dance music news: post-holiday updates

-The death toll in that New Year's club fire in Bangkok has risen to 64, according to CNN. Authorities say the fire might have started as a result of an onstage fireworks display used to celebrate the countdown at club Santika. An owner of the venue has turned himself into police, who are investigating several issues, including whether the venue had proper fire precautions, and whether minors were allowed admittance against Thai law. No Americans are reported to have been killed although more than 40 survivors and two of the dead are reported to be from outside Thailand. The theme of the New Year's Eve party: "Goodbye Santika."

-In L.A., things were safe and sound. Michael Tullberg has shots of the Giant Maximus party via Getty Images. Drew Ressler photographed the Together As One rave in Exposition Park under contract for Canadian sensation Deadmau5. (Above, Ressler's photo of Deadmau5 fans at the event).

-Los Angeles Times pop critic Ann Powers reports that one of three forthcoming Prince albums, to be titled MPLSOUND, will be "electro-flavored."

-Piotr Orlov has a nice piece in the New York Times about the young Martinez Brothers DJ duo, who have been mentored by their father, himself a veteran of Paradise Garage-era clubbing. He bought the brothers their first DJ equipment, and he still accompanies them to gigs.

-The BBC says electronic dance music will be big (again?) in 2009.

-Details about the Josh Wink full-lengh we mentioned previously have been released. When A Banana Was Just A Banana, Wink's fourth album, comes out in the U.K. in mixed-CD, unmixed vinyl and unmixed digital formats in February via the DJ's own Ovum. I assume that it's the same release touted by Nervous that will hit the U.S. in March or so. "In a nutshell, it speaks really of the loss of innocence of music," Wink states, decrying the genre-fication of the scene. "Music was just music when I was growing up."

-Rekids Revolution from Radio Slave's Rekids imprint is a three-disc compilation, inclduing originals, remixes and a mix-CD by Spencer Parker, coming at you next month.

-Producer, remixer and DJ Baggi Begovic is behind Addicted to DJ Disciple & Baggi Begovic, a mix-CD due soon via Addicted.