Saturday 31 December 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012..!

WISHING EVERYONE AROUND THE WORLD A HAPPY NEW YEAR..! HAVE FUN WITH YOUR FAMILY & LOVED ONES - "Celebrate" LIKE Common - & MAKE SURE TO STAY SAFE... 1 LUV, PEACE & MUSIC-BEATS d(-_-)b x

Friday 23 December 2011

A GREAT PIECE OF THE FOUNDATION...

Billy Ocean "Stay The Night" - A TIMELESS Disco GEM & PART OF THE MANY INCREDIBLE WAX CUTS, WHICH MAKE UP THE FOUNDATION OF House & Dance MUSIC IN GENERAL..! RELEASED IN 1980 - PLAYED BY THE LEGENDARY Larry Levan DURING HIS SETS AT THE RENOWNED Paradise Garage - COVERED BY LaToya Jackson THE FOLLOWING YEAR & SAMPLED BY FRENCH Dance OUTFIT Lady ON THEIR 2002 BRAZILIAN HIT "Easy Love"… CHECK OUT THE VIDEO FROM Billy Ocean’s 1987 CONCERT SHOW, LIVE AT Hammersmith Odeon, IN London… GREAT ARTIST..! GREAT SONG..! GREAT MUSICIANS & BACKUP VOCALISTS..! GREAT PERFORMANCE..! GREAT FEELING..! ENJOY - 1 LUV - PEACE & MUSIC-BEATS d(-_-)b

Thursday 15 December 2011

INSPIRED TO RE-CREATE...

"Lady Luck" - 1 OF MY FAVOURITE MUSIC PIECES FROM Jamie Woon's BRILLIANT DEBUT STUDIO ALBUM "Mirrorwriting" - VOTED AS 1 OF THE TRACKS OF THE 2011 SEASON IN IBIZA, THANKS TO A SUPERB LIVE House MASH-UP THAT THE MIGHTY Luciano AKA Lucien Nicolet PUT TOGETHER & CONSTANTLY PLAYED DURING HIS EVERY PERFORMANCE..! INSPIRED BY SUCH MASTERFUL CRAFTSMANSHIP, HERE'S MY ATTEMPT AT CAPTURING THOSE SAME MESMERISING SOUNDS & RE-INTERPRETING THEM FOR MY SETS - Jamie Woon "Lady Luck" (Xander James "Tribute To Luciano" Bootleg mix) - ENJOY, PEACE & MUSIC-BEATS d(-_-)b
*SoundCloud Link (FREE DOWNLOAD)

Thursday 8 December 2011

THAT SUMMER FEELING...

HOT WEATHER... SUNNY BLUE SKIES... BLISSFUL Discofied MELODIES... SUMMER House GROOVES... Lula Circus: "She Loves Me"... FEATURED ON THE SUPERB "Above The City" COMPILATION - OUT ON Culprit LA - AVAILABLE ONLINE THROUGH BeatPort & TraxSource... ENJOY d(-_-)b
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUMHQoJLJt8

WHY SO MUCH..? [Initial Post: 24-11-2011]

If you ask yourself why ARTISTS – djs, singers, dancers, musicians or anyone who falls under the artist category – charge so much for what they do, It's BECAUSE we don't get paid vacation, sick days, bonuses for outstanding performances or for Christmas & public holidays… We don't have insurance plans nor do we qualify for unemployment… We sacrifice our family on special days so that we can bring happiness to others… NOT TO MENTION THAT Illness or personal affairs are not excuses for a bad performance… Next time you ask, remember that ARTISTS are ARTISTS because of their love for music & art but that love doesn't pay debtS..! Happy Artists’ Day!!! MUCH R.E.S.P.E.C.T - 1 luv - peace & music-beats d(-_-)b x

Wednesday 7 December 2011

"THE FUTURE"...

AFTER A 10 YEAR HIATUS, Inner City ARE BACK..! THE LEGENDARY House/Techno GROUP - FAMOUS FOR THEIR GLOBAL Dance HITS: "Big Fun", "Good Life", "Pennies From Heaven" & MORE - WAS FORMED BACK IN 1987-'88, IN Detroit (US), COMPRISING OF E.D.M. PRODUCER & 1 OF 3 Techno ORIGINATORS Kevin Maurice Saunderson & Chicago-NATIVE SUPREME VOCALIST Shanna Jackson AKA Paris Grey... THEIR RETURN TO THE SCENE SEES THEM COLLABORATING WITH PAST MEMBER Ann Saunderson, FELLOW Detroit PIONEER Kenny Larkin & Dutch MUSIC-MASTER (DJ/PRODUCER) Orlando Voorn..! MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THEIR NEW TIMELESS MASTERPIECE - Kevin Saunderson PRES. Inner City "The Future" - OUT NOW ON Defected... AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD PURCHASE THROUGH BeatPort, TraxSource & THE Defected ONLINE STORE  - 1 LUV - PEACE & MUSIC-BEAST d(-_-)b
*HERE'S SOME VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM THE Defected ~IN THE HOUSE~ PARTY @ AIR NIGHTCLUB - DURING THIS YEAR'S Amsterdam Dance Event - FEATURING A SPECIAL LIVE PERFORMANCE BY Inner City - SOUNDTRACK: Kevin Saunderson PRES. Inner City "The Future" (Deep Sea Sound System mix) / FILM DIRECTED BY: Maik Diederen - ENJOY..!

Monday 5 December 2011

DJs AREN'T PROMOTERS - NEITHER SHOULD THEY HAVE TO BE..!

A little while ago, a friend put up a post about promoting & dj'ing being 2 different things - partly to express his frustration with the state of today's hospitality/entertainment industry, partly because it's true... Interesting topic too - so here's my 5 cents worth :P lol...

A word of advice to aspiring dj's out there don't expect anything from anyone, don't expect to become an overnight sensation & make millions, put in the hard yards & promote your work & don't worry so much about the gigs, the gigs will come naturally, at the end it's all about the art, don't live that way - up until 2 years ago I continuously used to count all the negative aspects within to a certain extent & the more I used to think that way the more depressed I was...

The main reasons why this issue has become apparent in our times are:

1) Lack of professionalism in this industry - from both ends, whether it be venues & promoters on 1 hand or so-called djs on the other hand - in general people always want to make money without spending money - don't fight it just strive to perfect your craft... Not everyone is bad but believe me there's no need to burn any bridges..!

2a) Everyone is not a dj but everyone want's to be a dj - usually for all the wrong reasons..! A dj used to be someone who was in love or even obsessed with music & a nerd at some extent not a "superstar" like some think, there are very few of them around & even fewer last for long if they let fame & fortune get to them... Don't like using myself as an example but dj'ing was my hobby for almost 13 years - then with the help & support of close friends & family, I took a pay-cut for a few months, left my job and just focused on music - unfortunately to this day 2 years later I still haven't put in 100% of effort into the art so I can excel even further but I'm getting there slowly...

2b) No disrespect or offense to anyone here but to my knowledge, at least 90% of djs in Melbourne & probably in the world, as such, are part-timers - the competition is fierce but more-so imagine how frustrating it is at times for people who actually make a living out of this & their jobs are continuously on the line... In reality - to be fair - no one should be putting the term dj next to their name first unless they do what they do full-time..! Once again I hate using myself as an example but for almost 13 years I used to be a student, customer service assistant, radio host, event operations manager, store manager or whatever else & known for dj'ing every so often on weekends, as a hobbyist... That being said, there's nothing wrong about being an aspiring dj or producer & currently only dj'ing on weekends but at the same time there's also no need to worry about the bigger picture & all the ups & downs that come with it until you're in the game for real..!

3) Jealousy, ego & lack of respect - not just for senior members of the industry who have achieved things over the years but for our peers in general who are good at what they do regardless of whether we like their musical style of choice, gigs, etc... Always give credit where credit's due & eventually you will receive the same in return...

4) Some times you need to adapt - don't listen to what others have to say just because you're not classified as "cool" or even if they call you a sell-out, there's no such thing..! Be open-minded, bent the rules within yourself to become adaptable even to mainstream, which unfortunately plays a big role on what gains attention from the public these days & once you have a following you can become "selective"...

5) One thing to remember though, always state things as they are - check this article I posted earlier in the year... For example if you're playing a hip-hop gig/party but you prefer people to know that you're a house dj don't be scared to state that you also play hip-hop - versatility is a big plus, better to be known for more & be good at more than none... Armand Van Helden & Steve Angello are classic examples of this... And by the way don't worry about being on the roster of so-call "classy" or "high-end" events if you have to deal with the promoter/dj bullsh!t - start or go for something a little more left-field & leave your mark or even throw your own parties...

Best wishes to you all, keep your heads up high peeps, work hard & you'll eventually get where you want in life - peace & music-beats - 1 luv d(-_-)b

Sunday 4 December 2011