Event christmas and new year
The best Christmas and New Year yet? We're burning up!

Music
'tHIS year proves the scene is about quality not quantity. I was surprised. We finished the [Daft Punk] tour in December, and I thought that this year nothing would really happen. I never really did any promotion with our label, Roulé, so the fact that Stardust blew up without me doing anything is great. I really thought it would sell less than 1,000 copies. I didn't think people would get it.

"There are no plans for further Stardust material but Alan Braxe, Benjamin Diamond and I might work together again. The track was really intended as a one-off. We consider it a great story and a funny experiment but it's not a new sound - it's just part of a broader spectrum of dance music. I'm as happy putting out minimal techno.

"The funny thing about making a record is that it has a life of it's own. Some DJs got annoyed because it was always on the radio. I apologise for that. I don't blame people for getting bored. I don't think we're ashamed or regretful but, no, I don't listen to it that much now.

"I'm happy with the state of house music but I think the bootleg situation is bad. Right now if I see a bootleg I get very angry, and I regret that. Why don't people bootleg anyone else this much? Just me. And no, I won't settle things with Bob Sinclar. Definitely not. Although the bust-up over 'Gymtonic' hasn't put me off collaborating because I don't want to get paranoid. I believe there are good people even if I encounter bad people.

"My number one priority now is the Daft Punk album. We're back in the studio, and it's a very chilled way of life. I'm looking forward to a few different things in 1999: the Basement Jaxx album, the Cassius album and these new guys called Selcon, on Roulé. "I'm really looking forward to seeing people accept more house outfits on major labels. The more the merrier, so more and more people understand the scene and less and less people have to compromise to sell the music they love. Daft Punk and Roulé are different ways to put it out, but the goal is still the same: to make people happy."

News
- Cream organises four consecutive New Year's Eve parties, in London, Manchester, Newcastle and Liverpool. Headline DJs Paul Oakenfold, Norman Cook, Todd Terry and Roger Sanchez are flown between the four venues in a private jet
- Underworld, Leftfield and Orbital all put the finishing touches to their albums, due for release in 1999
- Police clamp down on London clubs, searching door staff for drugs and weapons
- Prince battles with his former record label for the rights to his New Year's Eve anthem, '1999'
- Gatecrasher turns away 2,000 people in one night at the end of November

Year Review: 1/1998