pro on my Mac (I'm still a novice with Logic lol!).  Once this was done I sent the track to S.U.Z.Y who has worked wonders with the vocal! I'm very pleased with the result and hope everyone likes it! Turn it up!

Click here for more on Colin Sales!



So there we have it...the top 10 tracks from the Hed Kandi & Sample Magic Producer Competition. Please take your time to listen to the tracks, comment on each one and let us know what you think! We'd like to say a huge thank you to Sample Magic for supporting this project and helping to create an incredible sample collection. We're really proud of the product and the music that has been created using it! Thank you to all who participated, we'll definitely be watching for your names in 2012!

Kandi Love xx

When someone comes along with the ability to beautifully blend the French and Chicago house scene...the music world usually stands up and takes notice. Well this is no exception. We first had the pleasure of working with Ghosts Of Venice (GoV) on his incredible collaboration with Ridney and The Phantom's Revenge for the track 'Looking For You'. We knew back then that there was raw talent behind the composition and the production, so with that in mind we handed over the reins of Disc 3 on Hed Kandi Classics. GoV made it his own and majestically reworked some Kandi classics with the help of some well-known friends of his! We managed to grab 5 minutes with the man to ask him about his background, his influences and just where does that name come from??

1.       How would you explain the Ghosts of Venice sound?

I just mash together everything I listened to growing up. My parents were really into Soul music and as a young boy I was really into House music. I guess it all evolved from there!

2.       Where did the name derive from?

There are a few stories about where the name comes from. It actually came from an in-flight magazine I read whilst on the way home from Ibiza. I took the name from the headline and it stuck

3.       Who/what artists are your inspiration?

I take a lot of inspiration from my friends, they'll send me music and I'll think to myself "this is great; I need to step my game up". I also take a lot of inspiration from 90's house producers from the French Filter and Chicago house scene.

4.       How did you get involved with the new Hed Kandi Classics project?

I'd been working with Carl Hanaghan (Hed Kandi A&R Manager) on some projects and he came to me with this idea a few months ago. It seemed like a lot of work but it really came together in the end. I couldn't be prouder of how it all turned out!

5.       What was your highlight of ADE?

The highlight of every ADE is seeing friends from around the world that I never get chance to see and geeking out about music. I also got the chance to play at Supperclub, which is an amazing place, the parties are always really great fun.

6.       Do you have any upcoming shows or projects?

Mostly just working on remixes and originals. I also just started up a record label with a friend called 'Stripped & Chewed', so look out for it!

7.       What do you enjoy most about DJ’ing and producing?

Being able to play and make music I love on a daily basis, getting to travel, meeting new people. It’s great!


Quick Fire Q's

1.       What is the top track on your iPod at the moment?

Fantastic Man - Look This Way

2.       What super power would you have?

I think the ability to stop time would really good

3.       If you weren't in the music industry and could choose any career, what would it be?

International Man of Mystery

4.       Favourite type of Kandi?

Every kind of course!

5. Celebrity tag team death match, who do you have your odds on ... Daft Punk vs Justice?

Daft Punk! Robots beat Humans every time!

A huge Hed Kandi thanks to GoV for the interview. Reworking some all time Kandi classics, you can catch our main man doing his thing on Hed Kandi Classics Disc 3!

Click here to Listen / Buy Hed Kandi Classics Vol. II 

To celebrate the opening of the brand new Hed Kandi Bar in Brighton we sent a competition winner, Ryan Walsh, down to the launch to document his experience...

"On my way down the famous hill of West Street you couldn’t help but be drawn to the new glow emanating from the seafront. That phosphorescent beam was of course the brand new offering from the world of Hed Kandi Bars! Brighton’s very own disco ball haven has taken up residence on the final stretches of West Street, nestled around some of the hottest spots in the town. The first thing that strikes you as you stroll up to the bar is the bright, vibrant, infectious lifestyle surrounding the place. Beaming with the famous Hed Kandi pinks and blues, it’s safe to say the bar has most definitely raised the stakes when it comes to a glamorous night out on the cool shores of Brighton.

As you enter you’re greeted by everything you expect when it comes to Hed Kandi…two stunning girls! A very pleasant entrance is followed by 2 minutes of open-mouthed gazing, although judging by the size of the place this was probably closer to 3 or 4 minutes! The space is huge and the fabulous world of Hed Kandi even manages to spread itself across two floors in this bar! From cool, quirky wall fittings providing ever-changing atmospheric lighting to the famous Hed Kandi Bar collages that adorn the walls of not only the VIP booths but the incredibly decorated toilets (trust me, they’re well worth a look…although you’ll have to take a girl/guy’s word for it?). It’s not all about the walls though; the ceiling at the bar has hundreds of disco balls hanging from it! Disco balls on such an industrial scale makes for an incredible lighting effect and really ups the ante on the glamour ratings! Definitely an eye-rubbing moment when you first see these!

The drinks were delightful, the cocktail menu was vast and diverse with my favourite being the Destroy The Disco (good album too!). Of course the music was spot on, DJ Eibhlin and Stephanie Jay were right on the money with their eclectic mix of dance classics and modern-day floorfillers. The mood of the bar really feels at home in Brighton, it’s great to see a different offering for the local clubbers, one surely to enhance any night out in Brighton. I say any night out because I’ve recently discovered the schedule for the bar and it’s already rammed every week! From incredible student parties to a darker, dubstep night all the way through to the main reason we’re all coming to this venue…the classic Hed Kandi night out!

All in all, well worth a visit, beautiful venue with an atmosphere that’s second to none. Already planning my next visit…just need to decide to go Back To Love on a Wednesday or maybe some Pure Kandi on a Saturday..?? Ah what the heck…I’ll do both."

Thanks to Ryan for his amazing review, we really appreciate everyone who came down for the Grand Opening, it was an incredible night and we can't wait for many more parties like that along the way!

To view all the photos from the evening, click here!

Kandi Love xx



The time has FINALLY come!!!

Hed Kandi fans make your way to Brighton this weekend for the official opening of our Brand New Hed Kandi Brighton Bar.

Saturday 5^th November is the official Grand Opening!

Following the success of our Clapham and Ibiza bar, the Brighton bar will be the ultimate hang out running a mix of eclectic, alternative, house fusion and mashed up events every night of the week. Saturday night is your chance to glam up and enjoy the classic sounds of Hed Kandi’s uplifting, good time house beats whilst sipping on one of our delicious bespoke cocktails.

Known for its cool crowds, premier night-life and carefree, fashionable attitude, Brighton is the next party stop destination for Hed Kandi, where alternative and street chic can unite.

To make sure you're fully prepared for the Grand Opening, take a look at this gorgeous sneak preview...



You can also keep up to date with all the latest progress over on our Facebook page! Get live updates, upcoming drinks deals, a full schedule of what's on and even a few pics of some sexy Kandi girl builders!

So lock this Saturday 5^th November in your diary for the exciting opening night of the Brand New Hed Kandi Bar in Brighton.

To reserve your table head to our Bars section now!

See you on the dancefloor! xx