The Good News Live Blog: Positive updates from the world of dance music

Long-running and respected US party brand Housepitality is to run a three-day virtual festival from February 26 to 28. The diverse line-up includes Doc Martin, Francesca Lombardo, DJ T, Pillowtalk, Mr C, Juliet Mendoza and Jovonn. Housepitality has teamed up with homeless charity the SFAR Foundation from its birth city of San Francisco. For every ticket purchased two pairs of socks will be donated to a homeless person via SFAR. For tickets and more info, head here.

A Lost Weekend is hosting a live stream this Saturday, January 30, raising money for Jaxx, a 3-year-old Ibizan boy called who needs pioneering treatment for a very rare tumour diagnosed just 8 weeks ago. Arielle Free, Eats Everything, Nick Fanciulli & Sam Divine are set to play the stream, which runs from 4pm GMT to 6:45pm GMT.

Find out more and donate here.

Parklife is moving its Manchester to later in the year for the 2021 edition, with the two-day event now taking place across September 11 and 12 at Heaton Park. Ticket registration is open here.

The organisers said:

Hello Parklife team,

We wanted to update you all on the latest plan for Parklife 2021.

With all the good recent news, we’re now looking ahead to 2021, and a return to the fields and good times we all love. It's a party 2 years in the making that we all deserve. It’s why with that in mind that we have decided to move next year’s festival to the new dates of 11th-12th September, so we can be sure of the good times coming. A huge lineup is almost ready, that we can’t wait to show you in January. Trust us when we say it's going to be worth the wait.

See you soon,
Parklife x

Back in August 2020 a massive explosion in Beirut's port area caused over 200 deaths, 6,500 injuries and left an estimated 300,000 people homeless. It also devastated the city's world-famous electronic music scene as the majority of its iconic clubs lay within the blast zone.

Barcelona-based DJ and producer Maher Daniel – who has part-Lebanese heritage – has pulled together an album featuring some of the biggest and most respected names in techno and electronica, including Ricardo Villalobos, SIT (Cristi Cons & Vlad Caia), Alci, Mandar, Priku, Faster, Pîrvu, Dragutesku, Guy From Downstairs Lowris, Constin Rp, Sepp, Pheek and Kike Mayor.

Released by The Other Side, Maher's label, on Bandcamp, all proceeds will go to Impact Lebanon as they continue their relief and rebuild program in the crisis-torn country.

The compilation features emotional, minimal moods with each of the artists involved bringing their own angle, textures to this reflective release. A vital record for a critical cause.

Listen or buy here.

Lebanese club Rendezvous (RDV) is putting together a very special set of fundraising streams and discussion panels from the waterfront blast zone in Beirut, this weekend (October 3 / 4). The two day event will compromise a number of live performances from local acts and two discussion panels with NGOs and local nightlife figures, discussing how the scene can help rebuild both the city and itself. The panels will be hosted at what remains of the famous venues AHM and The Garten.

Money raised will be used to help the Human Dignity Union and Baytna Baytak charities, which are working hard to fight for Lebanese people's rights and help replace the thousands of shattered windows and damaged houses in the city as the harsh winter approaches. You can check out the streams / panels and donate here.

International Week Of The Deaf is currently running until September 27. Eclectic Indian electronic label IncInk have dropped two new Indian Sign Language music videos. Shwapon ISL by SlowCheeta feat. Dipannita Acharya and Mehfil-E-HipHop ISL, featuring IncInk's roster of rappers - Kaam Bhaari x Spitfire x SlowCheeta and the newest signee at INK - Devil The Rhymer.

The ISL series at IncInk is part of their pledge to make the label's music accessible to the Deaf community in India. They have also announced an open competition "THE DEAF JAMS" for the community to express their creativity online. Their petition to make Indian Sign Language (ISL) the 23rd official language of India is ongoing and is now close to 70,000 signees and we urge the community to come together and support this cause once again.

See more information here and sign the petition here.

Goa's Vinyl Ambulance collective have just launched a fundraiser to help rebuild the community skatepark in Anjuna's Cirrus complex. The space is seen as an important place for local children and adults to come together, play and help promote equality and exercise. A six hour vinyl-only set will run on Sunday September 6 from Cirrus. Details here.

Masks For Music is an ingenious new project to help music and nightlife workers make money during the pandemic by selling face masks to its fanbase. Any music industry professional, agency, organisation, venue or artist can register for their own unique link, to sell masks online to their network. They will earn 50% of the profits made. Co-founded by music manager and social entrepreneur Lindi Delight, this is a super smart idea to help give some much needed relief by people who have lost their livelihoods due to COVID-19. Head here for more information.

FACE The Music, (the alliance For Art and Cultural Entertainment (FACE), has launched to help with the economic and cultural impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically on the electronic music and nightlife sectors. The global, not-for-profit association aims to create direct dialogue with decision-makers in politics and culture at national government level and consists of a worldwide coalition of artists and industry organizations including Fabric London, The BPM Festival, Visionquest, Yoyaku Agency, Toi.Toi.Musik, Mutek Festival, Avant Garten, BArtist Agency, Bleach Agency, Zero Logistics, Nomad Talent, Lola ED, Minibar, Discobar, Subsonic Music Festival and more. FACE will also serve as a platform for professionals to communicate, collaborate and educate on designing the music industry’s re-opening – and raise awareness of the benefits of nightlife to the wider society. Head here for more information.

London DJ crew Bossy LDN have teamed up with Clarks Originals for a live stream on August 22, taking place as a result of this year's Notting Hill Carnival being cancelled.

The stream, hosted on Mixcloud Live, will raise money for a Fear-Less, a platform founded by Bossy LDN's to provide youth in Jamaica with resources to learn and create. Sets come from Cadenza, Lil C, Taylah Elaine, with performances from Pa Salieu and Lila Ike.

Check out the Fear-Less GoFundMe page here.

Warickshire's Bigfoot Festival hosts an all-dayer on Twitch this Saturday with Al Doyle (Hot Chip), Nadia Ksaiba and more. Watch it here.

London crew can enjoy the festivities and order a special tasting menu from Hackney Road's Laughing Heart, who will host the stream from its listening bar, The Cave.

A percentage of profits go to Help Musicians.

Carl Cox and Eats Everything are among those playing Set For Love, a series of parties raising money for the charity Last Night A DJ Saved My Life. Others playing the weekender - June 19 to 21 - include Deborah De Luca, Nightmares On Wax, Cut Chemist and Louie Vega. The event will raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Appeal, which helps vulnerable families in developing countries. The headline sets will be hosted on Last Night A DJ Saved My Life's Facebook page from 7pm to 1am CEST on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The comp is offering $1000 to fiver winners, with $5000 going to charity. Paul Oakenfold is part of a judging panel voting for the best mixes. Full info here.

Iraq-born, Australia-based DJ and producer Motez has been announced for a live set for United We Stream Australia. The event is presented by EMC with Sounds Australia and will act as a fundraiser for Support Act, a charity raising money for music industry workers in Australia. Taking place on June 1 at 9am BST/6pm AEST, Motez will perform his 'Solitude' EP on Ramindjeri land, on the headland of the South Australian coastline.

See more information on Support Act here.

Joey Beltram, Felix Buxton of Basement Jaxx, Nicky Siano, John Morales and more are playing the STREETRave event on June 6, which will allow viewers to donate to Chris's House, a suicide prevention charity. Hosted on STREETRave's and Colours' Facebook pages and Twitch, the stream will run from 12pm to midnight. Tune in here and donate to Chris's House here.

Tate Modern and UNIQLO are hosting the first ever Tate Lates Night In on May 29. NTS Radio have programmed the music for the night, with Floating Points playing. BBC Radio 1 presenter Gemma Cairney introduces the evening, which will also feature meditation with Sanchia Legister, creative workshops with artist Lakwena and talks with artists such as Wolfgang Tillmans. Tate Modern director Frances Morris will also be in conversation with Kara Walker about her exhibiton Fons Americanus. Head here for more information.

Continuing their mission to empower underrepresented communities in the music industry, with a focus on womxn, She.Said.So. are about to launch their virtual mentoring program She.Grows in France and Italy. Potential mentors or mentees can find out more and apply to part of the initiative here.

The signed video is for artist Spitfire's track 'Vartalap', in collaboration with Access Mantra Foundation and AccioMango. Citizens across India are being asked to support a petition filed to make Indian Sign Language the 23rd official of the country and make crucial information accessible to the deaf community of over 10 million people.

American / Mexican dance scene favourite Alex Herman hosts a new interview and streaming show, aiming to mix music with candid interviews and amusing anecdotes from global artists and industry figures. The series launches on May 30 with Seth Troxler, Doc Martin, DJ T, John Tejada and Tara Brooks dropping tunes and raising spirits.

Like many independent venues, Tottenham's Five Miles is facing an uncertain future. Daphni, Tee Mango, Yazzus and more have contributed to a bumper compilation to help keep the club open - cop via Bandcamp here.

Romanian festival UNTOLD is bringing the likes of Danny Ávila, Dimitri Vegas, Lost Frequencies, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano and more to your living room, with its live stream, OVERNIGHT.

Tune in at 8pm BST / 10pm EET on May 1 here.

Liverpool clubbing brands Circus, Chibuku and The Merchant alongside some of the city's leading dance music figures in Paul Henegan, Yousef and Rich McGuiness are 3D printing PPE masks for the NHS.

They're aiming to print 5000 masks a week and are fundraising here.

It comes via his Hundred Flowers label and features new music from himself, Spooky J & Ekhe, pq and Soundbwoy Killah. All proceeds go to NHS Charities Together - cop here.

Spruce up your wall situation with this rad poster.

This weekend Unitea is linking with Room Service digital festival and rolling out its Artist Digital Revenue Program, which pays artists for culturing fan community through Crews and Karma. Unitea have promised to pay out 50x compared to stream compensation from Spotify and Apple Music.

Led by Eli from Soul Clap, the third annual Earth Night will take place this weekend, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

Originally a series of parties, it'll now take place online and feature over 100 DJs in a 'back-to-back relay'. It kicks off on Sunday from 3pm BST and you can watch it here and also take action here.

...The EP is available via Bandcamp now.

This excellent resource has been put together by the Good Night Out campaign and you can read it here.

#LIVEFORLOVE is organising live streams in benefit for UK food bank charity the Trussel Trust. Artwork and Krafty Kuts have already played and the project has raised £20k so far. Check out listings and donation info here.

Together they have launched 'i am OTHER', a compilation that aims to "champion and empower emerging creatives". You can upload your tracks for submission and if chosen for the compilation, you'll also be fast-tracked into Repost Select, SoundCloud's marketing services programme, and receive funding from SoundCloud's $10m creator accelerator fund.

The Artist Fundraising Pick allows artists to take donations "to support themselves, their bands, or their crews." Read all about it here.

Somerset House Studios' forward-thinking programming is moving online. Take part in talks, workshops and performances by Juliana Huxtable, Nabihah Iqbal and more. Check the full schedule here.

This is the self-isolation content we need - Lorenzo will be playing his new album and challenging you to chess. Win prizes, listen to pointillistic trance, leave today a better and happier human being. Click here to get involved from 3pm BST.

It's the sequel to the short film he released with his last album. Check the UK rapper's film here.

All proceeds go to the Marcus Intalex Foundation and 42nd Street, a Manchester charity helping people with mental health difficulties. Head to Bandcamp.

Tail & Twist is working on a project to transform how people the capital consume their drinks once lockdown is done. Check it out here.

Fancy remixing SRVD's 'Black On Black'? Hit this link – the winner will be featured on a remix release while three runners up get Rekids goodies.

...But it will it keep its headliners: Björk, Groove Armada and Metronomy.

Full info here.

The American booking agency has released this awesome looking compilation to help its artists.

1 x/o - Blade
2 Wasted Fates - Rainbow Road (MK Ultra)
3 Lila Tirando a Violeta - Lazarus ft. Chants
4 Rosa Pistola - Guayame
5 Loraine James - 5
6 Manuka Honey & Estoc - Morningstar
7 IVVVO - Sharpest Face
8 Jasmine Infiniti - DOG NEEDS (ReSet)
9 Blackwater Hardware - Scorch
10 Traxman - Rumba Boogie
11 Dasychira - dDrea
12 Ultrademon - Turbid Orisons

It lands on May 15 and features 75 artists from the worlds of techno and electro. Cop it here – proceeds go to NHS Charities Together and Médecins Sans Frontières.

The beloved rave cruise is hosting a virtual festival all of this weekend and will be raising funds for the Whet Foundation, which will be helping people in need in the Groove Cruise sphere.

Record stores with actual brick 'n' mortar premises will be given $500 credit on seller fees for March by Discogs. A nice gesture, especially as this month's lucrative Record Store Day will obviously not be happening.

Watch it here.

It's called All Day I Stream.

Steven writes:

"A little background, I'm currently working the frontlines in New York City and am writing this email to you mid night shift from one of the COVID ICUs.

I shared an emotional post revealing the negative aspects of life as a professional healthcare worker during this time. I had gotten extremely close to my breaking point and was completely overwhelmed. My friends sensed something was wrong and banded together to boost my morale, and sent a heartfelt and funny video my way. This can be provided as well if you'd like.

I am currently alone in Manhattan, away from my closest friends. I just moved here March 1st, a couple weeks prior to the shutdown. I asked my friends how could we stay together while so far apart? The answer: music. So we circulated a list of live streams to listen to together from home. The list was so well received that we built a website dedicated to uniting people through music."

It's called 'World Wide Window' and features 56 tracks from across the worlds of experimental and techno, curated by Enisslab. Cop via Bandcamp.

Catch the festival this Saturday featuring DJ Nobu, Soichi Terada and many more.

Donate here - proceeds go to artists and industry folk in the Disco Halal sphere.

...During his 15-hour livestream the other weekend.

Big up bassline.

The virtual festival's first edition raised $185,000 for charity and it's back this Friday with another 36-hour marathon featuring Boys Noize, Modeselektor, Bob Moses, Sasha and more. Head to the Beatport site.

...Featuring ssaliva and Heath, Kelman Duran and Ans M and more. It's called even my dreams don't go outside and aims to provide some inspiration during these weird times as well as some financial support for the artists involved. Head over to the AQNB website now.

UNTOLD and Neversea festivals have donated equipment to a mobile hospital in Constanta, Romania, including 4000 square meters of porta floor and geotextile, festival tents and 6 mobile lighting towers.

UNTOLD has also donated 12,000 testing kits to hospitals in Cluj, as well as masks, gloves and disinfectants.

So RSD have launched #RSDfillthegap, encouraging collectors to buy one record for their favourite record store this weekend.

Snowbombing has curated a virtual festival for fans who were forced to miss 2020's IRL event. It runs from today 'til Saturday and features the likes of Mixmag's Jaguar, DJ Yoda, Solardo and, of course, Mr Motivator. Lock in via Facebook and donate to the National Emergencies Trust here.

The legendary UK DJ will present his top 20 tracks in a variety of genres via his Worldwide FM station, which also boasts some new shows including Audio Yoga with Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy. Check the listings here and see what Gilles is upto below...

Brit Funk - April 16th - Between 9am - 11am
Broken Beat - April 23rd - Between 9am - 11am
Brazilian Jazz - April 30th - Between 9am - 11am
Disco - May 7th - Between 9am - 11am

Defected's salacious sister Glitterbox is hosting a virtual festival via all the usual channels on April 17, featuring Bob Sinclar, Purple Disco Machine and more. Keep an eye on the Facebook.

The London club is raising money for NHS carers by releasing recordings of classic performances at the venue in exchange for donations. Can't say fairer than that - get involved here.

Todd Terry, Roger Sanchez and David Morales will all be banging it out for the Hacienda House Party that kicks off at midday BST on Saturday. It's a link up with United We Stream and will raise money for the Manchester music scene - full info.

Here's a biggie - Aphex Twin's set from the Warehouse Project is being broadcast tomorrow at 6pm BST. What a fine way to start your holiday weekend - get locked here.

...And you should pay as much as you can because all proceeds go to the artists!

The forward-thinking Bristol label strikes again, pick up the excellent comp here.

For raising over $300,000 for the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund via the Digital Mirage music festival hosted last weekend.

The virtual festivals keep on coming - it's just like IRL summer! Ibiza clubs have come together to create Ibiza Loves Ibiza Beats, which will be streamed this Saturday here with a donations page here.

The bassline OG will be going deep into his record bag in aid of the NHS. This'll be packed with bangers, boots off at midday UK time on Saturday. Watch via Facebook.

The third 'edition' of Defected's virtual festival goes live this Friday at 2pm BST, with a line-up featuring Black Motion, Mike Dunn, Sam Divine and more. Calvin Harris will 'headline' under his Love Generator alias, which is something of a coup. Head here to watch and donate.

Get the iOS or Android version of the Zenbeats app for free. Right here.

SoundCloud's Creator Forum is a new educational resource that's aiming to help you navigate the music industry, from creativity to the business side of things. Get stuck in.

Who's ready for another 24-hour set after that astonishingly good EZ session? D'n'b duo The Prototypes are stockpiling energy bars ahead of a marathon set beginning on Friday April 17 in aid of the NHS. You can start donating now and watch the stream via Facebook from 7pm BST on the day.

AIM has launched a fund for freelancers and independent contractors working in the independent music industry. If this is you, get more info here.

Amsterdam's DGTL was supposed to take place this weekend. Organisers are now taking the festival online, creating a digital version that will feature Adriatique, KiNK, Tom Trago and more. Sign up for info here.

Club legend Jodie Harsh is hosting the Harsh House Party over on her IG Live every Friday and Saturday night. Follow her on IG to gain entry.

Jeremy Deller is selling 1500 'Thank God for Immigrants' prints via his IG - proceeds go to the Trussel Trust and Refugee Action.

The Southbank Centre is of course closed until all of this is over but the good people over there are working hard to make sure you can get a cultural fix online. Check the homepage and blog for more!

Cop a tee from the cult UK label and help raise money for food banks across the country. Special designs from artist Beth Lane right here.

West Coast crew Brownies And Lemonade has put together Digital Mirage, a URL festival that takes place across the weekend, including a VR area that can be accessed via PS4. It's got a large line-up of North American dance music talent and will be raising money for charity - head here to RSVP.

The master UKG craftsman and all-round studio supremo has released 'Madrugada', an ambient album that burrows deep into his piano playing and interest in classical music. Check the album here and there's a short film to accompany it here.

The National Hype Service is releasing a series of mixes to help raise money for the National Health Service. Instant like - more info here.

It's a little bit different to your usual DJ stream too. Kicks off at 8pm, full info here.

The UKG lads will be taking part in the Campaign Against Living Miserably's Friday Night Lock-In, which you can stream via Instagram Live. Mixmag fav Emerald is also on the line-up, alongside other top sorts from the world of pop culture. Donations here.

The duo have released a handsome various artists comp to raise money for a charity providing relief to hard-hit Lombardy in their native Italy. Listen/donate.

The bros will be taking questions from fans this evening via their Facebook and the Warehouse Project's.

The Trox has put together an archive of DJ mixes spanning the best part of his career. Spanning some 13 years and totalling 300 hours in length, the archive is up on SoundCloud and follows in the footsteps of the mighty Weatherdrive.

Could this all be over by September? We're certainly hoping so. As are the organisers of Albania's ION festival, which has announced a line-up featuring the big beasts of house and techno. Info.

Megan Townsend reviewed Bangface for us and came back from the legendary rave festival with a story about one of the last IRL parties our community will enjoy for a while – and why making the most of it was so important for everyone who attended (in a scrupulously sanitised manner of course).

On the flip, Patrick Hinton spent a weekend raving online to see if club feels could be attained virtually. Turns out he stayed up 'til dawn and had some euphoric moments along the way.

The State Of Bass is the latest book on the excellent Velocity Press and charts the roots of drum 'n' bass and jungle. Manchester's Reform Radio will soon host an online webinar with author Martin James - keep an eye on the website.

Help Musicians UK has distributed £5 million to 10,000 musicians. The Musicians Hardship fund received a month's worth of enquiries in one day and has swiftly been shared between thousands of successful applicants.

Good news, but the fund is also now empty. If you'd like to help build it back up again, you can donate here.

Beatport's mammoth 34-hour ReConnect live stream last weekend raised $180,000 for the response funds run by the World Health Organisation and the Association For Electronic Music. You can still donate here.

The excellent Westival is hosting a 24-hour charity rave on Friday.

Learning how to produce while in self iso? The Kevin Saunderson and Erick Morillo co-signed Armada University is offering a license for Ableton Live Intro for free to everyone who signs up for the beginner's course.

Classic Album Sundays is moving online. Watch a range of seminal LPs being discussed every Sunday for the next several weeks via the CAS Facebook.

20 Spanish labels have teamed up to create Music For Gloves, a fundraising initiative to get medical gloves into hospitals in Spain. Check the Bandcamp here.

Mixcloud is giving SELECT creators 100 per cent of takings made via the platform.

If you watch Manchester Keeps Dancing, a film about the city's acid house scene, on Doc 'N' Roll TV, the proceeds go toward local music communities.