http://www.noizemag.com/index.php en publisher@noiZemag.com Copyright 2008 2008-04-14T19:17:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/quentin/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/quentin/ Some people are destined for greatness. With talent and drive, they accomplish things that others can only dream of. People like Quentin Harris. As one of today’s most respected producers and DJs, Harris maintains a hectic travel schedule that spans the globe while working with artists like Mariah Carey, Justin Timberlake, and Jennifer Hudson. Making music is something that Quentin Harris was born to do, and he spreads his joy to people on dance floors all over the world. “Music was around me everywhere,” at his parents’ or grandmother’s, Quentin Harris says of his childhood growing up in Detroit. “From Ray Charles to classical—everything,” Quentin says. “We heard it all. I think that’s why I have such an eclectic mindset.” His father and younger brother played trumpet; his mother played violin, cello, and French horn; his grandmother played piano; and his older sister sang in the church choir. So it’s no surprise that Quentin developed quite a penchant for music. When he was only five, he taught himself to play piano. Quentin didn’t have formal training until he was 12, when he was already playing Bach and Beethoven. Clearly a prodigy, he went through three piano teachers, because they kept making him play elementary pieces. After his grandfather died, Quentin came across his father’s old beat-up trumpet from high school. His father bought him a trumpet of his own, and the two would have competitions. “Anything you can play, I can play better,” his father would say to motivate the young musician. They would play together; that is, until Quentin started to surpass him in skill level. “And he kindly put his trumpet down,” Quentin recalls, with a laugh. When he was 13, his father bought him his first set of turntables. Unlike most kids his age, Quentin never wanted toys for Christmas or birthdays, but instead asked for records, radios, or other electronics. It was also around this time that he entered the recording studio. His uncle, who had a hip-hop group, would bring Quentin along to play keyboard lines on the synthesizers during their sessions. Before long, Quentin was telling the group what to do and directing them musically. “I didn’t realize,” he says now, “at the time, what I was doing was being a producer.” By the time he started high school, Quentin was picking up other brass instruments with ease. He joined the orchestra and jazz band, and was even assigned a project where he had to score and arrange the parts for the whole school band. Quentin played keyboards in his own band as well, where he started experimenting with the sounds of hip-hop and R&B—before they had truly emerged on the scene. “It's always been my mentality, even to this day,” Quentin explains. “I'm always looking forward and thinking ahead.” Growing up in Detroit in the ‘80s, Quentin was heavily influenced by the sounds of pop and techno, which originated in the Motor City. He was glued to the radio. “Radio was very different when I was growing up,” he recalls. “The actual DJ was a DJ and not just a radio personality.” Hearing such influences as Prince and Michael Jackson as well as the electronic stylings of bands like Kraftwerk helped to shape the ear of the budding producer. “I guess it made me who I am today musically,” he says. Motor City to NYC & Back Again After high school, Quentin started taking trips to New York. “That’s really when I got the bug,” says Harris. “It was everything I liked that was being played in the clubs in Detroit, but on a bigger scale. I knew this was where I needed to be.” The first DJ he heard in New York was Junior Vasquez. “It was mind-blowing because I had never heard records played like that before,” he recalls. “He took records and made them sing. He took records that I heard a lot and presented them in a new light to me—manipulating them, mixing them in a certain way, bringing them in and out, playing with people’s heads with music.” The second New York DJ that really opened up Harris was Timmy Regisford of Shelter fame: “He was just relentless. I never heard any spaces; I never heard any pauses; I never heard any breaks.” Back in Detroit, Harris started working with Michael J. Powell, who produced Anita Baker’s three Grammy award-winning albums. He freelanced at Powell’s studio as a session musician for such artists as Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle. Harris got even more heavily involved with hip-hop, playing at open mic nights at The Hip-Hop Shop on 7 Mile in Detroit, where he met many of the emerging heavy hitters of the hip-hop scene, including Eminem and many of the other characters made famous by the film 8 Mile. “The music scene in Detroit is very small, and I’ve had the pleasure of learning from and working with a lot of great people,” Quentin states. “But I always knew that, in order for me to actually do what I had to do, I couldn’t do it and still live in Detroit. I guess this may be my competitive nature, but I needed to be where everything was.” Quentin was offered the position of touring DJ with The Masterminds, a local group for whom he had produced a number of tracks. After touring for a while, he moved permanently: “I literally took two suitcases—one full of records, one full of clothes—and got on a plane with a one-way ticket to New York.” He started by working at Satellite Records, where he met many of the movers and shakers in the New York music scene. Among them was a manager, Marvin Howell, who assessed Quentin’s talent by giving him a CD full of a cappellas, which included the track “Ready for Love” by an artist named India.Arie. The remix that Quentin did of the song ended up in the hands of Timmy Regisford, who liked it so much that he asked to have a meeting with him. “That was the door opening,” says Quentin. Quentin considers his big break, however, to be the remix he did of Donnie’s “Cloud 9.” He gave the record to Regisford who liked the record so much that he played it twelve times in one night. “That was the record that started the whirlwind,” says Harris. “There was such demand for it. Everybody was clamoring for it, everyone wanted it, and no one could get it. It was crazy.” Quentin followed the underground success of “Cloud 9” with his epic remix of Mariah Carey’s “Don’t Forget About Us,” a 13-minute track that demonstrated Harris’ virtuosic production talents—and the track that catapulted him onto the gay scene. In 2005, his original track, “Let’s Be Young,” gave him widespread recognition across Europe, and his reinterpretation of the Leela James classic, “My Joy,” has become legendary. He also produced a remake of the ‘90s After 7 hit “Can’t Stop” with Jason Walker, which was recently nominated for an International Dance Music Award (IDMA) for Best House/Garage Track of 2008. Keeping the Dance Floor Guessing The records, although all produced by Harris, are all sonically different. “I do whatever I feel works with the song. I've never been able to confine myself to one sound, and I've always experimented with music and meshing things together. Just like if you hear me DJ, you’ll hear all different kinds of things. My music has always been like that.” At a time when music is so accessible, and everyone is calling himself a DJ (including iTunes), it can be challenging for an artist with Harris’ musical background and talent. Promoters looking at the bottom line might be more inclined to hire a local iPod DJ to spin Top 40 because they feel that’s what the crowd wants. Harris counters that someone had to play Britney, Whitney, and Madonna for the first time when they were still unknowns. He believes his job as a DJ, “first and foremost, is to entertain; then you have to inform the people and educate them.” He strives for balance in his playlists. If you hear Madonna in a club, you should also hear an unknown artist that you’ve never heard of. He believes that today’s DJs don’t take enough risks, especially since the average partygoer can download almost anything from such sites as Masterbeat.com and Beatport. “It goes back to making the record say something,” he comments. Harris sees his job as finding the good stuff and using the most up-to-date technology to spin it in unique ways—just as he heard Junior Vasquez and Timmy Regisford all those years ago. Harris himself enjoys a huge international following. He travels extensively to London, Frankfurt, Ibiza, and points beyond, including exotic locations like Estonia and South Africa. If you check out his numerous clips on YouTube, you can see how the crowds overseas idolize Harris like a rock star. They stare up at the DJ booth like he’s spinning straw into gold. He credits his success to his production work. Although Harris has been making records for years, however, he just recently released his debut album, No Politics, on Strictly Rhythm. In addition to his recent hit “Can’t Stop” with Jason Walker, the disc also includes tracks featuring Colton Ford, Monique Bingham, and Byron Stingily. Harris has also collaborated with House legend Ultra Naté and is currently working on an album with her. He is also putting together his second album, exploring new sounds to incorporate. If you listen to some of his latest tracks on his MySpace page, you can hear some rock elements blended with his trademark House beats. “Like Grace Jones said,” Quentin comments, “give them what they’re not expecting.” Harris is also exploring the art of songwriting—the one area he has yet to conquer. He’d like to write his own material so that this next album can be a bit more personal. “I feel like I have a lot to say,” he says. “I can make you a fierce track, I can give you a fierce remix, I can produce you a fierce song, but I don’t write songs.” Not yet; Harris’ drive and musical talent will likely produce some future dance classics. Although only in his 30s, in some ways Quentin Harris is an old soul. His music, though fresh and new, harkens back to the classic House sounds of the past. This is certainly just the beginning of a very long journey for this prodigy; Quentin Harris is sure to make beautiful music for years to come. We should consider ourselves lucky, for his music brings not only him, but all of us, joy. See Quentin’s upcoming tour schedule and discography on his website at quentinharris.com, and hear some of his tracks on his MySpace page at myspace.com/quentinharris. 2009-04-30T00:12:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/boris/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/boris/ When Stephen Pevner heard Boris spin at Crobar in 2004, he must have felt like the prince slipping the glass pump on Cinderella’s foot. With his dark and driving beats, sexy vibe, and pulsing energy, the New York-based DJ seemed like the perfect match for the world-famous Black Party. As head of the Saint at Large, the organization producing the party, Pevner is always on the lookout for a breakout DJ who will help keep his main event on the cutting edge. Unfortunately for him, however, the glass slipper fit too tightly. Boris has always faced a conflict of interest, as the Winter Music Conference in Miami fell simultaneously with the Saint at Large’s New York party. This year, finally, WMC is being held the weekend following the annual bacchanal. Boris will be making his debut at the Roseland Ballroom for the famed fetish-and-flesh festival, and both he and Pevner hope the shoe fits. This will be Boris’ first time spinning a mega-gay party, but it certainly won’t be his last: Just a few months after playing BP, he will be headlining World|Vibe Orlando, an event being produced by Mark Baker over Memorial Day Weekend. This amazing weekend of parties will be the kick-off to summer, with events spanning the resort city, from Walt Disney World to Universal Studios. Go to http://www.worldvibeorlando.com for more information. Make no mistake: Boris is no little princess. (Nor is he a queen; the Russian- born Brooklynite plays for the other team.) Boris helms the ship at Pacha New York, one of Manhattan’s largest venues, and is known for his hard-hitting power House style. He can hypnotize a dance floor with his trancelike rhythms and tribal drums and shake things up with his massive build-ups and explosive energy. Just the right ingredients for Black Party. “I know what to expect, obviously,” Boris tells noiZe. “I know it’s a little more out there, it’s a little more hardcore.” Although he has never attended Black Party himself, Boris knows some of the DJs who have played the party in the past and has friends who attend every year. Also, when Pevner first started talking to Boris about it a couple years ago, he invited the DJ to his office to watch Schwarzwald, the Saint at Large’s documentary about the legendary party. The film, heralded as “the movie you can dance to,” features a soundtrack consisting solely of music from the event and footage from the 2006 Black Party with transsexual porn star Buck Angel as the master of ceremonies. The movie leaves little to the imagination, to say the least. But that doesn’t faze Boris in the slightest. “It’s fine. It doesn’t bother me,” he says matter-of-factly. In fact, he’s excited about joining Eddie Elias and Junior Vasquez on the roster for this year’s event. He’s been in the studio working on special edits for his set: “records that have been famous in the past” reworked and reimagined, Boris- style. One new track the crowd at Roseland will be hearing is his new mix of Kim English’s “Unspeakable Joy,” which he’ll be debuting that night. The boyz in the Ballroom might also hear some of the tracks off of Boris’ latest compilation CD, Believe in Me, released this past September on *69 Records. This double-CD contains a “2am” and “5am” disc that each showcase what you might hear at that particular time on a typical Saturday night at Pacha. The compilation contains tracks by such artists as Oscar G., Plasmic Honey, and Ralph Falcon as well as two collaborations by DJ Chus. The first, “Stay Together,” features DJ Chus vs. Jerome Isma-Ae, and the other pairs Chus & Vibe for the track “Amtrak.” The original “Is Everybody Tweakin” by Boris is included as well as a Carlos Fauvrelle remix of the track. Also part of the package are “Breaks 2008,” an old Arthur Baker record that Boris remade and his mix of Laura Kidd’s “Automatic,” lauded as one of the biggest global hits of the year. Boris became the resident DJ at Pacha in 2006, after spending three years at Crobar, where his career really took off. During his residency at Crobar, Boris would regularly fill the 30,000-square- foot space, and holds the all-time attendance record at the megaclub with 5,400 attendees—a feat noted in Club Systems as one of the Top 100 moments in club history. Boris got his big break in 1998, when he became the resident at the Roxy, where he did a huge party on Friday nights called “Big Fridays.” It went for two years and “was one of the more legendary straight parties of this era,” according to Boris. He has also held residencies at Exit, Limelight, and Spirit. Though Boris typically attracts a straight crowd, he’s no stranger to the gay scene. His first gay gig was playing years ago at Warsaw in Miami, where he spun a monthly party on Wednesday nights as well as a White Party event there one year. It was at Crobar where fans began to “believe.” Michael David, who ran lights for the club, started displaying the words “Believe in Boris” on a red ticker sign that ran under the DJ booth. The phrase caught on, and before long fans were making t-shirts emblazoned with the statement. It has since become Boris’ branding: his two earlier compilation CDs (both on Moist Music) are titled Believe and Believe II, and his latest is Believe in Me. 2009-04-21T18:21:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/patrick_guay/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/patrick_guay/ If Patrick Guay seems to have a special knack for getting the guys dancing, it could be that he comes to DJing from a background as a professional dancer and choreographer. After establishing himself as a rising star in the hothouse atmosphere of Montreal’s club scene, the good-looking Quebecois is poised to break out onto the international Party Circuit.  The secret to his success lies in his twin loves of music (especially classic house) and dance. His performances on the stage for huge scale events like those at Black & Blue have profoundly influenced his DJ style, giving him a flair for the theatrical. “The point is to give it back to the crowd,” he says. Directing groups of people as a choreographer “takes practice and dedication,” he explains. “The same goes when I’m making people dance on the floor.“ Guay as DJ directs the people on the dance floor using feelings and emotion in the tracks he chooses. Patrick began dancing when he was 17, in 1990; two years later, he was part of a professional troupe and began choreographing routines. His introduction to Montreal’s vibrant nightlife began a year after that, when he hit clubs like the legendary KOX and Groove Society. “In those days, there was a high emphasis on décor, dance, drag queens, intense visuals, and house music,” he says. “Up until then we were using pop, hip hop and R&B in our choreography. With the discovery of house music it showed a whole new perspective offered to me. I saw huge potential to start to produce dance shows to this type of music, but my first big problem was how to get the certain pieces of music that I wanted because I wasn’t a DJ. So I started shopping for music.” From there, it was a learning curve. How the heck do you mix the two or three songs for one choreographed dance number? That’s when he met Eric Laporte, also known as Little Eric. Patrick would direct Little Eric in the mixing and editing of the musical montages to be used for his shows. Sitting next to Eric at his mixer, Patrick caught the DJ bug. Two years later, he was mixing his own soundtracks. From there, he bought his first mixer and two turntables. Last year Patrick marked his tenth anniversary as one of the choreographers of Bad Boy Club, the producing organization behind Black & Blue, Wet & Wild, Twist and other major local events. And in 2003, he made his debut as a DJ at Church, spearheaded by Montreal promoter Stephane Prince. It helped to be located in Montreal, which has become the party capital of North America. As the world’s largest freshwater port, the island city is a crossroads of currents, from Great Britain, Europe, Latin America and the United States. “Each of those styles are very specific,” he notes. “In Montreal, we take what we like from all of them, and that enables us to evolve and expand our horizons.” The cosmopolitan nature of the music scene is reflected in the clubs, where gay and straight mix more easily than anywhere else on the continent—along with their DJs and musical styles. Thanks to his present monthly residence at Parking, Patrick has had the opportunity to interact with an array of top talent, including Israel’s Offer Nissim, Brazil’s Ana Paula, and the U.S.’s Manny Lehman. Now, Patrick is planning a full-on assault on the United States. He’s already played Ptown, but, he says, “I’m anxious to bring a new wave of freshness to the Circuit, to show off the ‘Montreal Circuit Sound.’” He’s also looking at far more distant shores, like Sao Paulo, Rio, London and—his personal dream job—anywhere in Australia. Although he keeps body and soul together moonlighting as an accountant, he manages to squeeze in six hours every week buying music. As a dedicated house DJ, he loves vinyl, rare as it may be. He doesn’t want to be typecast, however; he can vary a set from deep house to progressive after-hours, from tribal to diva anthems. But he draws the line at dropping the lyrics: “It’s sad that vocals are all but gone in minimal and electro music,” he complains. “Vocals are the only human thing left in music since computers took over.” He waxes hot over the “warmth of the human voice, to feel the sensations. Thank God vocals are coming back! The dance floor is always more full with vocals. The reaction is always stronger,” he says. “Sometimes, you hear the crowd singing the song—and it’s so cool!” As someone with hands-on experience in the performing arts, Patrick prides himself on being able to “read” the dance floor based on the crowd’s reactions. “I love to see them happy and smiling,” he says. “They send me energy, and it’s a constant feedback.” Often, he records his sets, then listens back and critiques them. He’s especially looking forward to his first compilation CD—“when my turn comes, all in good time.” And after that? Production. He also credits his dance background with an ability to hear all the sounds in a song, as well as a firsthand knowledge and analysis of music. In the end, what he’s really doing is enabling the crowd to experience the exhilaration of a professional dancer on stage; that is, dance as the physical expression of the innermost emotions. “Dance helps you understand the feeling of a song, to uncover the emotion hidden behind that creation,” he opines. “Choreography is the physical manifestation of music, and the DJ permits all those who are not dancers to dance, to express themselves to their favorite music.” Visit http://www.patrickguay.com for a special noiZe download mix and upcoming play dates.  2009-01-31T06:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/micky_friedmann/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/micky_friedmann/ One of the joys of editing noiZe is introducing top new talent to the gay dance community. Meet Micky Friedmann. This Israeli native, now based in Berlin, not only is talented, but his ear for sounds, how they mesh and how to get songs to talk to each other recalls the Old School DJing of Larry Levan or Little Louis Vega. It doesn’t hurt that he’s also drop-dead gorgeous and, in a business full of (unearned) diva attitude, a genuinely nice guy. It’s a combination that guarantees success, as his star continues to rise in the international club firmament. A “sabra” (native of Israel), Friedmann’s father taught genetics and his mother owned a boutique in Jerusalem, his hometown. Friedmann loved music from an early age. His parents encouraged his interest and enrolled him in a dance school, where he excelled. After a stint in the Israeli Armed Forces, he became a ballet dancer and a highly sought model. If you flipped through the high-fashion glossies a few years back, you probably saw his sculpted face and chiseled bod staring out from the editorial pages or ads for products designed to make you look like him. It was an offer to become a soloist with the prestigious Berlin Ballet in 1998 that led to his move to the German capital—which, not incidentally, has become the club capital of Europe. That was also the year he decided to buy a pair of used turntables and started spinning at home, “just for me, for fun,” he says. But it was at the Palm Springs White Party that he came to the attention of a man who would change his life. Friedmann was with a friend, dancing to the music of Junior Vasquez when the master mixer spotted him. “He came down with a bottle of water and asked me if we would like to dance for his Pride party at Spirit,” in New York, Friedmann recalls. The two stayed in touch via emails, and he traveled to Fire Island to hear Vasquez. When he asked Vasquez whether he should take the plunge and make a 180-degree turn in his career path, the man who learned his craft at the feet of Larry Levan told the Israeli-German, “You are a talented kid, go for it.” And he did. For the past 10 years, he’s kept busy spinning at Europe’s largest clubs, with residencies in Hamburg, Cologne and Amsterdam as well as Berlin. Now 37, he’s happily in a relationship and happy when he’s home in Berlin. His music is happy, too: sexy-happy. He describes his music as “sexy house—music that makes people feel sexy. We all know how sexual the dance floor has become nowadays. Hot bodies, sweaty skin, searching eyes. I spin music that fits that atmosphere. “It’s really easy to put on Deborah Cox, then mix in some Britney,” he adds. “Anyone can do that. But, when I go into a club or party, my goal is to introduce music that has a different edge, something new that has depth to it. I love diva anthems, but a DJ has an educational task to bring new sounds to the dance floor and make people think as they dance.” An International House Style Micky Friedmann incorporates several styles into his sets: tech house, vocal house, electro-house—their only requisite that underlying, propulsive beat that distinguishes house music. Along with Vasquez, Friedmann cites a potpourri of contemporary DJs as influences, including Victor Calderone, Ismael Rivas, D.O.N.S., Tom Novy, Danny Tenaglia, Pablo Ceballos (of Chus and …) and his fellow Israeli, Offer Nissim, a favorite since his earliest clubbing days in Tel Aviv. “I used to go every Friday to hear him spin,” he says. “Offer is a huge producer of music that brings a touch of Israeli soul to the dance floor. These days, when I play a track of Offer’s, I feel like I am bringing a piece of home with me.” Friedmann isn’t shy, however, about his preference for American-produced music. The Europeans, he complains, like their music in degrees of hard, harder and hardest—mostly techno, trance and very deep house. Maybe that’s why he’s gravitated to the U.S. His first gig stateside was at New York’s Splash only a year ago, September 7, 2007. That quickly led to big changes: gigs around the country, from Provincetown to San Francisco; and a chance meeting with his future rep, George Dellinger, one of the top DJ managers. This year, he’s playing both the New York and Berlin Hustlaballs; the Berlin version of the love-for-sale celebration has grown to one of the biggest gay events (if not the biggest) in a city known for big-room events and street-filling dance festivals like the Love Parade. Playing a party like Hustlaball involves a different vibe and another set of records from a dance bar like Splash: “I play a completely different set when playing to a crowd coming to a party so sexually oriented. The music must also represent that dark kind of sensual vibe these events have.” Unsurprisingly for someone whose music and whole demeanor are so frankly sexy and sexual, Friedmann would love to play a Black Party. But don’t pigeonhole him: He’d be as happy at a White or Winter or Alegria. Staying True to His Art Friedmann considers himself a professional and an artist. He also knows that he hasn’t been hired to impose an artistic vision from on high but to get people off their butts and onto the dance floor. As someone who worked for years in controlling his muscular body to move to music, he understands that the essence of dancing is expressing emotions through music—and the importance people attach to physical beauty. So he’s frankly realistic about the fact that when he’s spinning a party, his bodacious bod is going to be featured in the ads. “We live in 2008. Turn on the TV, open a magazine, look at the advertisements,” he notes. “We live in a world where looks are integrated and penetrate into every aspect and genre of our lives. Being on ads and in magazines is a part of my life and I look at it as work.” Friedmann still occasionally moonlights as a model. In fact, next month he’ll grace the cover of the German issue of Men’s Health. But it’s his love for the music that drives him. Lately, he’s been working in the recording studio with master producer Mike Cruz. He wants to learn every facet of what makes a great song, not only to take full charge of his career, but to prove he’s so much more than a pretty face and a buffed bod. “Trust me,” Friedmann complains, it is a lot harder to prove you are good at what you do when you are “good-looking.” Charlize Theron or Nicole Kidman have to work that much harder to prove they are more than just a pile of muscles and model good looks. He considers himself as an all-in-one entertainment package. “Even the best product needs good packaging,” he says. “What counts in the end is that people come and have a good time.” As more and more people come to hear Friedmann play, they’ll soon forget about the package and go straight to what’s coming out of the speakers. The man who spent his youth sneaking into Tel Aviv clubs wouldn’t have it any other way. Maybe it will take someone with such an international background to bring us all back together after three decades of Hi-NRG, techno, hip-hop, grunge, power pop, diva anthems, house in all its forms, electroclash, and everything in between has fragmented music more into warring states than a thriving community. Maybe someone can lead us out of the wilderness of synch-infused multi-tracked Disney starlets, the deadening repetition of tribal rhythms, and retro-techno machine sounds to a clearer sound, a cleaner vision of music as the purest expression of human emotions voiced through sounds. Maybe he can help us rediscover what a night of dancing should do: purify our emotions by allowing us to express our inner feelings through movement inspired by music. A year ago, Friedmann compiled a CD for EMI Germany called Instinct: Love and Pride. That pretty well sums up Friedmann’s philosophy: Follow your inner beliefs. Love yourself and others. Take pride in who you are and what you do. It will all come together, someday, someplace. 2008-10-07T21:09:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/joe_gauthreaux/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/joe_gauthreaux/ Joe Gauthreaux is a travelin’ man. Not only in his professional life—as one of the Circuit’s reigning stars, he’s on the road every weekend. But in his personal life as well, he’s on the move. The New Orleans native packed up and left the Big Easy five years ago for the Big Apple. Now he’s busy unpacking his clothes and books alongside his records, CDs and turntables in the Big Orange. Yes, Gauthreaux has relocated to the City of Angels. “I get restless,” he said in a recent interview. “I’m 32 years old. Before I get too much older, I want to move around and try out new places before I settle down.” He admits that he’s getting tired of the Yankee winters, but Los Angeles has other charms. His manager, Patti Razzeto, lives there. And so does his collaborator on mixing projects, Peter Barona (who’s also Manny Lehman’s engineer). He’s moved in with a friend in Hollywood, but he has yet to get a car. He even let his driver’s license expire. So he’s a long way from becoming an official Angeleno. Besides, it’s not as though he’s leaving New York forever. His occasional residency at Splash will continue, and he’ll still be doing plenty of gigs on the East Coast. In fact, Gauthreaux is making a musical imprint at parties all over the world. When noiZe caught up with him, he had just returned from Rapido, the big September party in Amsterdam, where he contracted a nice case of food poisoning the day before he was scheduled to play. “I hadn’t eaten for 24 hours,” he recalled, “but I’ve never cancelled for getting sick.” That kind of sticktoitiveness has helped propel him to headlining status. After 12 years of DJing, 2008 has proved to be Gauthreaux’s breakaway year. Aside from regular gigs in New Orleans for Halloween, Provincetown for July Fourth and other stops, he spun the Winter Party in Miami. He shared the turntables at the mammoth Pier Dance that caps New York’s Gay Pride with Tracy Young. He was at Gay Days. And, in what he considers the year’s most memorable event, he closed the Saint-at-Large’s Black Party. As if that weren’t enough, he’ll be opening for Victor Calderone during Miami’s White Party. If the Black Party was the highlight of this remarkable year, it was not only because of its unique nature or even the notoriously demanding musical sophistication of the crowd. Rather, it was because he knew he’d be following Jonathan Peters, one of a handful of gay DJs who has established himself as a major star in the larger club world. As the closer, Gauthreaux was responsible for bringing the 18-hour marathon party down with the Morning Music and ending it with the Sleaze segment. It’s the kind of music Gauthreaux loves best. He readily admits that he’s never been a fan of pots-and-pans, and gleefully heralds the end of Tribal’s dominance on the dance floor. “The days of playing all night long are over,” he said. “People are not doing crystal the way they used to—they’re being more responsible than in past years. The music reflects that. Four or five years ago, it was hard to find good lyrical music. Everything was drums, drums, drums. “I don’t play tea dance all night long,” he added. “But my music is happier; not ‘Perfect Day’ all night, but people want something not as dark as a few years ago.” Gauthreaux honed his musical taste—as well as a sense of the evening as a journey from one musical point to another—from the woman he acknowledges as his mentor. “Susan Morabito was the DJ who inspired me to become a DJ,” he said. It was at his first Circuit-type party, during Halloween in New Orleans in 1994, when he was just 18. “In 1994, there was great music,” he recalled. “I hadn’t heard 80 percent of that.” He joined her fan club. (Who even knew there was a Morabito fan club?) He started seeking out and collecting all of the music he heard her play: “Every extra penny I earned working at the Gap went to music.” Finally, after two years, he had enough mix tapes to get hired at Oz, where he started out as one of the house DJs, five times a week—but no nights. It wasn’t until eight months later that he got his first nighttime slot. “Things were different back then,” he noted. “It wasn’t the age of the traveling DJ. Clubs relied on resident DJs. One of the regulars got sick, and I went up to Johnny Chisholm, Oz’s owner, and asked for one night.” As the old show biz movies would have put it, he went in there a kid, but he came back out a star. He soon after stepped up to a Saturday night residency. He first visited New York in 1996 and immediately fell in love with the city. He had planned on a December 2001 move, but 9/11 postponed it for a few more years. As soon as he got there, he became a fixture on the local scene at storied clubs like Limelight (later Avalon), Twilo (later Spirit), Crobar, Splash (then SBNY, then Splash again), and the Pavilion on Fire Island. He also began releasing compilation CDs. He even became a Billboard reporter. It didn’t hurt that his brooding good looks made him so photogenic. He ended up gracing the pages of Out and other magazines—all before he was 30 years old. Through it all, he’s kept a special fondness for his native city. He returns every year for at least a few gigs. He was a vocal advocate and booster after Hurricane Katrina. His family (unaffected by the hurricanes) still lives in suburban Metairie, in Jefferson Parish, just across Lake Pontchartrain. And now he’s exchanged coasts. He’s not one to bemoan the state of New York nightlife. He sees it as a cycle, and the city may be in a down period right now, but “if you go to any small town, you’d be thankful of all that’s here. Things change. When the Saint or Twilo or Roxy closed, people thought it was over. Then something else came along.” For now, however, he’s perfectly happy in L.A. He’s planning on a lot more mixing and even producing. His remix of “Give It” by X-Press 2, which is the last song on his Winter Party CD for Masterbeat, has been in heavy rotation on the dance floor. “I’m still finding what ‘my sound’ is,” he said. “Whenever I play today, half is either done on my own, or songs I’ve taken and not just rearranged but added sounds to it to make it unique. That’s how I’m getting my feet wet.” He’s even going to get a driver’s license and a car. 2008-10-07T21:05:01-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/cary_stringfellow/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/cary_stringfellow/ It was understandable that the promoters of the 2008 IndepenDANCE in Laguna Beach were desperate to reach the DJ they had booked for the event. A frantic series of calls led to the morbid discovery that Cary Stringfellow would no longer be playing anywhere. He had been found dead in his bedroom at the age of 36. This DJ Profile was a long time in the making. Originally meant to be an interview with Cary, it now takes on the somber duty of celebrating his short yet fruitful and promising life well lived. Ten years ago, noiZe’s Gary Steinberg received a phone call from Salt Lake City. It was from Cary Stringfellow, manager of the Vortex. He wanted to know if he could distribute an article in Circuit Noize (as we were then called) about the dangers of crystal meth. He was seeing a lot of the same self-destructive activity in the heart of Mormon Country. The two hit it off at once, talking for hours about responsible partying, the state of the Circuit, and what the local Salt Lake City scene was like. “When we finally met in person, it was like we were old friends,” Steinberg recalls. By then, Stringfellow had also caught the DJ bug, and trained under the talented eyes of friends like Phil B, Chris Cox, and Twisted Dee. Nico, another close friend for the last decade, as well as Cary’s roommate in L.A., remembers that the transition from Vortex to Club Axis was in part born from his passion for music: “When the partners decided to sell Vortex, Cary, wanting to continue DJing—along with myself and another one of our friends—opened a smaller club which did very well for several years and gave Cary the opportunity to continue playing music.” With a capacity of over 1,000, Club Axis won the title of Salt Lake City’s Best Dance Club for five years, with heavyweight DJs like Paul Oakenfold and the high-tech trappings of a New York or Miami venue. But although the club was doing well, Cary wanted to get out of club ownership and the promoting business to concentrate on DJing and music production. Cary was always outgoing, according to his mother, Kay. Cary was “born feet first and on the run from that moment,” she recently recalled. “He was very organized and intelligent, and everything had to be just right.” In high school in Provo, Utah, he served on the debate team. He studied business at a local college and also learned to be a pilot. But he kept returning to his first love. “He grew up listening to music from the time he was born,” Kay said. “We always had music playing instead of the TV. He loved all different types of music, except Country.” Cary’s musical ear and his infectious energy quickly gained him recognition. In 2001, he headlined “Latin Fever” in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where he returned every year since. (His dream to quit the rat race and open up a yogurt business with a new beau never came to fruition. But some of his ashes are being sent to the place he so loved.) Gigs in places as far-flung as Fire Island, Toronto and Hawaii cemented his reputation. “He was a master at the uplifting style that sent me to heaven,” Steinberg recalled of Cary’s mixing. His booking at Splash Days in Austin this year will be filled by his friends Phil B and Twisted Dee, who are donating their proceeds to his family. Of his passing, Troy Spicer, one of the Splash event’s organizers, said, “He was friends with half our group.” Commenters on the web extolled Cary’s personality and talent. One called him a “sweet man with a beautiful soul”; another, a “spirit that was captivating and joyous—contagious”; still another, “his message was so much deeper than his music.” One person noted that Cary had exchanged vows with the commenter’s brother, a concert pianist with the New York Symphony Orchestra, in 1996. Even after the break-up a few years later, Cary remained close with his mother: “He called her frequently and always beat me to the punch on Mother’s Day.” “When she was going through a bout with cancer,” Kay adds, “he flew down to Florida. He told her how beautiful she was after he made her take her hat off.” His sense of camaraderie and fellowship extended to the DJ booth, where there were always sparkling gadgets, toys, t-shirts and hats on hand. “I ran into Cary on the dance floor,” Steinberg recalls of an encounter at the 2000 Masterbeat New Year’s Eve party. “He excitedly pulled me to the side. He had found the very last of a portable laser system that he knew I would like. He had one like it, and loved lying on his bed watching the patterns on the ceiling.” Nico recalls Cary placing “Hello, my name is ___” stickers on people’s bare chests at parties after asking their names: “While at first people looked at him like he was odd, by the end of the party people were coming up to him and asking if he had any stickers left.” Nico also notes Cary’s acts of kindness to those around him: “He was incredibly sensitive and thoughtful.  For my first anniversary with Zack, who I met through Cary, he instructed us to ‘make sure we were home at seven,’ without telling us any more.  Promptly at seven, a limo pulled up to our house, picked us up and drove us to Robert Redford’s restaurant Zoom in Park City. There was a camera in the back seat to take pictures during the ride and a wonderful table with flowers waiting for us.  That was his style—to create fantastically memorable moments for those he cared about.” He also had a charitable side. For a big birthday party, Steinberg had asked for donations to the Trevor Project, which helps gay youth. Stringfellow immediately volunteered his DJ services at no charge. After his death, Steinberg called Cary’s cell phone just to hear his recorded voice: “I hung up, took a deep breath, and went on with my day. The next day I got a call on my cell. It was the voice of a woman, shaky and soft. ‘Hello, did you try to call Cary Stringfellow?’ she asked. ‘This is Cary’s Mom.’ My eyes teared up and my throat closed. ‘I saw your number on his phone. I need to tell you...’ The two of us, strangers, spoke about Cary, much of the conversation in silence. She was in the car, driving back from Los Angeles to Utah, with Cary’s ashes in a container on her lap. I told her how much I cared for him, how influential he was in my life, how we talked almost daily.” The cruelest irony of his passing, as with so many bright lights extinguished too early, is that he was on the cusp of even greater success. He had just received rave reviews for playing at “Frisco Disco” at San Francisco Pride (with a giant can of Crisco as the DJ booth). “My partner and I danced together under the DJ booth for what was truly Cary’s last song,” recalled promoter Kyle Pickett. “Cary Stringfellow was a wonderful man who knew nothing but how to bring joy into people’s lives both on and off the dance floor. He spun uplifting and sexy music that just simply made you want to dance.” Having watched him grow and develop as an artist, noiZe was proud to offer him a DJ Profile in this issue. We obviously had no idea how sad and ironic the timing would end up being. We therefore offer this profile as a celebration of a friend whose life was filled with talent and joy. May we all learn something from this gentle and loving soul. 2008-08-04T20:31:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/hector_fonseca/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/hector_fonseca/ "I've been on the road for 3 weeks," says Fonseca, stealing a few seconds of phone time on a cab ride from the airport back to his home in New York City. He's coming off three cities in the last week alone-Vancouver, Houston and Montreal-and there are plenty more on the way. "I made it home one day during that time," he says of his recent travels. "I spent it doing laundry!" So much for the glamorous life of a DJ. If it helps, the music meister manhandling his Calvin's is a former model. It's part of the matrix that makes up Fonseca: face of a coverboy, smoldering sex appeal of a Boriqua, brains of a university grad, and skills of a spin jockey. Well before he became one of the hottest (musically and physically) members of the global club scene, Fonseca grew up just eight miles west of New York City. He could see the Empire State Building from his window while growing up. Clifton, N.J., may be just across the Hudson River, but it's a world away from the Big City. Little did the future music star realize that his long-shot view of the Manhattan skyline would soon be replaced by strobe lights of major clubs and circuit events. Fonseca's mom adored Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye as well as Puerto Rican salsa. "When she hears my music she always likes the Tribal best," he says. "Must be the Latin beat." Fonseca started picking up his DJ craft working with friends. Eventually, he met Peter Rauhofer. "I got to the point where I was good enough to play for him," Fonseca says. "He asked me to do some mixes for him, and we started working more and more together." Doing it on his own seems to come easily to Fonseca. Besides the handsome face and pitch perfect ear for a pulsing beat, he's also an entrepreneur and a self-trained musician who has immersed himself in hands-on learning. "I've never had keyboard or music lessons," says Fonseca, who began finding his way around a DJ booth under the tutelage of a friend. Fonseca decided early on to focus his attention on remixing and production work in addition to traditional DJ skills. Rauhofer reinforced that comprehensive approach. The Austrian maestro of the hard beats noticed Fonseca's work early on and turned the talented up-and-comer into his protégé. Rauhofer became a mentor and his label, *69, produced Fonseca's compilation CDs. Learning from one of his idols was a major coup, he now believes. Once signed to *69, he quickly rose to the ranks of in-demand DJ producers. Globe-trotting with cross-cultural beats A globetrotting, one, too. Fonseca might have come of age in the hothouse of the New York club scene, but he believes his style transcends a "New York" mixing style. Besides, he adds, the contemporary gay dance scene has become international in scope, incorporating styles from diverse cultures. "The scene has become much more international," says Fonseca. He understands that a well-worn passport is as vital to playing high-profile events as a crate of thumping tracks-especially when it comes to the global gay scene. "Every market has its own thing," says Fonseca. "But I've found that the gay scene still has a certain appeal that goes beyond borders." Still, Fonseca's ability to blend styles from different markets is evident in the trademark genre he helped define. While it takes most DJs a whole career to establish a signature approach, Fonseca's recognizable sound - dubbed Electribal - has already caught fire with the same kind of industry veterans that the young artist once idolized himself. "Every time I time I travel, I get turned on to something new," explains Fonseca. "Being in New York, naturally the idea was to have that kind of New York power shit" in the sound, he explains. "But when I was in France, I started to experiment with Electrohouse cause it was so big there. I started mixing the two [styles] together. It feels good knowing that I was one of the first to do it." Rauhofer remains an inspiration. "I realized that part of his success, and why I loved a lot of his work, was because he immersed himself in production and oversaw absolutely everything he did," says Fonseca of his *69 boss. As for Fonseca, he tries to micromanage every aspect of his work, from composition to keyboards to mixing. "It's much more gratifying, and I feel like people respect it more," he says. "No one can ever say that I had help from someone else. It feels better knowing that when something is done, it's 100 percent me." Star-turn remixing and *69 CDs His hard work has already parlayed its way into high-profile remixing projects, from his take on Jahkey B's "Heartattack" in 2004 (the anthem that really kick started his ascent up the DJ ranks), to work for Beyoncé, Kelis and Missy Elliot. Among his upcoming projects is "NY Club Anthems Vol. 3," Fonseca's follow-up to his last hugely successful entry in *69's popular compilation series. "I'm trying to change up the sound for this CD," says Fonseca when comparing it to his work on Vol. 2. "I brought in some new keyboards, I'm experimenting with new sounds, and I'm looking to put one or two unique tracks on there that still have my sounds-but with a new twist." He won't give the dish on specific tracks except for a previously unreleased mix for fellow *69 artist Suzanne Palmer. Looking to the future, expect Fonseca to focus more of his time on original production work. He already has two tracks finished for his upcoming artist album, and is working with some new, emerging vocalists to wrap up the remainder, including a sexy, sassy track tentatively titled "Addictive." "It's a girl talking about being so amazing that she's addictive," says Fonseca with a laugh. "Basically, she's saying you'll need rehab after an encounter with her!" She sounds like our kind of gal. While waiting on the compilation, original album, and remix work, Fonseca fans can to go HectorFonseca.com to scout out his next appearances. He promises you'll like what you hear. "The feedback I get from kids who go to these parties is that they're sick of the same stuff, over and over again," says Fonseca. "I don't want to mention certain artist names, but there are certain songs that are just staples of the average circuit DJ at the typical circuit party... but a lot of time people in my younger generation want to hear something new." "You need a mixture of the old and new," says Fonseca. "The legends... and the new generation." 2008-04-28T17:28:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/dan_de_leon/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/dan_de_leon/ It was the last Ice party at iBar in West Hollywood. April 10th, 2004. Dan De Leon was spinning and Alex Catala was in attendance. The paths of two disillusioned but unjaded Circuit alums crossed. The union not only brightened up the lives of two individuals, but that of the entire West Coast house community. Dan De Leon tasted success in showbiz at the young age of seventeen. As a student at Culver City High School’s Academy of Visual and Performing Arts in California, he was a producer of the all-teen- produced independent feature film Common Bonds. The film went on to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997 and was hailed as a “monumental achievement (and) an inspiration to young filmmakers everywhere.” It was around that time that he dropped out of college. “I was totally certain that I was going to be Steven Spielberg in fifteen months.” That’s not exactly what happened, but soon after that he did go on to write, produce, and direct a short film called Anything Once. Only twenty-three minutes long, the film was about a straight guy and his gay best friend and their sexual explorations. It premiered at 1998’s Outfest, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and went on to enjoy success at twenty-two festivals in eleven different countries. As a young adult Dan was immersed in the predominantly straight West Coast rave culture. In the midst of dealing with issues of self-identity and sexuality, he started working on a new film that was going to revolve around the world of clubs and DJs - as he describes it, “the nexus of the entire scene: the soul of partying.” In a sad twist to this story, a close DJ friend who had been his advisor on the film was brutally murdered. He explained it like this to the New York-based online magazine Edge this past summer: “The extraordinary events became the impetus for me to turn away from my career in film and focus my concentration on becoming a commercial DJ. I feel it is the reason I have been so blessed in my success as a DJ. I have an angel watching over me.” Deciding it was something he needed to experience for himself, he thrust himself into being a DJ. He saw an opportunity to fill a gap he saw in the gay Circuit scene, particularly in Los Angeles. Although he had been spinning records at home for friends after big parties, he dove right into playing gay clubs with his first residency: the Ice tea dances at iBar in Hollywood. The party kicked off Halloween of 2003 and was a huge success. “All of the sudden I was doing a tea dance every other Sunday. It was something I had dreamed of.” He took on the name Dan De Leon professionally. He had always been Dan Aeberhard, but “it was Swiss German: it didn’t say anything about who I was,” he explains. Born in Argentina, Dan is full-blooded Latino. “I wanted people to know I had this Latin thing in me. I’m not just some German guy. I really do feel this in my blood.” His mom’s uncle’s family name is De Leon, and he felt especially drawn to it since it nods at his zodiac sign, Leo “Plus, I thought it was a sexy name, a name that I could brand.” He certainly has started to accomplish that. Along with spinning some of LA’s hottest celebrity parties for the likes of MTV, Out Magazine, and Michael Kors, just to name a few, his latin flavored progressive house sets have taken him to headline Circuit events across the country, including Cherry in D.C., Palm Springs White Party, and Winter Party in Miami. 2008-04-14T19:30:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/tracy_young/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/tracy_young/ Tracy Young loves what she does. It’s obvious when you see her in the DJ booth of any party she plays. Dancing around, twirling knobs, smiling that big beautiful smile of hers and waving to boys on the dance floor, she definitely has a lot of fun at work. “I think being up there playing music should be an enjoyment for me as well as the crowd,” she says. Well, the crowd is certainly having a gay ol’ time. Tracy Young began spinning her own unique blend of hip-hop, funk, and old school in Washington, D.C. before moving to Miami in 1998. It was here she had the fateful encounter that changed her life forever and has become almost gay folklore. Tracy had been hired by Ingrid Casares of Liquid fame to play at her Millennium Eve Party in South Beach. Madonna, one of Ingrid’s best friends, attended the party and loved what she heard. She asked Tracy to remix the first single and title track off her new album Music. Tracy was excited for the opportunity and delivered what was later to be described as “an emotional masterpiece” by Billboard Magazine. Although this big break put Tracy on the radar, it is Tracy’s skill and talent that have made her one of the most successful female DJs/producers/ remixers in history. She has made a name for herself alongside the heavy hitters of house, tribal, and dance music and has headlined almost every major Circuit event and played at many of the hottest clubs in North America. She travels internationally to spin her magic in such destinations as London, Rome, Paris, Morocco, and Kuala Lumpur. Stateside, the boys of Fire Island recently celebrated their freedom to her explosive beats over July 4th weekend. Following her success at last year’s Pines Party, Tracy was asked to return to the gay oasis to helm the turntables at the 13th Annual IndepenDANCE, which was held at Reflections and whose proceeds benefit GMHC, Brent Varner Project, and Pines Care Center. Guy Smith lit the bevy of beautiful boys with a breathtaking sunset as the backdrop. At one point in the evening, Tracy played her Flying Monkeys remix of “Defying Gravity” from the Broadway musical Wicked. Idina Menzel, who played the green- skinned witch on the Great White Way, performed Tracy’s version of the song in New York City on Gay Pride Sunday. “She mentioned my name at the Pier Dance and I almost fell over,” Tracy remarked. Apparently, even a superstar DJ can be starstruck. A bit surprising considering that, in addition to Madonna, Young has produced tracks for such heavyweights as Stevie Nicks, Pet Shop Boys, Cyndi Lauper, Christina Aguilera, Gloria Estefan, P!nk, and Shakira. She has also played private events for the likes of Diddy, Lenny Kravitz, Ricky Martin, and Cher. Even Paris Hilton has been photographed shaking her moneymaker to Tracy’s rhythms. In 2002, Tracy released Tracy Young Remixes Living Theater in association with Kunduru Music, infusing eleven chill-out tracks with her fierce beats and unique musicality. A slight departure from the club-inspired productions Tracy is so well known for, this album captivates the listener as she seamlessly weaves her personality and style through each of the songs. Young’s latest album, Danceculture 2, is currently out on her label, Ferosh Records, and Danceculture 3 is already in the works. Collaborating with Ceevox on a track for the new compilation, Tracy will also be working with her on a full-length album. Their first original production “Believe In We” appeared on Unreleased Vol. 1 sharing the spotlight with “Ferosh,” a track that marries Tracy’s signature sound with the unmistakable voice of Miami legend Alan T. Still loving the place she calls home, Tracy is excited about her monthly residency at Score on Lincoln Road. Newly-renovated with an expanded dance floor and upgraded sound system, this survivor of Miami nightlife is packing them in with top DJs like Tracy, Joe Gauthreaux, and Miami favorite Abel. In addition, Tracy makes it up to New York City to spin at Splash once a month. The boys can also look forward to her “Genesis” party, which unfailingly packs them in every New Year’s Day. The popular party returns this year to The Cameo, former home of Crobar, in South Beach. As if she’s not busy enough, this self-described workaholic is also designing a clothing line based on club culture called Ferosh Wear. Studded with rhinestones, these higher-end shirts will be geared toward the gay market. “I think that what I try to do is have my hands in a lot of different projects. I don’t think if you’re a DJ nowadays, you can just count on that being your main source of work. I think that you have to do other things and continue to grow creatively.” The secret of her success seems to be working for her as her calendar fills with gigs and her discography continues to grow. Although the landscape of dance culture seems to be morphing, Tracy’s view on the Circuit and the future of large-scale dance events is decidedly optimistic. Noticing the shift from the larger events to smaller, loungier parties, Tracy feels the scene is going through a growth period. “It is changing,” she remarks. “I think that, like anything, it will go through its transition and then it will come back.” Whatever happens, Tracy Young is certain to remain one of the top contenders in clubland and beyond, continuing to pack dance floors with her titillating productions and scintillating remixes. Tracy Young loves what she does. And so do we. Maybe there is something to this “like attracts like” stuff after all. You can learn more about Tracy on her website djtracyyoung.com, buy her newest releases on ferosh.com, and find out about her upcoming clothing line on feroshwear.com. 2008-04-14T19:28:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/paul_goodyear/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/paul_goodyear/ "Variety is the spice of life," says Paul Goodyear. A recent transplant to London from his Australian homeland, Goodyear has been behind turntables for twenty–two years. "There has been a shift in DJing; more and more DJs will only play one sound, one kind of music exclusively. There is so much great music out there of all genres." For Paul, keeping his play list diverse has paid off in his long career as a DJ. In the late Eighties and early Nineties, Paul taught himself how to re-edit tracks using two tape reels, the ancestors of today’s digital audio software. In 1991, he was asked to do a re–edit of an obscure Pet Shop Boys track, "Miserablism," for Hot Traxx, a DJ service label based in San Francisco. That was the beginning of a list of over 250 remixes and 50 releases Paul has produced over the span of his career. Recently, Goodyear moved with his wife and their cat from Sydney to London. It was quite a move for the whole family, but he felt he had accomplished everything there was to accomplish as a DJ in Australia. "I’ve lived in the three biggest cities in Australia – Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane – and I’ve spun at all the top clubs and parties in all of those places." It was high time to conquer Europe and the rest of the world. Goodyear considers himself Australian, but technically he is English. His family moved to Sydney when he was five years old. Thirty-plus years later, Paul is thrilled to be back in London. He calls it "vibrant," though he admits to being a bit homesick. However, he’s already secured a residency at XXL, a bear party that draws a crowd of 1500, and starting in March he will be spinning Friday nights in Amsterdam at a new event called Reflexxx. Having long moved beyond the tape reels to ProTools, Goodyear spends more and more time lately producing and even writing music. He is currently collaborating with high–energy legend Paul Parker, who hasn’t recorded anything since the late Nineties. Goodyear has had chart success in both Australia and stateside. Top 10’s of his include remixes of Taylor Dayne’s "How Many" and Deborah Cooper’s "Real Love." On the latter, he was delighted to have been asked to submit a remix by the song’s writer, Tony Moran, whom Goodyear counts as a longtime influence. He also gives big props, by the way, to the likes of Peter Rauhofer, San Francisco’s Phil B., and the legendary Jerry Bonham. Other releases include a remix of a cover of "Smalltown Boy" by Michael Nicholas on Klone Records and a cover of Sylvester’s "Take Me to Heaven" by Shauna Jensen on MIT Records (UK).Goodyear is one of the three main headliners at 2007’s Mardi Gras celebration in Sydney. The huge mega-event takes place at Fox Studios and draws crowds of over 16,000 partiers. 2008-04-14T19:27:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/benefit_spotlight/purple_party_a_vision_of_love/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/benefit_spotlight/purple_party_a_vision_of_love/ Saul Flores had a dream, a Jimi Hendrix-like vision of a purple haze. In the midst of his purple passion, everything appeared in various shades of the royal color. Flores envisioned purple as more than a dab on a palette; it would serve as inspiration to help people and bring the community together. In Flores’ purple dream, a weekend of events would be dedicated to charity, drawing people from all over the country to Dallas. In 2001, Flores made his dream a reality when he founded the Purple Foundation, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to raise money to assist people living with HIV/AIDS. As Purple approaches its eighth year this April, it has been able to donate in excess of $150,000 to various beneficiaries. Purple Foundation Board Chairman Rich Hill has taken over the reins of the party. He recently signed dance diva Deborah Cox for this year’s event. Cox, who also starred on Broadway in Aida, will perform at the Saturday night main event, “Amethyst.” The event will be held at the recently opened House of Blues in downtown Dallas. Hill tells noiZe that this will be the first dance event at the venue, the latest addition to this world-famous chain of music halls. Purple Board Member Blake Baker, who handles all of the creative aspects of the events, is psyched about the new venue. “We’re so excited, primarily because for the past four or five years, our main events have been in basically a warehouse space or a public space where we had to build an entire club,” he says, “build all the trusses, hang all the lights. A lot of money went into that, and also a lot of sweat and hard work. We’re excited that we don’t have to build a club. It’s at an incredible venue.” Roland Belmares, who got his start in nearby Austin before his reputation soared as one of the Circuit’s most popular DJs, has played the Sunday tea dances the past two years for Purple. This year, Belmares will be stepping up to the plate as the main event headliner. Coming off last year’s “Muscle Beach” party during White Party week in Miami and a recent gig in Rio for Carnival, Belmares plans to turn it out. Friday night starts off the weekend with “Purple Hearts” at another great Dallas hot spot, Minc Lounge, with Alyson Calagna behind the turntables. “If anyone can bring the boys out to the events, she can do it. They love her here,” Baker says of the New Orleans native. Minc features a small dance floor where the boys can dance if they want to as well as couches and cozy nooks for more intimate interactions. Minc also has a 2,500-square-foot back patio where Purple patrons can sip cocktails under the stars while they mix and mingle. After the rockin’ Saturday night main event at House of Blues, New York DJ Joe Gauthreaux will take it harder and deeper at “Resurrection” at the Starlight Room. Another DJ who originally hailed from New Orleans, Gauthreaux now plays all over the country and will be headlining the 15th Annual Winter Party Beach Party in Miami at the beginning of March before heading to New York to play the morning set at the Black Party on March 29th. West Coast sensation Phil B. is making his Dallas debut at the Sunday tea dance, “Wild Orchid,” at Purgatory, a multi-level velvet rope dance club deep in the heart of Dallas. Phil B. has been on the scene for over 15 years, playing at such legendary venues as The Tunnel in New York and Crobar in Miami. Sinners will shake the shackles off their feet so they can dance to the beats of this San Francisco mixmaster as the weekend draws to a close. Starting out as a modest gathering with small donations, Purple has grown into an impressive weekend of dance and community. In 2006, Purple presented a check to AIDS Services of Dallas for close to $60,000 totaling more than the first five years combined. This organization, which provides housing and medical care and job placement for people living with HIV, is again this year’s beneficiary. They hope to present AIDS Services of Dallas with an even bigger check this year but need the financial support of the community to reach that goal. “It’s always been an uphill battle,” Baker says. Whereas Miami has the beach and New York has everything for everyone, Dallas might not seem the obvious vacation destination. However, Blake continues, “Dallas has really grown as a city; it’s become very cosmopolitan.” Though Dallas is in the Bible Belt and is relatively conservative, Baker notes that, “Dallas has become a very friendly city. It’s a very welcome and hospitable group here.” Rich Hill concurs, “It’s not like any of the other big parties you go to everybody has a very down-home, very welcoming feeling. We really enjoy all the people that come from different parts of the country.” Featuring a lineup of some of the Circuit’s hottest DJs, exciting venues like House of Blues, and the ultimate diva Deborah Cox, Purple 8 will show off the cowtown to best advantage not to mention those sexy cowpokes and cowgirls. With a host of volunteers, friends, and dedicated individuals like Rich Hill, Blake Baker and board members Peter Brown and Aaron Carrasco, Saul Flores’ dream lives on, touching the lives of countless others. So brush off the 10-gallon hat, click on the spurs, break out the chaps, and saddle up for a weekend of fun, y’all. Hyah! Purple 8 takes place April 18-20, 2008. For more information, visit http://www.dallaspurpleparty.org. Also, check out the Dallas city spotlight in the Winter 2007 issue of noiZe (Issue #54) available online at noiZemag.com. 2008-04-14T19:17:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/if_u_seek_amy/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/if_u_seek_amy/ This one deserves an award for her greatest F-You to pop radio.  Honestly, when I heard “Womanizer” I was a little disappointed.  After all the media frenzy and the video for “Pieces of Me,” I got pretty used to everything she did actually having meaning for a change, and being line-by-line specific to her life and her distaste for the celebrity culture that was slowly killing her.  So when something safe and tepid like “Womanizer” kicked off her comeback album, I was left wondering whether pop success has to equate to complete removal of personal relevance.  And sadly it seemed to: “Circus” followed and with a title like that I hoped at least for it to be used as a metaphor for the craziness that she’d been through, but instead it was just another “hey everybody, look at me, let’s dance” insta-hit.  But after playing her cards right in the beginning, Brit’s finally calmed the crowds enough to throw a little controversy back into the mix.  “If U Seek Amy” is by far one of her cleverest songs yet, and even if it’s a little cheap and trashy, its “oh, damn...” factor renders all that irrelevant.  Essentially an excuse to say on mainstream radio that, “all of the boys and all of the girls are beggin’ to F-U-C-K me,” the song uses quick elocution to deliver the homophonic phrase and give the finger to the Apple Pie/Lolita image that brought her to an impossible level of fame.  The video takes the sentiment even further and has Brit tip-toeing around like a 5-year old wearing her mother’s makeup and heels and silently radiating the words, “look what I’m getting away with...”.  I was never a Britney fan, but after this one, I just might be able to say that I am without wincing. 2009-04-10T04:51:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/come_back_to_me_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/come_back_to_me_remixes/ The biggest hopeful for America getting its first ever Asian popstar, Utada has all the right stuff to make the crossover from J-Pop to American Top 40, we’ll just have to see how well the effort goes over and how much funding her label’s willing to put in.  She made her mark in Fall of 2005 with “Devil Inside,” and had some formidable follow-ups, but it’s “Come Back To Me” that could really make the final push for her with its pop-perfect phrasing and sing-a-long chorus, not to mention the amazing attention to quality in commissioning remix treatments.  Tony Moran & Warren Rigg do what they always do, a pop-ized tribal beat peak hour mix, which punctuates everything nicely. Seamus Haji & Paul Emmanuel step up the ambient element a bit with some rubbery synths over a chunkier beat and twinkling chimes.  And Quentin Harris contributes his trademark stripped down, T-Dance style house rub, giving the vocals more of the spotlight.  Pay special attention to the song’s greatest line, “I wish that I could Photoshop all our bad memories, cuz the flashbacks won’t leave me alone.” That’s J-Pop.  2009-04-10T04:49:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/beautiful_u_r_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/beautiful_u_r_remixes/ After having tried several different images and formats, the one that will always remain true for Deborah Cox is the grandiose ballad-turned-big room circuit anthem, and I for one think she should never stray from it.  Ever.  “Beautiful U R” is woman-to-woman “keep ya head up” piece that reads like a stylish PSA with a kick ass chorus, “Don’t ever let nobody bring you down, girl/ Don’t ever let nobody tear your world apart/ Look in the mirror and see who you are/ Beautiful you are.” Remix credits are Gabi Newman, Massimo Nocito and the Soul Seekerz, but the Women’s Shelter Award goes to Yinon Yahel for turning this into a super dramatic, Offer Nissim-style peak hour eyesore (not surprising since Yinon Yahel is the unsung hero who co-produces everything with Nissim).  The girl is back. 2009-04-10T04:46:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/beautiful_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/beautiful_remixes/ So Akon’s kind of a dick, anyone who throws a fan off a stage into a crowd gets that label from me, but you can’t argue with the fact that he produces perfect radio pop that, with this album, seems to be relying heavily on a synthy, European sound accompanied by dedicated remix treatments for every single.  “Beautiful” isn’t exactly a love song, “I see you in the club/ you showin’ thugs love/ I wanna get with you/ You’re so beautiful,” but it’s catchy as hell, uses Colby O’Donis and his requisite vocodered vocals, and is remixed by a kickass lesbian.  Tracy Young’s remix stands out against all the rest (Mike Rizzo, Sted E & Hybrid and Tonal), and makes this the one urban song you can’t wait to hear at the next party.  And if you’re going to be requesting this one from the DJ, make sure to mention you want the “with Rap” version of Tracy’s mix, despite all the failed attempts at a rap/house hybrid genre in the early 90s, Kardinal Offishall’s rhymes sound incredible over the storming circuit house production. 2009-04-10T04:42:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/love_story/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/love_story/ The second single following “Crash & Burn” from the still [almost a year after being announced] forthcoming debut solo album, “Smile In Bed,” “Love Story” is the perfect companion to a flowering crush after an extended dry spell.  The lyrics name all the elements of love breaking down the walls we put up in defense of heartbreak, and then ends the chorus with, “and with the road ahead/ this is the beginning/ of this love story.” As with anything Nadia does, layers of her simple ad-libs add indescribably to the texture of the song, and in this case it’s executed as a repeated “La da da Da… La Da da da Da da.” Remix credits are formidable and include minimal treatments by Starkillers, Sultan & Shephard and Dresden Johnston, but the kiss on the forehead goes to Andy Moor, who sets Nadia amongst a dizzying peak hour trance atmosphere that punctuates instead of overpowering.  Definitely one of my favorite songs this year. 2009-04-10T04:39:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/jai_ho_you_are_my_destiny/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/jai_ho_you_are_my_destiny/ This one is so amazing to me.  “Jai Ho” wins the Oscar for Best Song on Sunday, Feb. 23, then I wake up Monday morning to Nicole Scherzinger on LA’s KIIS FM talking about how much she loved the movie and how moved she was to write her own version of the song for pop radio.  I’m laying in bed mortified and titillated simultaneously all while being half awake and just waiting to see what this potential abomination sounds like.  Needless to say, my Monday was starting off with a bang. What then came out of my clock radio was pretty interesting.  Nicole takes the song, which of course I nor most of America can understand anyway because we don’t speak the language, and turns it into a Pussycat Dolls relationship pop ditty with a couple of the lines from the original song.  The beat sticks with what comprises most of the original (the original actually goes through about 4 different musical atmospheres), and adds in a few poppy elements to make it a little more radio-ish.  My personal favorite line is, “I’ll make you wanna say (Jai Ho!)”.  Only a Pussycat Doll could turn Jai Ho into something you scream out during sex.  Go Nicole go.  Oddly enough KIIS only played the original version, and for only about two weeks following the Oscars, and then forgot about the song entirely.  But whatever, it’s fun, it’s poppy, it makes you dance, it doesn’t mean a whole lot, but who’s complaining.  Just dance. 2009-03-30T04:58:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/boom_boom_pow/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/boom_boom_pow/ So The Peas are back with another no-questions-asked-hit single that demonstrates once again that these people will do anything necessary to remain commercial, and shows exactly why they’re as successful as they’ve been since dropping the underground sound and adding a blonde. The track is irresistible—the beat is body moving, the vocal filters sound rad and the keyboards are straight out of Europe—but what’s kinda funny is the image they’re boasting compared to the image the image they’re presenting.  Will.i.am rhymes, “I got that rock and roll, that future flow”, and Fergie blows, “I’m so 3008, you so 2000 and late,” which I’m assuming is referring to the electronic sound of the synthesizers and the effects on their vocals, but what they’re calling “futuristic” is really just a justification of following a trend that’s been in effect now for at least 5 years.  While by no means the filter’s origin, Cher’s “Believe” was the first hugely commercial usage of the vocoder effect and everyone scrambled after that one to use it in their own music. And in the last 3 years or so, Hip-Hop seems to be tired of sampling 70s and 80s hits, and has moved on almost entirely to emulating (Timbaland) or straight up borrowing (Kanye West) the hallmarks and successes of house, trance and electronica.  Janet tried to do this too, she said that the Discipline album was about her obsession with futuristic sounds and a computerized reality, but in the end it was just a way to not look like a follower.  Why is it so wrong to just say, “I know this formula works for popular music and I’m going to follow what’s been done before so I can make some money?” “Boom Boom Pow” is an incredible club track, probably not something you’re going to hear at the next circuit party, but you’ll definitely hear this one out at any gay bar and it’ll doubtlessly be dominating Top 40 radio throughout the summer, so start loving it. 2009-03-30T04:44:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/angel_on_my_shoulder_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/angel_on_my_shoulder_remixes/ Now on the third single from the flawless Strobelight Seduction album, Kaskade’s popularity only continues to grow. Some are complaining that Kaskade’s collaboration with Deadmau5 on the initial single “Move With Me” has influenced his style to the point of completely abandoning his former deep house sound and replaced it with with a pop progressive house/electro sound, but as long as the music he’s making is as gorgeous and hooky as these singles, who the F cares? After the disappointment of the “Move” remixes, which frankly was too good to be effectively remixed, this 9-track remix package was a welcome trade. The “Angel” mixes include chunky Funkerman rubs, dubby Troydon interpretations, but head straight to the four EDX mixes for the track’s elements folded atop gorgeous progressive trance production.  2009-01-31T06:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/miles_away_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/miles_away_remixes/ This woman’s marketing ability is both genius and shameless. When the Hard Candy album dropped and we heard this song for the first time, we all knew there was trouble in paradise with Ritchie. “Miles” was too specific and scathing to be just another aimless “love gone wrong” song for the masses like “Sorry,” and it set the table perfectly for the tabloid rush that followed months later surrounding their marriage. Now that the divorce is final, what better time to capitalize on the media frenzy than to release the single that began it all? The rumor is that this is the last physical single Madonna will be releasing through Warner Bros., which is sad, but at least now that iTunes has caught up, all digital music outlets carry high quality files. So don’t cry too much, Argentina. 2009-01-31T06:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/single_ladies/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/single_ladies/ I dunno what it is about this song, but you play this and every gay man in the room becomes exponentially more gay. You could play this on the front lawn of any Midwest fraternity and all questioning or closeted members would be at the doors and windows in seconds. It’s like a cliff for lemmings, except in this case the end of that instinctive journey would be the doorway of the local gay bar and a fruity cocktail. Floating out there on promo are the club mixes by Dave Audé, Craig C., DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio, Karmatronic, Lost Daze, RedTop and the requisite Maurice Joshua Club Mix, which for the first time in ages doesn’t blow. Sounds like Maurice has been listening to a little Freemasons in his time off since the Destiny girls’ last single, and the product is the first mix he’s done that you might actually hear played somewhere other than on your car’s satellite radio system.  2009-01-31T06:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/keep_this_fire_burning/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/keep_this_fire_burning/ Disco will never die, and this one’s even got an interesting story to go with it. Originally penned by Robyn, this song was a U.K. Top 20 hit for Beverly Knight in 2005. The song has now been redone as a nu-disco dance version with vocals by longtime Freemasons collaborator Amanda Wilson, and includes remixes by The Freemasons. The result is incredible. The songwriting itself is an uplifting “I’ll be by your side” anthem, and actually sounds like a companion track to Robyn’s recent release “Dream On.” The other mixes by Wawa, Christian Fischer, Jean Maxwell and Topaz, are all solid as is, but it’s the piano/bass pounding of the Freemasons mix that takes this to the level of addictive. Guaranteed: After one listen, you’ll be hooked. 2009-01-31T06:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/feel_your_love/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/feel_your_love/ You know how sometimes a song just goes with a season? It doesn’t have to be about it, but something about the tones, the voice, the words, whatever, just makes it nestle in perfectly amidst a season’s hallmarks. For whatever reason, this one just works perfectly with that late fall-early winter lovey-dovey sentiment that happens when the air gets colder, the days grow shorter, and our guard against intimacy falls away like a leaf with the advent of the holidays and our need to share them. No remixes needed here, the original’s all you get and all you’ll need.  2009-01-31T06:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/sirens_of_the_sea_maxi_single/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/sirens_of_the_sea_maxi_single/ Why labels do what they do has never ceased to confuse me, and here’s another example.  “Sirens of the Sea” has been in club circulation forever, having made one of its first commercial appearances on Anjunabeats Volume 3 back in 2005, yet wasn’t given a full single release until July of this year.  Weird.  Regardless, this is probably OceanLab’s most solid single since the unstoppable success of “Satellite”, rocking not only amazing production and remixes, but gorgeous song writing and vocals courtesy of vocal trance darling Justine Suissa.  The lyrics depict lucid watery imagery and uses the mythological narrative of the Siren, the half woman, half bird sea nymphs, to create a metaphor for powerlessness in love and longing, the chorus proclaiming, “I… Cannot.. Resist.. Your Call...”.  The single includes 7 mixes, but go straight to the Maor Levi reconstruction to experience the song in its dubbed prime. 2008-12-18T06:26:01-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/call_my_name_the_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/call_my_name_the_remixes/ The second single to be taken from Morgan Page’s debut artist album “Elevate,” “Call My Name” feels a bit like Röyksopp meets a Jason Nevins rock remix, and features the vulnerable, masculine voice of Tyler James.  The song is the narrative of a man waking up beside the person he loves, overcome with his insecurity that the person is going to leave him, and the mingling of his scattered thoughts with the actions and words of the person beside him.  Definitely something no homo could ever relate to.  The single includes a lurking, bleepy remix by Thomas Gold, a lush, sparkling mix by J Nitti, a rework by Morgan Page and, the best mix of the package, TV Rock’s gorgeous, guitar-strummy, rounded synth-laden masterpiece.  Want to shed a tear?  Take a listen. 2008-11-17T07:05:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/when_i_grow_up_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/when_i_grow_up_remixes/ I really hated this when I first heard it. But like most pop, it’s written in such a way that it wheedles its way into your heart like a manipulative boyfriend and finds some cunning way to hang around and eventually make you love it. And as usual, I didn’t personally care for it until I heard the remixes, the scope of which is almost overwhelming. Of course they went with Ralphi Rosario, as he was responsible for making club accessible the Dolls’ lead single from the first album, but then they added to the cast list Dave Audé, Dirty South, The Wideboys and Digital Dog, totaling 10 mixes, dubs and edits, and making this what was probably one of the most expensive single releases in months. The album has since been released, including what are probably several songs taken from Nicole Scherzinger’s cancelled solo album. From here, it looks like this album’s gonna keep the girls right where they’ve been for the last few years: a rock-steady pop staple. 2008-10-07T21:29:01-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/energy/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/energy/ The woman behind the curtain finally drops a spotlight on the starlet and takes center stage. Keri Hilson, the songwriter behind pop radio hits like Britney’s “Gimme More” and “Break The Ice,” Omarion’s “Ice Box,” Timbaland’s “The Way I Are” and Usher’s “Love In This Club,” finally gets her chance and goes solo with a forthcoming Timbaland-produced (read: mandatorily successful) album and this debut single. The original is somewhat electro-flavored urban pop (please, what would Timbaland be without stealing dance music’s hallmarks and repackaging them?), but the gay’ed up version comes from the go-to remixers The Wideboys, who do a perfect job of leaving everything from the original intact and adding just enough kick to translate it cleanly. 2008-10-07T21:27:01-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/disturbia/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/disturbia/ I literally haven’t been able to get enough of this song since I first heard it back in May. But anyone who says people don’t change for the one they’re with is full of it. Ri’s been dating Chris Brown for a while now and, surprise, surprise, her new single was written by her current bed buddy and sounds identical to everything he’s been doing of late. Rihanna’s got a tolerable voice, but, under Brown’s influence, has elected to go with Danity Kane-type auto tuning, vocodering her pipes into something unrecognizable. But “Disturbia” is ear candy rivaling the radio pop perfection of Cher’s “Believe"—it’s not meant to be deep, it’s meant to be fun, and more catchy that chlamydia. The remixes capitalize on that quality beautifully, with mainstream club rubs from Jody Den Broeder and Craig C., and a dense tribal barrage from Craig C. and Nique. Jump on this one, ‘cuz it’s gonna be your new favorite. 2008-10-07T21:26:01-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/bruised_water/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/bruised_water/ This little gem began as a white label mashup, putting the a cappella of Natasha’s “I Bruise Easily” atop Chicane’s classic instrumental track “Saltwater,” and was in circulation as such until someone apparently realized how massive this could be if given some commercial attention, and a few months later emerged as a full single featuring remixes by Mischa Daniels, Adam K and Chicane himself. The remixes are all totally solid, but the bootleg is the best, because—and correct me if I’m wrong—when you remix the mashup, doesn’t it just become a mix of “I Bruise Easily”? Anyway, hunt for this one, it’s angsty pop dance gold. 2008-10-07T21:24:01-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/no_more_tears_enough_is_enough/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/no_more_tears_enough_is_enough/ Anyone who has been panting for some quality pop diva house in the vein of 1999-2002, get excited. Two reigning queens of the genre’s heyday have returned to pimp slap Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer off their pedestals. Amber, still best known for the monstrously popular “Sexual (Li Da Di),” and Zelma Davis, sadly best remembered as the “embodiment” of Martha Wash’s voice in C+C Music Factory despite being an incredible vocalist herself, team up to cover the classic power ballad and make it over for big rooms with stomping remixes by Pathos V2 and Solar City. 2008-10-07T21:22:01-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/just_dance/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/just_dance/ Absolute pop perfection. A dancey, electro ditty about getting sauced and getting down; simpler and more relatable music has yet to be created. Produced by Robyn-collaborator RedOne and featuring guest vocals by T-Pain-ish urban hit radio newcomer Colby O’Donis, “Just Dance” is one of those instantly classic songs debut artists dream of creating and hate having to come up with something to follow. Official remixes by Harry Romero, Richard Vission and Trevor Simpson, and unofficials floating around by Manny Lehman, Tony Azradon and Ananyi. 2008-08-04T20:04:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/love_is_gone/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/love_is_gone/ “Fuck Me I’m Famous” producer David Guetta teams up with out singer/songwriter Chris Willis to create this hooky, sing-along dance floor anthem. The track first came into circulation in summer of 2007 but has been steadily building momentum with regular circulation on Hit Radio and a fresh face thanks to recent additional mixes. “Love Is Gone” is pulled from Guetta’s Pop Life album, on which Chris has four other singer/songwriter credits and marks him as the only openly gay artist on pop radio today. Remixes for “Love Is Gone” by Fred Riester, Joachim Garraud, Fuzzy Hair, Eddie Thoneick and Amo & Navas. 2008-08-04T20:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/spotlight/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/spotlight/ Remember when J-Hud performed at Long Beach Gay Pride, sang a never-before heard song and plugged her soon-to-come solo album? Yeah, I thought that was 2006, too. After delays and cancellations—oh, and that Oscar—Jennifer Hudson’s official debut as a recording artist that’s actually recorded has arrived. Seems the powers that be decided they needed to turn down the diva volume a bit if they wanted Jennifer to fit nicely amidst all the no-talents on the radio today, so on “Spotlight,” we get to see a more subtle version of her lion’s roar. A song about being kept under constant surveillance by an insecure lover, “Spotlight” feels lackluster on first listen without all the heaving and grunting we’ve come to expect, but it’s the remixes (provided by urban-to-club hit makers Moto Blanco and Johnny Vicious) that unlock the song’s hidden force. 2008-08-04T19:59:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/i_kissed_a_girl/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/i_kissed_a_girl/ I think Jesus just took a hand off the cross and put it over his gaping mouth. Katy Perry (formerly contemporary Christian Rock artist Katy Hudson) is steadily climbing charts everywhere with her bi-curious pop rock hit “I Kissed A Girl,” the follow-up to her Madonna-toted debut single “Ur So Gay,” and a stark departure from her spiritual beginning. And while both song titles sound like they could be intra-community hag-to-fag humor, I doubt you’ll be hearing either of these out at Pride festivals anytime soon. While not derogatory, both are definitely more shock gimmick than anything else, amounting to a clearly straight girl experimenting while shit-faced and a judgmental girl disappointed by her boyfriend’s vanity, respectively. Regardless, “I Kissed A Girl” has been gay-ed up by Jason Nevins and may just be too catchy for the politics to matter. 2008-08-04T19:58:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/crash_burn/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/crash_burn/ Fresh from the ashes of iiO’s passing, Nadia Ali’s solo career emerged Phoenix-style with a stream of DJ collaborations and now “Crash & Burn,” the first single from the forthcoming album Smile In Bed. Produced by Sultan and Ned Shepard, the song is about reckless love—the romance that could never sustain itself but can’t possibly be abandoned until it shatters fantastically before your eyes. It’s almost impossible not to wonder if that narrative isn’t something of a metaphor for the heights iiO reached with only one song and the slow demise over the coming years. Nothing has ever been said by either side of the duo as to how and why such a successful combination had to end so quickly, but even if the song has nothing to do with it, it’s more than a little delicious to imagine “Crash” as their tortured backstory. Remixes by Astro & Glyde, Dean Coleman, Dilamani & Rassek, DJ Shah, Justin Thomas, and Kered & Kiraly. 2008-08-04T19:48:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/control_yourself/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/control_yourself/ Long-time circuit darling Erin Hamilton returns to the main stage with her first new material since 2002’s “I Got The Music In Me.” “Control Yourself” is a trademark circuit house power anthem that casts Erin in the role of every gay man in West Hollywood, breaking up with and kicking to the curb yet another obsessive ex. Boasting remixes by Solar City, Lenny B., Dena Cucci, Reflex, Perry Twins and Manny Lehman, “Control” is poised to push its way to the front of the line throughout the summer, so be expecting to hear this one throughout the party season. 2008-06-12T21:17:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/dance_like_theres_no_tomorrow/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/dance_like_theres_no_tomorrow/ Although some hate it, I'm going to defend it to the end. Sometimes you just want something fun and vapid to dance to with absolutely no substance or political double entendres, something Paula did with enormous success in the '80s and '90s and seems not have lost her knack for after all the "Idols" and alcohol hazes. This is about nothing more than having a bad day and consequently wanting to go out, look amazing, dance and get attention-and who doesn't? Official remixes by Paul Oakenfold & Soul Seekerz. 2008-05-12T21:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/feedback/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/feedback/ After several tepid albums and lackluster singles, Janet’s long-awaited comeback song stands up to her icon status. This futuristic sex robot pop track has Janet demanding her trick’s close attention to her whorish moans and an appropriate reaction upon delivery. And if Darkchild’s poppin’ album version doesn’t dampen your drawers, the single’s extensive remix package, including submissions by Ralphi Rosario & Craig J, Moto Blanco, The Wideboys and Jody Den Broder, is sure to have something that make you call her “big poppa” 2008-05-12T20:59:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/daylight/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/daylight/ If this single is any indication, Kelly Rowland is one of the most underrated vocalists around. She's had nothing but stellar releases since going solo but hasn't received the label support she deserves. The party boy's anthem: "And it looks like daylight's gonna catch me up again/ Most people like getting up when I'm just getting in." Add incredible remixes by Joey Negro, Karmatronic, Hex Hector and Camaro Brothers, and you've got a whole new Special K. Look for the Freemasons' remix of the previous single "Work." 2008-05-12T20:42:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/touch_my_body/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/touch_my_body/ So maybe it's a little weird that the video has Mariah engaging in a secret pillow fight with a faux Best Buy Geek Squad computer technician, and that she's singing about YouTube, and that the song is too narcissistic and self-glorifying. But hey, other than all that it's timeless Mariah. Maybe someone who committed herself to UCLA's Neuro Psychiatric Institute a few years ago shouldn't be singing the line, "If you run your mouth and brag about this secret rendezvous, I will hunt you down." "Touch My Body"'s saving grace is Seamus Haji's power makeover, stretching the original version's meandering three-and-a-half minutes into nearly ten of skin-on-skin anthem house. 2008-05-12T20:36:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/whos_that_girl/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/whos_that_girl/ All but forgotten (in this country, at least,) since her enormous Max Martin-penned hit "Show Me Love" in 1997, Roby's now been picked up Stateside by Interscope Records with a rugged new sound and hyper-stylized visual presentation. The album's first American single capitalizes on Top 40 radio's recent acceptance of a more electronic sound with hooky vocals and a clever play on words. The self-titled album includes some of the most solid and original pop to be released in years. 2008-05-12T18:09:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/im_a_fire/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/im_a_fire/ The first we've heard from Miss Summer since her minimally circulated "Power of Love," this marks a glorious return to the club and a beautiful bit of metaphorical dance floor balladry that had me hitting the "back" button searching for hidden meaning. The vocal delivery blends granite stoicism and gushing sentiments. No expense was spared with the remixing credits, interpreted by 7 producers across 8 tracks on the promo, with numerous bootlegs circulating as well. "The Crayons" full length hits stores in May. 2008-05-12T18:01:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/run_the_show/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/run_the_show/ Though her first runaway single "Whine Up" was far more commercially successful, this one feels queerer friendly. Not that domination is exclusively the providence of The Gays. But we do seem to have a certain affinity for defining who gives and who takes it, and this works as an anthem for power bottoms everywhere. Johnny Vicious remixes again, having made the first single a massive club hit-this time with a much more aggressive sound that, when combined with the words and a boy's jeans slipping down just a little, has every top about to rut in slow motion under a strobe light. 2008-05-12T17:57:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/rapture/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/rapture/ Classics never die, they just get remixed. Iio's "Rapture" was one of the biggest club successes in the recent history, remaining in regular club rotation for nearly three years and promising to maintain an "oh-my-god-I-love-this-song" status until the end of time. So it was only natural that it get sucked and plucked for a new generation. These mixes began surfacing in summer of 2007 and have finally been released as a CD along with a bonus disc containing nearly all the former mixes, including several newbies, like those by Armin van Buuren and Paul Van Dyk. This is your just desserts. 2008-05-12T17:50:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/me/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/me/ It'd been a while since we'd gotten a taste of the honey vocals that fall from Tamia's lips, and when that return is served atop Rosabel and Soul Seekerz beats, the years disappear and all we're left with is a grateful reunion. "Me" is a power ballad in the same vein as "Stranger In My House," covering the familiar territory of "lover done me wrong." This time, the topic is approached by proclaiming infidelity with herself, not to mention a threesome with "myself and I." Initially appearing only on Abel's "Alegria Universo" compilation, this is a promo for now, but can be found on iTunes. 2008-05-12T17:45:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/4_minutes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/4_minutes/ Madonna does hip-hop. Initial response: disappointment. Not in the song, it's solid enough, but in Madonna. This just doesn't measure up to the level of trendsetting ingenuity we've come to expect from The Mother of [re]Invention. This move seems contrived and unnatural, like she's dressing up for Halloween and seeing how many people say, "Wow, you pulled that off." It feels like a gimmick. And getting Timbaland to produce a single feels passé after the deluge of Tim-produced songs on the radio last Fall. This'll get Madonna airtime again, but if that's all she's striving for then our icon has really and truly sold out. 2008-05-01T21:10:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/sounds_of_the_universe/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/sounds_of_the_universe/ Misery loves company, so if you’re looking for a companion to hardship (money, love, money, sex, money, employment, maybe money), then look no further than DM’s newest installment, Sounds of the Universe.  Nearly thirty years after their conception, Dave Gahan could sing Vengaboys karaoke and still make you want to open an artery while fumbling for a bottle of pills.  And his fans wouldn’t have it any other way.  The band’s tip of the tongue hallmarks remain—lust, spirituality, romantic yearning, sinful temptation and sadomasochism—and run through the album’s thirteen tracks like dirty motor oil in pavement cracks.  The disc’s first single, “Wrong,” which was a classic on first listen, is already in circulation and has been serviced as a full remix package, including A-List treatments by Thin White Duke (Jacques Lu Cont), Frankie Knuckles, Trentemoeller and a promo-only rub by Peter Rauhofer. 2009-05-01T03:48:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/imagine_the_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/imagine_the_remixes/ Armin’s moved up the status ladder with a ridiculous speed.  We toted the original album last summer as some of the best trance to come along in a while, and apparently every other producer on earth thought the same.  When Armin approached the various producers to remix his material, what he got back was such an enthusiasm for the task, and consequently so much quality material, that what was originally slated as a single disc release become a double to compensate.  Those familiar with the original album know that there were a solid 8 vocal tracks that were on hands and knees to be remixed, and this album makes good on that plea with some incredible results.  Remixing credits include most of trance’s parliament: Martin Roth, First State, Shane 54, Sied Van Riel, Ohmna, John O’Callaghan, Alex M.O.R.P.H., Cosmic Gate, Stoneface & Terminal, and Richard Durand. 2009-04-10T05:13:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/generation_next/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/generation_next/ Three years have past since we last heard Junior create a lead-heavy set of thumping dance floor bliss (Party Groove’s White Party Vol.7), and it was time to remind the world why Junior is and will always be one of the highest level Godfather’s of Clubland.  In the last few years, the words “Junior Vasquez Club Mix” have been oddly absent from maxi singles save for a few Britney and Pink tracks.  After the huge run of Vasquez mixes that went mainstream in the early 2000s, he seems to have returned to the strobe-pierced darkness that named him its King, the only reminder of his existence being the occasional bootleg remix floating around the internet.  But with “Generation Next”, the hiatus is over and Vasquez proves in 13 tracks that as club music goes through its next adolescence, his throne will remain at the forefront of it all. 2009-04-10T05:08:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_grand/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_grand/ Following the immense success of Kaskade’s first mixed set “Bring The Night,” which spent what feels like months at the top of the iTunes’ dance chart, “The Grand” continues with the same gorgeous formula of the best sing-a-long house and progressive you’ve never heard before.  The set consists of a number of Kaskade’s own tracks, remixed by the likes of EDX, Mischa Daniels, Mind Electric, Santiago & Bushido and Tommy Trash, and a number of Kaskade’s remix production for other artists, including Jes’s “Imagination,” Zip Zip Through The Night’s “Beestung” featuring Alex Kenji, Plumb’s “In My Arms,” and one of the album’s most amazing tracks: “This Is How It Goes” by Haley [Gibby], the vocalist half of Summer of Space, the group she formed with Ryan Raddon (Kaskade). 2009-04-10T04:57:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/rihanna_good_girl_gone_bad_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/rihanna_good_girl_gone_bad_remixes/ It’s April and Rihanna’s already had a year.  But despite the Chris Brown beat down and the rampant herpes allegations, it’s nice to know that she and her label still make time to appease her dance music fans and the mob of gays that love her.  At first glance this looks like the American version of the bonus disc from the European import version of the original album, but there’s actually quite a bit more to appreciate here.  Firstly, all the remixes are in radio edit format, presumably to make it more digestible to the masses who don’t understand full length mixes (Weirdos), and maybe a little more palatable to the drunken A.D.D. guests at your next pool party.  Secondly it contains remixes of the bonus tracks from the Reloaded re-release of the album, “Take A Bow” and “Disturbia”, done by Jody Den Broeder and Tony Moran & Warren Rigg respectively.  The disc is rounded out with the previously domestically-unavailable Lindbergh Palace mix of “Umbrella.” 2009-04-07T06:39:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/cyndi_lauper_floor_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/cyndi_lauper_floor_remixes/ It had to happen.  Cyndi releases a dance floor album and it becomes obligatory to remix the hell out of it.  This Japanese-only import has been a highly coveted item ever since word of its impending release first surfaced, and its scarcity only makes the whole prospect that much more delicious.  The majority of the remix credits go to Richard “Pink Noise” Morel and newcomers Freedombunch, who do an amazing job at making a first impression.  The obvious gem of the album is Morel’s NRG mashup of “Set Your Heart” with “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” which has been making its rounds of every gay bar for months now.  In addition to that are remixes of “Into The Nightlife,” “Same Ol’ [Fuckin’] Story,” “Set Your Heart,” “High and Mighty,” and revive remixes of “Time After Time” and “True Colors.” 2009-04-07T06:35:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_best_of_chicane_1996_2006/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_best_of_chicane_1996_2006/ Don’t sit on trying to find this. It was originally released on iTunes two weeks before physical release, then removed from iTunes just in time for the physical to be delayed to retailers. What you have before you (when you finally get it) is a select collection from one of the most creative and expressive minds in electronic music. After releasing only three full-length artist albums, Chicane has crafted well over a dozen classic tracks that have been played and revived continually over the years, and made a name for himself amongst the genre’s royalty. Additionally, this album is the only place to find several of the previously unreleased tracks from Chicane’s stillborn 2003 Easy To Assemble album (cancelled before release), and the edit version of his bootleg collaboration with Natasha Bedingfield, “Bruised Water.” You’ll Love: Daylight, Locking Down, Love on the Run, Stoned in Love (feat. Tom Jones) 2009-01-31T06:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/remixed/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/remixed/ The wait is over, Offer’s got something new to offer. Offer has become one of the most highly regarded names in club music in the last few years, and the fact that the majority of his stuff gets released as bootlegs and never makes it across the Atlantic from his native Israel only adds to his mystique and allure. So when it was announced that a domestically available follow-up artist album to his 2006 First Time would be coming, I—along with anyone else who loves this man’s style—made a little puddle on the floor. In essence, this is all a long time coming, since most of the artist tracks contained have been trickling out as singles since early 2007. Finally, though, they’re all collected on one disc, along with a handful of new ones, a second disc of remixes of past and present material. This is also the only place a hardcopy exists of the one of four trance mixes of “For Your Love” from the 2008 round of remixes. You’ll Love: Out of My Skin, Remember My Name, For Your Love (Sied Van Riel Mix) 2009-01-31T06:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/genesis_vol_1/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/genesis_vol_1/ Tracy Young Genesis Vol. 1 The First Lady of the Circuit brings it back again with a new sound and a new compilation series. From the sound of things, Tracy’s butched it up in the way of peppering the mix with a lot of the dark and dirty tracks, a.k.a. the totally interchangeable tribal tracks with deep voices saying weird things. In fact, the first half of the disc is all dark jungle, save for vocal piercings from Ceevox ("What’s Done Is Done") and Celeda ("Good Time"). But the second half sees the return of the accessible side of Tracy, combining lead beats with powerful vocals and singalong hooks like “Shine” by Yinon Yahel and Jesse LaBelle, “Reach” by Lil’ Mo Yin Yang, “Open Your Heart” by Axwell & Dirty South feat. Rudy, and the now classic “Alright” by Red Carpet. Genesis Vol.1 offers a combination nu-skool/old-skool sound, mixing the modern Circuit sound of mostly vocal-less production with the classic smiling atmosphere of uplifting vocal tracks. Something here for everyone. You’ll Love: Genesis, Shine, Do It Properly, Reach, Open Your Heart, Alright 2009-01-31T06:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_fame/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_fame/ There’s something about Lady GaGa that makes the gays love her instantly, and I think I know why. Lady GaGa reminds you of that crazy girl in high school: the one who wore a cape and Robin Hood boots to class, who in drama class always did monologues that ended in death, and who made all the plain girls turn up their pressed powdered noses at her defiance. And of course this girl was your best friend because she thought that you were fabulous. Now that girl’s got an album just as eclectic as her style and every homo in the world is eating it up. The Fame is a blend of rock, pop, electro, dance and hip-hop, then hosed with a hot glue gun and dipped in glitter and given a platinum weave. The current single “Poker Face” follows the same formula as its predecessor “Just Dance,” and there’s much more where both those came from. Don’t ask questions, just buy this. Now. You’ll Love: Just Dance, Love Game, Paparazzi, Poker Face, Starstruck 2009-01-31T06:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/alchemy_gst_reloaded_the_suar_sessions/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/alchemy_gst_reloaded_the_suar_sessions/ Alchemy is a special, glamorously packaged double-CD, that continues to demonstrate Ultra Naté’s dedication to the fans, DJs and dancers who’ve sustained her career.  The first disc is essentially “Grime. Silk. Thunder. Remixed”, containing mostly previously unreleased remixes of the original album’s tracks by top producers like Bimbo Jones, Kenny Dope, Quentin Harris, Morgan Page, Craig C., Mood II Swing, DJ Spen and DFA, including the newly released Automatic 2008 remix by Tikaro, J. Louis and Ferran.  The second disc, titled The Sugar Sessions, is a continuous DJ mix by Ultra Naté herself.  Didn’t know she could spin, did ya?  The set is an example of what you can expect at Sugar in Baltimore, the club Ultra has been spinning at every Friday for the last five years, and is comprised of a mix of tracky deep house mixes of Ultra’s own material. The Favorites:  Falling (Mark & Shark Mix), Love’s The Only Drug (Adam Rios Shelter Mix) 2008-12-18T06:14:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/opus_secundo/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/opus_secundo/ Practice makes perfect.  Mr. Sam released Opus in 2007, and went on and on in the liner notes about how much of an undertaking the creation of a compilation is, how personal the tracklisting should be and how much it all needs to come together to say something, to have an underlying statement.  And I’m sure it did have all that, problem is it was dull.  Aside from a few choice tracks, the album felt like big landscapes of mediocrity broken occasionally by musical fireworks.  Someone must have said something, because Opus Secundo is hands down amazing from beginning to end.  What’s funny is that many of the same artists from the first are present on the second, but this second batch just works better, stirs deeper, moves more.  It’s more dramatic, I think that’s it.  If you love trance, you’ll bust one over this. The Favorites:  In The End, Stay With Me, Alive, Cygnes, Hold My Breath 2008-11-17T07:12:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/sirens_of_the_sea/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/sirens_of_the_sea/ This is after-the-party music. Not really a hook-up soundtrack, though some songs have a certain sensuality. More so, this is the perfect backdrop to dark skies creeping toward the blue of dawn and coming down in someone’s living room. Uplifting, beautifully vocalized, gentle, at times driven, and deeply intimate. OceanLab is the alternate moniker for the Above & Beyond production team paired exclusively with singer/songwriter Justine Suissa. Fans have been aggressively waiting for this one since the release of the group’s first single “Clear Blue Water” in 2002. The group has been trickling releases throughout the years, but only two of those singles appear on the Sirens album—10 of the album’s 13 tracks are fresh, original pieces that represent a new musical brand: album-oriented pop trance. Lacking the huge arpeggio crescendos of big room anthem-trance, or the disposable cheese of trance-NRG, the music and lyrics of Sirens have the same timeless quality as Sarah McLachlan, but use the hallmarks and ambience of trance to further the subject matter and create a watery sound that lets the listener melt away into its aquatic texture. 2008-10-07T21:21:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/invol2ver/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/invol2ver/ Sasha’s essentially a prophet in the world of dance music. The man is so celebrated in his vision of sound that there are artists who write and produce music specifically for him and him alone to spin. Unlike a lot of producers out there who have surrendered to a feeling of immediacy—music that says “you are a regular person inside a club listening to this"—Sasha has held to that classic clubber’s ideology of “experiencing an altered state through music,” and creates compositions that truly lift out of this reality and leave you feeling as though you’ve seen something, experienced something, and are changed for it. Invol2ver is the second chapter following the initial 2004 Involver, and is a continuous mix of Sasha artist tracks and Sasha remixes of others’ material. The Favorites: Arcadia, Destroy Everything You Touch, Burma, You Are The Worst Thing In The World 2008-10-07T21:18:01-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/happy_people/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/happy_people/ Happy People is a combination follow-up artist album and mixed compilation—the double-disc release contains every artist track he’s done since the First Time debut album, but like Forever Tel Aviv, is in a continuously mixed format, chock full of hand-picked favorites and remixes he’s done for other artists. The catch, however, is that its release is somewhat fragmented, mainly due to the unlicensed usage of samples from Britney’s “Gimme More” and Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” It was allegedly allowed into the U.S. after the tracklisting was revised not to include the unlicensed content but then disappeared from distribution and hasn’t been heard from since. The album is still available on Israeli sites, though whether an order of it would make it across the Atlantic is iffy. The risk is totally worth it. Tracklisting includes five new tracks with longtime collaborator Maya, a reconstruction of Captain Hollywood Project’s “More & More”, and Offer Nissim remixes of Deborah Cox, Shirley Bassey, Kim Cooper, Suzanne Palmer, Tony Moran, Erin Hamilton and Christina Aguilera. The Favorites: Love, More & More, Shine, Flame 2008 2008-10-07T21:16:01-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/unexpected/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/unexpected/ While Sarah Palin’s out there making religion look about as heinous as possible, Michelle Williams shows the world (and The Gays) that just because there’s faith in her life, it doesn’t mean she’s a hater. Following her first two devotional albums, Michelle returns to the pop world she dominated as one third of Destiny’s Child, but this time on her own terms and with a unique sound. Unexpected is exactly that, the Michelle you never saw coming and won’t be forgetting anytime soon—an album that radiates confidence and unforced sensuality over a musical texture that blends muscular urban funk with Euro-sweetened pop, a marriage of cultures completely unheard in the American musical landscape. The Favorites: Hello Heartbreak, We Break The Dawn, Private Party, Stop This Car 2008-10-07T21:13:01-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/elevate/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/elevate/ Following the unofficial release of his bootleg remix compilation aptly titled Cease & Desist from a few years ago, it was time Page showed the world what had become of his musical genius since making the transition to legal productions. And the result is nothing short of dizzying. Where other producers seek to create a pounding rhythm that moves the body, Page seeks to create a calculated maelstrom of sodden emotion that moves the innards. It’s like trance but without the ethereal intention, a moody trip across a solid percussive foundation. The compilation contains several of Page’s own artist tracks mixed among his remixes for other artists. Despite the listener’s inklings to head straight for the two biggest names to have been given the Morgan Page treatment—Nelly Furtado and Delirium—these are actually among the least noteworthy of the album’s offering, completely overshadowed by tracks like Jenny Owen Youngs’ “Fuck Was I,” Leigh Nash’s (formerly of Sixepence None The Richer) “Nervous In The Light Of Dawn,” and Page’s own tracks “Call My Name” feat. Tyler James, “Fade Away” feat. Matt Wasley and “The Longest Road” feat. Lissie, a Deadmau5 remix of which is contained as a bonus track.  2008-08-04T19:33:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/one_mighty_weekend_2008/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/one_mighty_weekend_2008/ Dana Divine’s hook in the first song says it all: “Remember the Music? Turn It Up!” Coming out of the Pride season, one compilation stands above all the rest in its encapsulation of the “I Love Being Gay!” vibe and impeccable track selection that reminds us of all the music and energy our weekends were steeped with in the glory days of gayness. It’s no surprise all that comes from the ever-dependable Masterbeat label. The double-disc set, co-conducted by Brett Henrichsen and Alyson Calagna, follows Masterbeat’s rock steady commitment to joygasm-inducing, sing-a-long club music with top artists like Ultra Naté, Inaya Day, Suzanne Palmer, Debby Holiday, and power producers like Paulo, The Cube Guys, Twisted Dee, Tony Moran, Warren Rigg and Manny Lehman. While the months of flags, fabulousness and faggotry are coming to a close, music like this demands that you keep sashaying all the way to Santa’s lap. 2008-08-04T19:23:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/imagine/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/imagine/ Armin Van Buuren is nothing short of amazing: At the age of 32, he had made the steep ascent to international stardom that earned him the status of DJ Magazine’s No. 1 DJ of 2007. A seven-year weekly gig as host of the popular radio show “A State of Trance,” a successful compilation series of the same name, his own Armind label, three albums and an overwhelming list of artist tracks and remixes hardly seems an appropriate résumé for someone whose humble beginnings fresh out of secondary school into a local Dutch nightclub began in 1995. Armin proves that if you follow your passion, the potential for success is limitless. Imagine is Armin’s third artist album. It includes the DJ Shah collaboration track “Going Wrong” featuring Chris Jones, and employs the vocal talents of Jaren, Audrey Gallagher, Sharon Den Adel, Jacqueline Govaert, Kathy Burton, Vera Ostrova and the soon-to-be-classic Jennifer Rene. Though not breaking any new ground thematically, the album demonstrates the vast emotional depth electronic music is capable of and the stark beauty of a lovelorn voice. Vocal tracks like “Unforgivable,” “Never Say Never” and “Fine Without You” seem destined for a single release, and instrumentals like “Imagine” and “Intricacy” will doubtlessly be making appearances on purist trance compilations.  2008-08-04T18:58:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/spirit/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/spirit/ Heralded as having the biggest debut of any winner/con- testant from a musical talent game show, Leona Lewis has been turning heads and setting records ever since the world took notice of her on Britain’s American Idol predecessor, X Factor. Leona set a world record when her debut single “A Moment Like This” was downloaded over 50,000 times in the first 30 minutes after she was announced the winner of the show’s third season. Then BBC News reported that she had set another record when the first single from her debut album Spirit, “Bleeding Love,” was downloaded 1.7 million times in one week. Spirit employs the combined efforts of many of today’s hit-making producers and songwriters, including ballads by Avril Lavigne, longtime Mariah Carey collaborator Walter Afanaseiff and Simon Cowell himself. Unlike many involved in these career-making game shows, Leona’s debut isn’t a misfire attempt at creating a career via image for the artist. Instead Lewis’ debut album cover looks not unlike Mariah Carey’s—not overly sexy, not overly styled, just a beautiful face set against a black background and timeless type framing her. This woman has a voice and if you purchase this disc, you’re going to hear it. Simple and honest. Expect even more big things from this one for years to come. 2008-08-04T17:34:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/fierce_pussy_the_remix_album/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/fierce_pussy_the_remix_album/ Paris Hilton wishes she could be Amanda Lepore. The self-proclaimed "Number One Transsexual in the World", Lepore has represented enigmatic, underground glamor and fame since the early 90s and has remained infamous across the globe for her daring and willingness to not only cross the line, but drag a throne across it, recline, spread her legs and proudly aim a million watt spotlight and her lady hamper. This spring she releases the teaser album Fierce Pussy: The Remix Album, featuring 4 songs across 12 tracks and reinterpretations by Funky Junction, Craig C, Tim London and guest appearances by Cazwell and Larry Tee. All tracks (Champagne, My Pussy, I Know What Boys Like, and My Hair Looks Fierce) are plucked from her forthcoming full length album, Brand New Woman out later this year. 2008-06-12T20:45:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/discipline/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/discipline/ Discipline is the first album since Velvet Rope to feel inspired from beginning to end; the last few have been plagued by well-written ballads with bland production (slow still has to sound good) and dance tracks that sounded more trend-following ("So Excited") than trend-setting ("if"). Janet loves her sex, and she loves to sing about it. Just about everything notable she’s done in the last 15 years has been about or was inspired by sex. So with a title like Discipline, you know her heart’s in it. The album’s chock full of radio-friendly singles that promises to keep Janet in the public consciousness, but after seeing that cover, I could’ve done with a bit more naughty sex content. 2008-04-28T18:28:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/robyn/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/robyn/ Robyn could be the next huge thing if this country decides to elevate to stardom a white female artist for her talent instead of her scandalous image or clothing line. The album and its singles have been in circulation in Europe since 2005, so Interscope's decision to distribute it domestically was a no-brainer. What remains to be seen is how America is going to digest a plain-faced Swedish blonde with a Peaches-like sound and an urban-by-way-of-Europe edge. Interscope's already attempted to market her as the "chorus 'ho" when they had her guest on the remix of Snoop Dogg's "Sexual Eruption," which-despite being worlds better than the original-never made it to the radio. I'm just going to cross my fingers, sit back and watch what happens. 2008-04-28T18:22:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/soundboy_rock/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/soundboy_rock/ If Discovery was Daft Punk's breakthrough album into completely digestible pop dance, then Soundboy Rock is Groove Armada's. This sounds like a more grown-up version of Junior Senior, combining their propensity for bright, exuberant sounds with the experimental enthusiasm of late-'90s Electronica, the gypsy ambience of Gotan Project and the dubby MC vocals of urban hit radio. What results is a mix of disparate, unexpected delights as deliciously fascinating as the contents of a club floor at closing time. 2008-04-28T18:20:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/fierce_disco_2/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/fierce_disco_2/ The clouds have finally given way to blue skies and enough exposed skin to give you blue balls, so what better way to kick off the summer months than with some peak-hour dance music that reflects the season’s light mood and sunny disposition? Fierce Angel, the next creative venture of Hed Kandi founder Mark Doyle-and consequently an exact copy of the former-produces compilations of unmixed, full-length dance tracks and remixes, and does so with every bit of its predecessor’s success. Fierce Disco 2’s three discs combine the latest unmixed House, Disco House, Garage and Electro, boasting marquee names like Joey Negro, Todd Terry, Kenny Dope, Jocelyn Brown, Moto Blanco, Love To Infinity, Tony Moran, Martha Wash, Kristine W, Peyton, Eric Kupper, The Wideboys, Amanda Wilson, Andrea Britton, Robbie Rivera, K-Klass, Seamus Haji, and on. With all this warm, glowing goodness you’re sure to find more than a couple favorites, so shed the cold, hard beats of winter like that last bit of clothing you’re still wearing and dive into the sounds of endless summer nights. 2008-04-28T18:14:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/night_blossom/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/night_blossom/ Have sex to this album. Or at least pop some wood and grind someone sortakinda special under the disco ball. The remix companion to the Fire Flower album, Night Blossom is a double load in the face, with one disc compiling the best remixes from the album's singles, and the other spooling remixes of all Ananda's albums into a continuous mix of sensual heavy petting. The greatest thing about Ananda Project in a club setting is that you don't even need to wait to get to the bedroom: the tempo, the instrumentation, the delicate vocals, the dancing that comes from that is far hotter than anything that happens between the sheets. Playing this may require latex. 2008-04-28T18:09:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/last_night/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/last_night/ Moby's been through an incarnation or two-underground unknown, über-trendy illegible, frighteningly commercial jingle machine, Gwen Stefani's motorcycle buddy. So it was probably about time for it all to come around and make a circle. Harkening back to his early days, Last Night is all about the club and the roots of club music, before the divas and the "remix as promotion tool" thing came along, when DJs were godly maestros, not just background noise, and their musical constructions were what brought you into the night. The sound is very eclectic, very experimental vocal content, with varied tempos and moods. This is the perfect album for a dance purist who loves the journey and loves to taken through all veins of house. 2008-04-28T18:01:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/nineteen/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/nineteen/ Despite the endless comparisons, Adele is not "The New Amy Winehouse." They're both English and have enormous jazz voices, but to say they're the same is like saying Avril Lavigne and Celine Dion are the same because they're both Canadian and have ankles. More than anything else, Adele falls into the category of "singer/songwriter," both writing down in verse the intricacies of her lovelorn mental muddle and relating it by way of her husky yet agile voice and stinging, feisty tongue. Titled after her age when recording it, the album plays like pages of a nice school girl's diary and the liner notes of which cite disparate influences like Etta James, Björk, Billie Holiday and Jeff Buckley. Perfect "alone time" music. 2008-04-28T18:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/seventh_tree/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/seventh_tree/ A far cry from the Goldfrapp most of us got used to over the past few years, with image-defining hits like "Strict Machine," "Oh La La" and "Ride A White Horse," Alison channels a little Olivia Newton John on an album that could be seen as a return to Felt Mountain if it weren't the soundtrack for an entirely different kind of movie. Seventh Tree is the backdrop to a summer afternoon love scene on wooden floors in a bright, modest home furnished in ashy whites and faded yellows. Unlike the high contrast, black and white Italian street scene of "Felt," "Tree" feels monochromatic and granular, like wheat blowing in the wind, which works nicely over the end credits following the darkness and disco light. 2008-04-28T17:46:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/flexible/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/flexible/ Flexible is right. The delicate white boy with Aretha's power releases his sophomore full-length and stretches in some funky new directions. In contrast to his initial release, which was a fierce but homogenous sample of sexy 1 a.m. Circuit anthems, Flexible is a more mellow, eclectic drama club of ten unique atmospheres that explore myriad ways to say something musically while getting a butt or two on the dance floor. 2008-04-14T22:40:01-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/alegria_universo/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/alegria_universo/ Ever since releasing the first in this three-part series, Abel has expanded the audience of tribal house exponentially with his hooky, vocal presentation of the genre and a meticulous selection of truly intoxicating tracks and remixes. Take his trademark blend of anthemic beats and tribal percussion on Disc 1. Add tribal house interpretations of dance artists like Tamia, Jeanie Tracy, Karen Young and Bob Sinclar. And bake to keep the listener forever wondering where Abel will take them next. As a counterpoint, Disc 2 is composed of “Morning Music,” a lighter, more vocal companion to the heavy, complicated rhythm that dominates the night. To match the blown-out blue-and-yellow light of the hour, artists like Ultra Nate, Southside Hustlers, Tamara Wallace, Karen Young and Frankie Knuckles form a continually brightening mood that ends with the sax and strings of the Freemasons’ “Pacific,” extending the Alegria into the day ahead. 2008-04-14T22:39:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/makeshift_feelgood/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/makeshift_feelgood/ Not that they needed the company, but it seems the experimental approach of Basement Jaxx suddenly has some. On their sophomore album, X-Press 2 takes the aggressive beats of their debut, puts ‘em through a food processor, adds whatever it finds in the dumpster out back, and creates a danceable chunkiness that references way too many influences to list here. Singles from the first album were all vocalist collaborations, so it’s no surprise that this time around every track includes some words, and the format is more pop-centric than the other’s club orientation. The disc’s initial single, “Give It,” which was originally release over two years ago, has been re-released with additional mixes by Friscia & Lamboy. 2008-04-14T22:39:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/i_love_montreal/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/i_love_montreal/ Continuing the I Love series, Peter ventures this time to Michael Moore country and nestles in amongst the moose and free health care et voila! The mixmaster’s interpretation of Montreal’s unique vie en rose. Joining the usual cast of Star 69 artists and producers are Dangerous Muse, Dave Aud feat. Jessica Sutta, Kaskade, Axwell, Nelly Furtado and Noir’s re-rub of the classic jingle “My MTV.” 2008-04-14T22:38:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/in_search_of_sunrise_6/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/in_search_of_sunrise_6/ Few series have ever made it to a sixth volume with the same eager anticipation and continuous critical acclaim like Tiesto’s In Search Of Sunrise. With every release, Tiesto carefully cross-sections the ever-morphing genres of trance and progressive house. The world-class DJ calls attention to the newest roster of artists and producers that are defining and challenging the hallmarks and standards of ambient dance music. Here the flying Dutchman presents cultural shifts like the blend of electro and trance, and African tribal percussion atop rounded beats. He also underlines vocalists like Jes, Julia Thompson, Anita Kelsey and Jennifer Rene. And this is the only place you’re gonna find Tiesto’s own ISOS remix of the indie hit “Hide & Seek” by Imogen Heap. 2008-04-14T22:37:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/greatest_hits_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/greatest_hits_remixes/ Oakie’s career has included underground raves, hyper-publicized stadium massives, ultra-trendy urban hotspots and sold-out nightclub world tours. His body of work, both as an artist and a producer, has spanned nearly as many years as his name has syllables, and earned him the Guinness World Record title of “Most Successful DJ in the World.” This compilation attempts to frame that body of achievement. That intention may seem impossible to accomplish with shiny plastic and binary code, but the enormous diversity of the tracks included serves to outline his vast musical ingenuity. That in mind, it should come as no surprise that the album is available in one-, two- and three- disc versions, all of which contain multiple new 2008 Oakenfold mixes of selected favorites. 2008-04-14T22:37:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/some_people_have_real_problems/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/some_people_have_real_problems/ Sia is a vocalist and songwriter of inimitable integrity and individuality. She is also one of the few people in the world who immediately renders me a girl of thirteen face-to-face with her ultimate idol - I ran into her at a tanning salon in LA and acted like a teeny-bopper backstage at a Justin Timberlake concert. Until recently, Sia was the voice of Zero 7’s biggest singles. Then overnight she achieved her American breakthrough as the artist responsible for the musical capstone of the Six Feet Under series when her song “Breathe Me” closed out the finale. On her third solo album, Sia combines the jarring lyrical intimacy of her debut Healing Is Difficult with the whisper-soft instrumentation of her second album, “Colour The Small One”, and creates pop-friendly chill-out with her brazen voice and a lush, layered acoustic sound. 2008-04-14T22:36:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/summer_of_space/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/summer_of_space/ Haley Gibby, the voice of Summer of Space, seems to be an artist with a true intention and an indomitable will. When she was recognized by Warner Bros. and offered a contract, she declined, deciding instead to continue pursuing her musicality without Big Brother steering the wheel. In 2001, she met producer Finn Bjarnson and explored the musical course she chose instead of commercial success. Later, along with Ryan Raddon (Kaskade), a group was formed, and following the success of their initial single an album was completed and the result is nothing short of aural bliss. Haley’s vaporous voice atop emotion-sodden instrumentation plays like a gorgeous footnote to life - quiet, saturated commentaries floating like fog over hills, commanding your attention in the most delicate way possible. 2008-04-14T22:35:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/transport_systems/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/transport_systems/ On Transport Systems, Ari combines all the best of contemporary pop conventions with his own blue-eyed soul, and sets to music his life experiences of love, lust, sex, heartbreak, infidelity, and frayed relations. This all sounds like coloring within the lines until you realize Ari’s not singing about bitches, boobs, and juicy booties - his sentiments stem instead from his experiences with other men. And he’s not coding it in any way. Ari is in-your-face gay without the camp and the crassness. He doesn’t take the “Queer As Folk” approach to gay social equality via music, shoving butt-sex and blowjobs down everyone’s reluctant throats. Instead he creates music that sounds like everything you’ve heard before, but inserts the otherwise deleted gay male perspective on the same ups and downs of life that inspire the lyrics of mainstream straight pop. He inspires acceptance via normalcy - instead of something like Britney’s “Stronger”, a song about her moving on from a cheating boyfriend, Ari offers the alternative “Mr. Mistress”, a song about his moving on from a man who refuses to live honestly about his same-sex feelings. One of the album’s highlights is a cover of Human League’s “Human”, which adds a new dimension to the already laden lyrics (I’m only human/ Of flesh and blood I’m made/ I am just a man). Transport Systems, along with Gold’s two previous albums, is a tasty slice of radio-friendly R&B/pop that allows man-loving men the opportunity to fully relate to the fun and frivolity of pop music without having to switch gender pronouns or emasculate themselves by obligatorily identifying with the female role in the song. Ari just might be our Justin Timberlake, and frankly it’s about time. 2008-04-14T22:34:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/bring_the_night/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/bring_the_night/ Kaskade’s new mix compilation Bring The Night spent weeks at the #1 position on iTunes’ Dance Albums for a reason: funky electric beats, soul-soaked vocals, catchy-as-hell melodies, and such an overall diversity of artists and sounds that anything else you listen to just sounds tired and typical. The tracklisting blends several of Kaskade’s own tracks and remixes, including mixes of Nelly Furtado’s “All Good Things (Come To An End)”, Floetry’s “Supastar”, and his artist track “Sorry” remixed by Dirty South, with a crunchy trail mix of underrated creations by artists like Axwell, Armand Van Helden, Bob Sinclar, D.O.N.S., and David Tort & Fedde Le Grand. Not one of the disc’s fifteen selections is fill, but as with all great compilations, it’s the closing song that stands out amongst all that came before and lingers in your ear for days. The track is “Hearts Reaction” and the group is Summer Of Space, the musical union of Kaskade and Finn Bjarnson with the gossamer vocals of Haley Gibby. The track alone is worth the price of admission. Seems Kaskade’s finally been sleeping with the right people or something, because his musical ingenuity is finally being recognized, and his remix abilities have recently been commissioned for Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, The Pussycat Dolls, Justin Timberlake, and Seal. Keep an eye on this one - the attention he’s getting is finally catching up with his talent. 2008-04-14T22:31:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/rise/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/rise/ This is late-summer evening horizontal house. And while that’s nothing new, Samantha James manages to differentiate herself from an immense group of sound-alike artists. The downtempo, loungey, nu-jazz sound reached a new level of mainstream popularity in the early 2000s, and the market has since become saturated with Buddha Lounge, Hotel Costes, and similar compilation series. Labels like Hed Kandi, Naked Music, and James’s own Om are continually churning out new artists to satisfy the demand, but amidst all that, Samantha James’s debut album Rise distinguishes itself by its superior songwriting. The sticker on the album’s cover says “For Fans of: Sade, Morcheeba, Bebel Gilberto & Everything But The Girl”, so without even peeling back the cellophane, Samantha’s already elevated to the level of some of this generation’s most deeply personal songwriters. That height could be precarious if she were teetering atop only label promotion and a pretty face, but Samantha’s got the chops to back that up along with the aforementioned. The quality is consistent throughout the album; the uncompromising lyrics and lavish vocal arrangements fall effortlessly from James’s lips and sustain a continuous intimate connection with the listener. The production, courtesy of collaborator ROCAsound, flaunts all the bells and whistles electronica has to offer - watery instrumentation, liquid beats, and gorgeous filtering and layering of the vocals - but serves to augment what is preexisting, not make up for weakness. The album would sound just as beautiful unplugged. I’ve been waiting a year for this to drop, since hearing the initial single of the same name, and I couldn’t feel more rewarded for the wait. For any who love music that gets inside and lingers like the taste of red wine, this one’s just waiting for you. 2008-04-14T22:30:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/disconnect/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/disconnect/ Jes Brieden has undergone a true renaissance. From her gritty indie rocker ways she’s made a complete transformation, of both sound and image, to a powerhouse dance floor singer/songwriter. But it’s her innate rock sensibilities that separate her from the trademark blonde dance vocalist: she’s rougher, rawer, and more ragged, which translates to a sound that touches emotional crannies not usually accessible by way of the 4-4 beat. Her voice has no ego, no fear of overexposure, an honesty that sounds like a naked body standing before you, arms outstretched and eyes to the heavens, laying bare all they are and believe. I know that’s dramatic, but really, her delivery’s unrivaled; she’s like no one else out there. Jes’s transformation began when “Starchildren”, an MP3.com hit from her band Guardians of the Earth, was picked up by Paul Van Dyk and reworked for the first volume of his groundbreaking Politics of Dancing series. Inspired by the new version of herself she heard, she began working with more DJs and producers and went on to form Motorcycle with Gabriel & Dresden and voice the instant club hit and Billboard No.1 “As The Rush Comes”. Overnight, Jes became clubland’s Evan Rachel Wood, a fresh “previously unknown” with the talent of a superstar and the momentum to become one. She went on to work with such renowned producers as Solarstone, Deepsky, D:Fuse, and most recently Tiesto, who she toured with promoting his Elements of Life album, the first vocal track of which Jes is responsible for. Disconnect is her debut solo album boasting her new “rocktronica” sound, co-produced with a myriad of other talents and tightly wound with her latticed lyrical constructions. Tracks contained that have already scorched both mix CDs and club speakers alike are “Ghost”, “Like A Waterfall”, “Imagination”, and “People Will Go”, with the majority of the ten remaining tracks all carrying the potential to be just as big. Alice Deejay’s forgettable debut asked “Who Needs Guitars Anyway?” And the answer: those who dare to innovate. Rock on, Jes. 2008-04-14T22:30:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_world_as_i_see_it/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_world_as_i_see_it/ Screw drugs. Ditch the fake sexy attitude. The mothership has landed. It’s time to get real. This is purist house. Dennis Ferrer presents house music as an underground culture separate from the rules and conventions of the rest of the world, where a 4/4 beat is as commonplace as the soil beneath your feet and organic instrumentation and African percussion intertwine to create fertile landscapes on the polished dance floor. The atmospheres span from aggressive to dreamy, feeding intentions of mandated salvation, deflated romance, starry-eyed love, and the belief that “one man can change the world.” Aside from Mia Tuttavilla on “Touched The Sky,” all vocals throughout are refreshingly male including Tyrone Ellis, K.T. Brooks, Selan, and Danil Wright on the disc’s initial single “Church Lady.” Ferrer’s distinctive tracks have been included in innumerable compilations framing disparate genres ranging from big-room tribal to sunny, sandy Ibiza anthems, and has contributed remixes for names like Blaze, Fish Go Deep, Copyright, and Junior Jack. 2008-04-14T22:27:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/forever_tel_aviv/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/forever_tel_aviv/ Here and now, I am nominating Offer Nissim’s Forever Tel Aviv for Best Compilation Ever. Ever. Offer Nissim is one of the most visionary DJ/producers to come along in the last decade. Combining Middle Eastern musical influences and an intense flare for editing and manipulating vocals, Nissim’s sound envelopes listeners in a reality as separate and extreme as what Junior Vasquez first presented to clubgoers in the 1980s. Nissim strives far beyond playing music you can dance to and produces such a concentrated alternate sonic atmosphere that sitting and listening almost seems more appropriate. This two-disc set was released only in Israel but special arrangements have allowed a limited number to be imported into America and made available to select retailers. The set combines Nissim’s own tracks and remixes with works by a number of others, and includes private Offer Nissim remixes of Beyonce’s “One Night Only” and “Deja Vu,” Kristine W’s “Be Alright,” Donna Summer’s “Power of Love,” Christina Aguilera’s “Hurt,” and Angie Stone’s “Wish I Didn’t Miss You.” 2008-04-14T22:26:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/open_your_box/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/open_your_box/ This album frames such a unique phenomena. Not since Everything But The Girl post-"Missing" has an artist with this level of integrity embraced such a dramatic makeover of their sound. Starting with “Yang Yang” back in October of 2002, Ono publicly dove into the world of club music and Circuit parties with remixes by Peter Rauhofer and Orange Factory. A string of singles followed employing the skills of John Creamer & Stephane K, Pet Shop Boys, Danny Tenaglia, Felix Da Housecat, Rui Da Silva, Basement Jaxx, Murk, Dave Aud�, Ralphi Rosario, Superchumbo, and The Passengerz, among others. The product is the most after-hours appropriate material ever � Yoko blaring her crazy-ass sentiments, sounds, and imagery, mostly without musical conventions, over productions by the best of the best. All that experimentation has been collected onto this single disc containing thirteen tracks, mostly edited but not brutalized, of the best of the lot, including the formerly vinyl-only tracks “Kiss Kiss Kiss” (Superchumbo Remix), “Hell In Paradise” (Peter Rauhofer Remix), and the Orange Factory mix of the title track. Other highlights include the Basement Jaxx mix of pro-same-sex relationship anthem “Everyman… Everywoman...,” the Pet Shop Boys’ eerie remake of “Walking On Thin Ice,” and Bimbo Jones’s smooth interpretation of the jittery love song “You’re The One.” 2008-04-14T22:25:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/out_of_the_woods/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/out_of_the_woods/ Out Of The Woods began as Tracey’s autobiography of her life in bands and essentially who she was prior to motherhood. While researching for the book she was reminded, “You still are this person.” Tracey abandoned the book and set out to reclaim herself and she began writing and collaborating and Out Of The Woods developed into the intricate composition that it is. The lineage of Out Of The Woods is more direct to her last solo recording, 1982’s A Distant Shore, than it is to EBTG’s final 1999 album Temperamental. The emphasis of the songwriting is the delicate, pensive contents of Tracey’s head, mulling over details and analyzing events, instead of the more conventional, pop-formatted structure of EBTG hits. The only direct link to EBTG is the now organic relationship between Tracey’s voice and electronic production, provided on Woods through collaborations with renowned electronica producers Ewan Pearson, Tom Gandey (Cagedbaby), Martin Wheeler (Vector Lovers), and Alex Santos. Thematically, Tracey dissects marriage, her role as mother, creeping depression, gay teens being bullied at school, and innocent burgeoning sexuality. One of the album’s only two true dance tracks, “Grand Canyon,” can be interpreted as one of the most affirming gay “home in clubland” anthems ever, employing the incredible hook “Everybody loves you here.” 2008-04-14T20:51:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/shakedown/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/shakedown/ David Morales. Junior Vasquez. Hex Hector. Thunderpuss. Peter Rauhofer. And now the Freemasons. Comprised of James Wiltshire and Russell Small (formerly of Phats & Small), the Freemasons have become the next in a lineage of remix producers whose name is so synonymous with the creative re-working of a song for the dance floor that the presence alone of their name in a tracklisting elicits purchase without even having heard a thing. What instantly sets the Freemasons apart from the rest is their trademark sound - funky, soulful disco house. Amidst the trend of dark, chiseled Circuit beats, the Freemasons sound radiates like the million twinkling reflections off a mirrorball. The Freemasons’ public presence began back in 2005 with a sleepy track called “Mesmerized” by R&B soulstress Faith Evans. In its original version, “Mesmerized” was straight “jook joint down at the Suga Shack on the bayou” - naked vocals with solo bass guitar, bare percussion, and minimal harmonies - pretty, but it was panting for a remix if it intended on making any kind of mark. A Freemasons remix was commissioned and, despite being released at the end of summer, “Mesmerized” became the most coveted dance track of the party season. Then, just weeks later the Freemasons released their first artist track, “Love On My Mind” featuring elements of the disco classic “This Time Baby” by Jackie Moore and newcomer Amanda Wilson, a vocalist the pair stumbled across singing karaoke in a pub, and the track became a UK Top 20 hit. (Incidentally, the pub was called Freemasons and is the origin of the name.) Since then, the Freemasons have released a slew of chart-topping singles and become the golden boys of dance makeovers. Demand for the group’s remixes is enormous, allowing them to be very selective about which projects they take on, and consequently to bang out an A-list resume including Fatboy Slim, Angie Stone, Jamiroquai, Heather Headley, Blaze feat. Barbara Tucker, Loleatta Holloway, Luther Vandross, and most recently Beyonc�. After only two years of working under the name, the Freemasons have already created a body of work large enough to drop Shakedown, the group’s debut double-disc full-length release. Shakedown serves dual purposes as both a “greatest hits [so far]” compilation featuring the legendary remixes of “In My Mind” (Heather Headley), “D�j� Vu” (Beyonc�), “Mesmerized” (Faith Evans), “I Wasn’t Kidding” (Angie Stone), and “Love Sensation �06” (Loleatta Holloway); and as a studio album with its ten new artist tracks featuring vocals by Amanda Wilson, Siedah Garrett, Judie Tzuke, Katherine Ellis, and Julie Thompson. The Freemasons’ groovy bounce has garnered an overwhelming fan base since their inception, and Shakedown rewards the fans’ devotion and will likely win over more than a few new ones. Six bonus tracks are included as MP3s as well. 2008-04-14T20:47:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/i_love_miami/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/i_love_miami/ So Peter’s a Circuit god or whatever, but did you know he’s also a fitness model? And an avid surfer and all around beach bum? See, who says Austrians don’t know how to let go and let flow? And who says Photoshop’s pixel magic isn’t the 8th wonder of the world? Peter’s back with even more warm and cozy, hard-as-pink steel beats in the “I Love...” series, this time partnering Star 69’s own roster of stars like Sizequeen, Starkillers, and Offer Nissim feat. Maya with a handful of remixed pop artists like Royksopp, Goldfrapp, and Depeche Mode, along with dawning powerhouses like Outwork feat. McGee, Kobbe & Austin Leeds (Land Of Voodoo), DJ Chus David Penn, and Dirty German. Peter’s remix abilities have been commissioned by a number of mainstream Top 40 artists lately including Justin Timberlake, Madonna, and Nelly Furtado, but the mixes never seem to make it onto the final tracklistings for the maxi singles. So what does Peter do when the record labels don’t honor all the time and effort he put into these kick-ass productions? He releases them as slightly altered dubs on his own disc. Titled simply “Sexy,” Peter’s unreleased mix for Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” comes to us as a beefed-up dub, void of Justin’s vocals save for a few severely filtered, stuttered samples, and layered with some gutter whore’s pre-orgasmic moans and a couple well placed instances of “That’s hot!” courtesy of Paris Hilton’s “Turn It Up.” Some of the highlights of Miami include “Scream,” Starkillers’ follow-up to the mega-hit “Discoteka” (also included); “Elektro,” the sickly simple and catchy anthem from Outwork featuring Mr. Gee (which contains inclusive lyrics that call out the names of both opposite and same-sex couples within the lyrics’ context - it’s hard to explain, just listen to it); the unreleased “Peter Is In Love” mix of Offer Nissim & Maya’s cover of House of Prince’s “Perfect Love”; and “Bodyshaker” by Kobbe & Austin Leeds, a thundering Circuit demolition in the same vein as Oscar G & Ralph Falcon’s “Dark Beat.” And an extra gold star is due to Peter for recognizing the stark beauty of “Rej” by Ame, easily one of the most amazing instrumental tracks in recent and not-so-recent memory, occupying the heralded “last track” position on this 2-disc set. The sand is hot even at midnight in Miami, and with Peter pumping the city’s “baby oil ‘n’ rollerblades” atmosphere through your subwoofer, even the coldest of nights become a steamy dance floor of sweaty muscle. Get it, ladies. 2008-04-14T20:45:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/pump_it_2/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/pump_it_2/ The cover says it all, bitches - get your cha cha heels on and your tight asses to the dance floor. Kult Records is quickly becoming the label to watch as one of the most dependable sources of quality dance music that isn’t yet a household name, but is poised to proudly wedge itself between Global Groove and Star 69. The first volume of this sampler series dropped back in February of 2006, and included such standouts as Dynamix’s “Shake Yourself Loose” (now available as a maxi single) featuring the inimitable vocals of Cissy Houston (yep, Whitney’s mama), and Amuka’s “I Want More (Cling to Me)” remixed by Offer Nissim. Several of the players from the first volume have returned for this second installment, but the majority of this compilation is fresh names all offering breakout energy and soon-to-be dance floor classics. All you have to do is listen to the first track, Maya Azucena’s “Make It Happen” (now available as a maxi single), to understand what kind of standards Kult is setting for Circuit house - full vocals are back, positive attitude is back, and dubs should be every bit as delicious as the companion mixes. Following Maya, Brian Gionfriddo commands the crowd to “Beat the Drums” with the Original Dub Mix of “House-O-Licious”; Midnight Society rubs D-Lav, Shlavens & Craig Mitchell’s paranoid-schizophrenic “Noises”; and Massi & DJ De Leon lay a percussive foundation for Breathwaite’s proclamation “I can’t lie to myself, I can’t be with nobody else” on “Don’t Lie.” The light and bleepy Mahjong Instrumental Mix of Dynamix’s “Moving On” (also available as a maxi single featuring vocals by Jason Walker) is next, followed by an encore appearance of Shlaven & D-Lav, this time featuring vocals by Jessylou blowing insistent lyrics that contradict the cuteness of her name on “Don’t Lie.” Dark and dirty beats surround Eva’s filtered vocals on Eddie Cumana’s Minimal Dub of “The Doobie Track”; an aggressive guitar riff and rounded tech beats blend with Gilli Moon’s empowering message on Dynamix’s “Stand Up and Be Counted,” and Brian Gionfriddo makes sure you remember his name with the uplifting horns and rolling tribal beats in the Original Dub Mix of “Can You Feel It.” The disc goes out with a bang, firing off the previously unreleased Martin K Dub of “Shake Yourself Loose,” which reworks the track into a subdued, electro-flavored beating. 2008-04-14T20:17:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_bird_and_the_bee/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_bird_and_the_bee/ I’m not going to lie about how I came to appreciate these people - my appreciation had nothing to do with their own musicality, but instead was the result of the Ralphi Rosario and Jody Den Broeder club mix for the disc’s first single that first got my attention before I went the next step to look into the group’s own native expressions. But that’s marketing for ya, right? Minor transgression aside, The Bird and the Bee are a visionary musical duo with a highly original sound that combines multiple disparate influences into a hybrid musical statement that sounds as unexpectedly wonderful as a peanut butter and pickle sandwich tastes. What makes this duo so yummy is their scalding irony. On the disc’s first single, vocalist Inara George’s pastel voice is as soft and delicate as buttery pastry as she coos, “Would you ever be my, would you be my fucking boyfriend” atop music box-like piano notes. See what I mean? The group’s name is so apt, referencing the euphemism for sex and how sharply the words contradict the pulpy topic they infer, the same way the album’s lyrical content about love and sex contradicts so intensely the delivery and gentle instrumentation. The contrast isn’t always as stark as “Fucking Boyfriend” - on “Again & Again,” Inara politely commands “Say my name, say my name, say my stupid name / It’s stupid how we always seem to do it again” and reminds of the divisive kid in class who just wants to see how much he can get away with without really raising heckles. Or, on “I’m a Broken Heart,” where the irony comes not from sexual frankness, but in the form of dire confessions stated the same way a child would absent-mindedly recite a nursery rhyme, “Ache, aching, and teething / My big love is bleeding / I think I might be dying.” The subject matter doesn’t always hover around relationships, but always feels deeply internal, like a neurosis-ridden Hollywood hipster airing her scattered thoughts in a non-franchised coffee house. The Bird and the Bee’s MySpace page proclaims their sound as “a futuristic 1960’s American film set in Brazil,” cleverly paraphrasing comparisons to the Astrud and Bebel Gilberto girls, Brazilian Tropicalia, and contemporary indie electronica while alluding heavily to the duo’s scene-establishing atmospheric tone. Their biography is short and specific: “Greg and Inara met a few years ago. Discovered a common love of jazz standards… nerded out for a couple of hours playing every song they knew… and then wrote and recorded a record together.” Inara George is the daughter of the late Lowell George (of Zappa / Mothers of Invention). George Kurstin is a multi-instrumental producer who has worked with Beck, The Flaming Lips, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In addition to this self-titled debut, a 4-track EP titled Again and Again and Again and Again was released several months prior which included a Peaches remix of “Fucking Boyfriend.” 2008-04-14T20:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/the_power_of_love/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/the_power_of_love/ Seeing Lena Love’s highly stylized photos alone can be a jarring experience, let alone one of her meticulously produced shows. Who is this creature? With her aggressive makeup and funhouse fashion, the first impulse might be to peg her as an overgrown club kid. But then there’s something about her that seems a bit too … authentic for that. Often she has her very real tits showing, so perhaps she’s one of those eerily convincing transsexuals. Then—at last—the truth. She is exactly what she looks like: a gorgeous woman with muscle and talent for days. She’s been driving Circuit boys wild for over a decade now. If you haven’t heard of her yet, you will. An alluring (if also slightly alarming) mix of Marilyn Manson and Brigitte Nielsen, you’ll probably find Lena performing with a gaggle of beautiful boys acting like a pack of dogs at her feet; when, that is, she’s not sculpting people into shape as a personal trainer in her hometown of Toronto. Whether it’s Black & Blue in Montreal, Gay Ski Weekend in Vancouver, or an appearance on Queer as Folk as a Barbie doll breaking out of its package, Lena puts everything she’s got into entertaining and surprising the most jaded party posse. Surprisingly, she says she was initially taken aback at the way the gayboiz took to her. “You would figure the last thing a plethora of gay cha chas would want to see is a half-naked woman,” she (rather reasonably) explains. “To this day I can never explain it, but I was embraced. I think it’s because it shows when I perform: I’m an open book.” This charming and introspective modesty, however, vanishes instantly the moment she’s “on”—on stage or in front of the camera. There is a power to her presence that screams confidence, talent, and the wisdom of experience. Lena’s life has always been a stage of some sort. Both of her parents were well-known bodybuilders in Toronto in the ‘80s. Lena brags about her mother getting a call from Jennifer Beals, whom she was training for the movie Flashdance. Her father worked with Lou Ferrigno (of Incredible Hulk fame), so Lena’s bodybuilding career path was set at an early age. When asked if she lets the two sides of her life merge at all, she laughs at the “image of yelling at my clients to do three more reps with horns on my head and a painted white face and fangs.” Her relationship with her father was rocky at best, so she poured herself into dance classes as a child to get some positive attention from him—to little avail: “It was something I could say I was good at it, trying to say, ’Look, Dad, can you see me now?’ I knew he didn’t, but in my mind I knew it made a little part of me happy anyhow.” Hard work and perseverance taught her to accept the things she couldn’t change about her life while opening up new worlds of creativity and freedom. “I breathed it,” says Love, calling performance “my therapy. I would rather move than speak verbally about my emotions. Dancing was a braver method of explaining feelings through a song.” But dancing was something that cost a lot, both financially and emotionally. So Lena had to make a difficult decision: stop taking classes and started escaping to the big city—in this case, Toronto–to the welcoming arms of the burgeoning rave scene. She avoided the easy temptation of drug use. “I was too distracted with the community it brought and the diversity,” she recalls. “The music was like an open book, and when people would dance, they were the words to the story.” She quickly became a fixture on the go-go boxes of Toronto, which she sees in retrospect as “more of an art form” at the time, “very interpretive. This gave me leeway to dance and express myself, and at the same time I was inspired by the music and the unique people.” Eventually, the local raves peaked, and she found herself following her gay friends to the newly developing Circuit scene, where she quickly found herself smack dab in the spotlight. The non-threatening sexual vibe she felt from her gay fans was a new kind of freedom for her. She loved the way she could use her body erotically and artistically—without a bunch of horny straight boys salivating over her. The over-the-top colors, lights and sounds of the gay scene also resonated with her outlandish nature, and she felt she had found her “new home.” SKIING & SANKER Once established locally, she was courted by the likes of Sanker and the big gay ski weeks. She had always thought of herself as a go-go dancer primarily, but quickly realized that these huge events expected a bit of a show; Ms. Love was happy to oblige. Since she is not a drag queen, “I couldn’t just put on a wig and pretend to be J-Lo.” Maybe that was an advantage. She was forced to rely on—gasp—her talent. The resulting production value of her shows blossomed. Today, she is now well known throughout Canada for her keen eye for visual pageantry and drama. She is constantly finding new ways to “tell my version of the song on stage through visual movement, costuming, and interacting with the crowd.” She now finds herself among the luminaries of the Circuit performance world. She has worked with Circuit legends such as Buck Angel and RKM, and caused a minor scandal in Toronto with Angel, an infamous female-to-male erotic performer. Being the “man with a vagina” (the phrase that appears on his business cards), he tends to give quite an eye-popping show, as those who attended the Black Party a few years back well know. He and Lena hit it off immediately, and they decided to surprise the crowd with a little fisting, with Buck as the fister and Lena as the fistee. Toronto wasn’t quite ready for that type of rawness, which upset Lena, since it was “such a small piece of what the story offered.” A flood of calls and emails expressing shock and outrage had Lena quickly yearning for more cosmopolitan stages—or at least more accepting ones. Lena’s plans for the future will no doubt be shaped by her increasing restlessness with the scene as she finds it today. What she sees as an influx of harder drugs and a sense that the party scene has become jaded and stale is having an impact on her enthusiasm—not to mention the fact that many people simply don’t go out anymore, instead preferring the relative proximity and simplicity of cruising around online for company. But she stays upbeat about a scene that she still loves and cherishes, and is using this moment to take stock of how she can continue to do what she loves and feel that she is getting the most out of her creative output. She has much to be thankful for, “discovering as an artist the best and worst of what comes along with your passion.” But she is not afraid to admit that she is at a “crossroads” and yearns to “take Lena Love to another level.” This might take the form of moving to Europe to seek out new audiences with a thirst for her brand of boundary-pushing aesthetics. She also hints that there may be a “legendary musical” in her life, and from the look of things, it would certainly be a surprise if there weren’t. Too bad the name “Taboo” is already taken. It would fit her boundary-breaking performance style perfectly. 2009-04-29T23:51:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/ritesxxx_the_black_party/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/ritesxxx_the_black_party/ Thousands of years ago at the Spring Equinox, men would go into the woods wearing animal skins to dance ecstatically to drumbeats. They would remain there all night to ensure a good planting season. That’s how Bruce Mailman, the impresario behind the original Saint, conceived the Black Party. Whether or not Druids actually took to the forest, Mailman must have tapped into something deep in the collective gay unconscious. Because after thirty years, the Black Party remains a unique experience. Ask anyone who’s had the luck to attend. This is the modern ritual of men (and women!) who annually dress in animal skins and dance through the night in a secret location. This is much more than a typical Circuit party. On the sprawling dance floor of New York City’s Roseland Ballroom, you feel part of a tribe. The Black Party is a celebration of sexuality, carnality, music and freedom. Stephen Pevner, who produces the party with his Saint-at-Large team working out of a loft space in the East Village, took over Mailman’s role in 1996. A distant cousin of Mailman’s, he had the good fortune to attend the closing of the original Saint in 1988. That party, which lasted three days, has become legendary, as was the Saint itself. Mailman took the old Fillmore East, a rock concert venue, and spent millions of dollars to transform it into the ultimate disco, with a sound system, lighting and dance floor that have never been equaled. When the Saint closed for good, the Saint-at-Large produced parties around the city before finally settling on Roseland, a former dance hall turned rock venue with the largest dance floor in New York. Every year, Pevner and his team transform what is essentially a “black box”—an empty shell of a space—into a state-of-the-art nightclub. The light shows and sound quality rival the original club—or any extant club, for that matter. “We basically have one day to do everything,” says Guy Smith, who has been the Black Party’s lightman for the past several years. “Everything has already been planned out to the minute: set decorations, talent, lighting, sound. It’s all planned on paper. It’s a one-night event, with no corporate sponsorship, and all based on ticket sales.” Walk into Roseland, and you’re transported from the big city into a fantasy world of the hottest men, poured into their form-fitting uniforms, assless chaps, jockstraps, latex bodysuits or just nothing at all. And all of them are primed for a night of fantasy. This year, for Rites XXX, Pevner promises to pull out all the stops. It will be hard to top the themes of the past few years. Last year’s “Dangerous Black Party for Boys” was a chance for every grown-up gay man to act out all those Boy Scout fantasies. “Lucha Libre” meant go-go dancers and porn stars dressed as Mexican wrestlers, and a live donkey, chickens and a Mexican musician. The next year’s “Nascar Holy War” blended the macho subculture of race cars with Americans’ obsession with brand names. The most talked about, however, had to have been 2006’s “Schwarzwald,” or “Black Forest.” Female-to-male transsexual porn star Buck Angel overlooked the dance floor in a makeshift castle, as he aroused himself and participated in group scenes with the other actors to the roars (and groans) of the crowd. Pevner sees the evening as a “story arc” made necessary, he says, by shifting tastes in spectacle—and music. It’s part of a movement from a leather-themed event to more of fetish fest. “We made a conscious decision to give it some context, because the leather scene was important in its time but doesn’t relate to a new generation,” he says. “Fetishes can be sexy. Fetishes evolve. It’s not your uncle’s Black Party.” The most (in)famous aspect of the party has to be the live acts on a second-floor stage. The acts began at the original Saint, along with legends like the live adult circumcision. There have been strange uses of boa constrictors, pool balls, firecrackers, food, various body fluids and all manner of role-playing. The emphasis increasingly is on kink rather than the merely sexual. Mike Peyton works for the Saint-at-Large and is a well-known player on New York’s fetish scene. “Fetish keeps changing,” he says. “Young kids coming up are wearing latex, gear—scuba, hockey—head to toe, right down to the cleats. A major change is away from leather.” The sex isn’t limited to the stages either. The dance floor can get quite frisky, and as for the upstairs Love Lounge—well, the name speaks for itself. Above all, however, this is a dance party, and the choice of DJs to spin this party inevitably becomes the subject of gossip among party boys weeks before the Saint-at-Large’s official announcement, after President’s Day. A lot of the effort to keep the party fresh goes into the music, and Pevner believes that the DJs must respect the party’s traditions while keeping it current. For many years, original Saint DJ Michael Fierman spun this party solo. But 18 hours is a lot for anyone, and in recent years, there have been three DJs: a warm-up, usually a newer or lesser-known talent, from the Saturday night opening until about 2 a.m.; then a headliner, who goes until about 10:30 a.m.; and a closer, who spins the Morning Music and Sleaze that’s identified as the Saint Sound. The party usually closes around 4 p.m. on Sunday. The DJ roster reads like a “Who’s Who” of the music world. But before the party, they’re all thoroughly prepped on how to spin: dark and sexy. The Black Party strives to keep the vibe, musically and in every other way, as an underground event. This is not a typical “Circuit weekend,” with a pass, tea dance or souvenir booklet. That said, other venues piggyback on the Black Party. Alegria Xtreme, which acts as an unofficial “closing party,” takes the boys well into Monday afternoon. Amidst a torrent of change in the gay scene over thirty years, the Black Party has managed to remain so popular because it blends the best of the past—both our recent gay past and a past lost in the mists of time—with the current scene. To attract younger revelers, Pevner has been charging only $40 after 4 a.m. for younger guys. For the thousands of men who fly in from all over the world, this remains the party of the year. “The scale of the party, ticket price and number of people we get allow us to give value for the money and give one hell of a sound and light show,” Pevner says.  2009-01-31T06:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/erotic_art_has_a_homo_history/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/erotic_art_has_a_homo_history/ It must be immensely satisfying to be able to bring your deepest fantasies to life via erotic illustration. Feeling lonely? Not in the mood to go out and score? Just sit at your desk and conjure up any vision of male perfection that suits your individual needs. It’s hard work, of course, but worth the effort. After all, it only takes one hand to draw something, right? But what drives these artists? What are their secret identities? The online boom for hero-worshipping artists such as Joe Phillips or noiZe contributor Iceman Blue has made this particular breed of comic artist wildly popular. Iceman Blue has been making a living off of his website since 2006, yet still thinks of his current career as “a hobby that’s paying my bills.” But don’t let his modesty fool you. His erotic illustrations—especially his particular brand of superheroes—have become an online phenomenon, and pay the bills quite nicely. He also escapes the boundaries of the everyday gay world, which is why he translates well into the fantasies of specialized Japanese male erotica, or “yaoi.” Ask any contemporary gay erotic artist where they got their start, and many, if not most, will tell you that it was the mainstream comic book world. Turns out all of those barely-concealed homo subplots in your favorite comics were no accident! Joe Phillips worked for DC Comics and “every comic and comic book company out there” for fifteen years. Iceman got his start as an intern at a comic book company called Top Cow Productions. Even Josman, an artist who focuses almost exclusively on edgy incestual relationships, wanted to work for DC or Marvel as a child and works in the familiar comic-strip style. Many of your favorite gay comic book artists may never have come out of the closet artistically, so to speak, but they were still out there: filling your young mind with visions of muscle packed into spandex and older rich gentlemen who fought crime by your side. The Comics Code Authority forbade any explicit mention of homosexuality in the comics they controlled until 1989, but that just forced our dashing homo heroes to find more creative ways to reveal themselves. Most famously, Batman epitomized the sublimated gay comic theme by introducing Robin the Boy Wonder in the ‘50s as Bruce Wayne’s young “ward.” Robin not only lived with Bruce, but slept in the same bed with him. Once that image was introduced, almost any crime-fighting words put in their mouths became loaded with sexual innuendo. So much so that the series was attacked by psychologist Fredric Wertham as having an “atmosphere of homoeroticism which pervades the adventures.” In 1954, that was more commonly seen as a bad thing for kids to obsess over. (The inherent camp in the Batman comics was brought front and center in the ‘60s TV show.) The industry seemed to learn its lesson; the tricks of the trade got more subtle for a while before actual gay characters were finally introduced in the ‘90s. Sometimes the writers and illustrators employed irony. Check out the rampant use of changeling storylines in the comic world that made gay sex more of a transsexual phenomenon—something the industry was oddly more comfortable with than outright homosexuality. Japan & Finland: Out & Hot In the (arguably) more sexually repressed society of Japan, gay sex rears its head quite prominently through several genres of man-on-man action. The most interesting is called “yaoi.” The word is an acronym that means “no climax, no point, no meaning,” which was a dig at a less explicit version of the genre. The surprise with yaoi is that it is especially popular with young Japanese women. They seem drawn to the erotic romantic tales that pair strong dominant men with beautiful male youth, although some have posited that they are more comfortable with sexual situations not involving females. Whatever, the subtleties of Japanese gender dynamics are the subject of a much longer article. Suffice it to say that the genre is wildly popular with girls and boys all over the world. An online search for yaoi yielded nearly 5 million hits. A notable exception to the “comic book” rule is Tom of Finland. His work remains the most iconic gay art ever produced. He helped transform the idea of the homosexual man for an entire generation. Seen as prancing, catty and foppish historically, gay men were not viewed as objects of overt masculinity. By the 1970s, that image had been replaced by the cruisy porn icon of the “clone” swaggering across the docks with absurdly tight jeans and a handlebar mustache. Young Touko Laaksonen was born in Kaarina, Finland, in 1920. He spent much of his youth obsessing over the sweaty laborers of his homeland. He was soon conscripted into the army to fight in the Second World War, where encounters with hardened fighters sealed the archetype deep into his psyche. After the war, he worked in the advertising industry as a graphic artist, but the stage was set for his impactful career. Working under the pseudonym “Tom” while submitting erotic work to magazines in the ‘50s, by the ‘70s he was exhibiting his work as Tom of Finland and quit his day job to focus solely on his now famous illustrations. Bold with almost absurd dimensions, his men nevertheless don’t venture far into comic strip territory. This was a new breed of anti-hero. Combining sexual fantasy with a kind of hyperrealism that stretched the limits of the possible almost to the breaking point, he resonated deeply with an emerging generation of gay men searching for a new homosexual ideal. His work suited the dark, bacchanalian mood of the era perfectly. Superhero Redux So why now, when things like the Circuit and marriage have made us a little less brooding and dangerous, has the superhero returned? It’s hard to leave a major event without a few hero-themed fliers these days. We here at noiZe have consistently championed the idea of gay men as defenders of freedom and happiness, often including musclemen illustrations in our issues. “These are the characters and fantasies gay men grew up with, so they come to me because I help them express that,” notes Iceman Blue. “Not only that, gay men, much like anyone else, love admiring perfect specimens, and I can provide them with my own style of unflawed male beauty.” Iceman thinks of himself as an artist first. He is drawn to the possibilities of illustration. He cites a personal rule his teacher suggested in college: “What can I show that a video can’t?” He lists as role models both mainstream artists like Jim Balent and Alex Ross, as well as erotic masters Patrick Fillion and Michael Manning. The limitless boundaries of fantasy brought to life in different ways keeps him very busy. Is he turned on by his own work? “That’s how I know it’s good!” he says. “It can be distracting at first.  But believe me, after looking at the same picture for hours, the spark dims.” Good thing, or his fans might never see any finished work. Clearly, erotic illustration has taken twists and turns throughout its history. But the quest for perfection and the desire to explore new worlds of fun and pleasure remain consistent. The cover of this issue was hand-drawn by Iceman Blue exclusively for noIZe.  Iceman was previously featured on the cover of Issue #53, and is responsible for the noiZe boy drawings featured in every issue. 2009-01-31T06:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/focus_on_the_family/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/focus_on_the_family/ Parzh and August. That’s how they are known to partygoers, promoters, and nightlife celebutants around the world. These two inveterate travelers are the masterminds behind GreatPartyPics.com, the massive online photo repository of the hottest men from the hottest parties and Circuit events around the country. Since 2002, the website has grown to include over 30,000 pictures, and has received millions of hits by visitors in over 109 countries and in all 50 states. Their pictures have frequently been published in noiZe (and previously Circuit Noize) as well as other publications. The whole venture began as something the pair had wanted to do so that everyone could partake in their adventures on the Circuit, explains Parzh, who lives with his partner August in South Beach: “I wanted to have a way of showing what we get to see and do.” The two busy professionals by day love to spend their off-hours enjoying the camaraderie of the many bars and clubs of South Florida—as well as the communal energy of Circuit events. For Parzh, it all started when he left his hometown in Oklahoma to visit his gay uncle in the big city: “The day I turned 21, my life changed. My uncle in New York City gave me an open invitation to stay with him whenever I wished, so I took him up on it. I would visit him once or twice a month.” On these visits, Parzh first became acquainted with Clubland. Frequenting such clubs as Palladium, Tunnel, Limelight, and Sound Factory, Parzh was hooked. “I loved the music and how everyone was having a great time,” he says. When he graduated in 1994 with an MBA, he moved to Fort Lauderdale but also bought a condo in South Beach for the weekends. He started going out to all the clubs and bars, and before long everyone knew who he was. August Cook grew up in Missouri and attended university in Kansas for seven years. “When I graduated, I said, ‘Get me out of these cornfields!’” So he went to Chicago. In July 1991, after three years of braving the Windy City’s brutal winters, August moved to Miami. “At the time, I didn’t realize how hip it was. When I got down here, I was just flabbergasted,” says August. “It took me a year to adjust to how decadent and wild and fun it was. I didn’t know there was a lifestyle like that at all. In Chicago, when it’s wintertime, they don’t really go out and do much.” Over the next few years, August became friends with many of the club promoters in South Beach. Partners in Life In 1996, Parzh and August met during Winter Party Festival in Miami and hit it off immediately. At the time, August was living in Ormond Beach developing several high-rise timeshare buildings. “We both had so much in common,” Parzh remembers. For the next two years, they kept in contact and saw each other at Circuit events. On April 17, 1998, Parzh received a call from August saying that he had moved back to South Beach. “We went out that night, and I got to meet all of his friends,” recalls Parzh. “That night we skipped several steps, and by that morning we became partners. All of our friends were shocked, especially since I had never dated anyone.” August moved his architectural design company, August Cook Design, to South Beach and worked on several high-profile projects. One year later, they bought a house on North Bay Road, where they still live. “Parzh was funny,” says August. “When we bought our house, he said it had to be walking distance to Salvation.” At the time, Salvation was the place to be on Saturday nights. With Abel spinning what would become his signature tribal beats; Power Infiniti serving up the fiercest shows in town; and hundreds of shirtless, chiseled Miami boys on the dance floor, it’s easy to understand that “Criterion No. 1” for their new home was proximity to the legendary club. Nightlife became a major part of their lives together. The couple started to become known for hosting parties of their own at home, including birthday parties for Power, Salvation promoter Mike Mazer, and Kitty Meow; and their infamous Christmas parties. They became bold-faced fixtures of The Wire, the local bar weekly. They faithfully checked every issue to see if they had made it in, which led to collecting photo albums. One of the editors at The Wire gave Parzh a camera and told him to point and shoot at everything in sight. Partners in Photography Which they did. “My life changed forever,” Parzh says. Every week, he and August snapped hundreds of photos for The Wire. While Parzh worked behind the camera, August arranged the boys. “One little secret that the club owners and promoters learned was that the drunker I was, the more pictures I’d take,” says Parzh. No surprise that the drinks kept flowing. Finally in 2002, thousands of photos later, Parzh and August purchased the domain name GreatPartyPics.com. With limited knowledge of the tech side, they managed to cobble together a free site so people could see themselves and their friends and relive magic moments on the dance floor. “It was something I wanted to do for everyone to enjoy,” says Parzh. “I felt like I was doing this for the community.” He prides himself on the inclusive nature of their site. “Our pictures are not always just the hot guys. We’ve got everybody. Everyone wants to see his picture. It makes them feel good.” Because they both have professional careers, they would upload new pictures to the website in their spare time. Often it took a few weeks, since Parzh wanted to make sure that he didn’t inadvertently show someone doing something—ahem!—inappropriate. This attention to detail and decency led to their being among the first external photographers allowed into Montreal’s Black & Blue. They also became sponsors of Winter Party, White Party, and One Mighty Weekend. In May of this year, Parzh’s brother Pezh took over as webmaster and completely redesigned their website, GreatPartyPics.com. They’ve since received numerous compliments and awards. They are now able to post all photos within a week of an event. Though GreatPartyPics.com is still free, a $9.95 yearly subscription allows members to download high-res, full-sized, and professionally touched-up photos without the GreatPartyPics.com logo. Members also have full access to all of the photos; the free galleries only contain a subset of the pictures. Parzh and August have also begun soliciting advertisers in three categories, including party sponsorships. The site, however, remains very much a labor of love.  They’ve met people from all over the world and delight in introducing friends to each other. Two guys they put together for a picture at Winter Party three years ago ended up in a relationship. “That’s how they met!” Parzh boasts. “And they’ve been together ever since!” At this point, they have become so well known that boys approach them to have their pictures taken for the site, which Parzh calls “a living scrapbook. I have a photo album of our friends growing up,” he wistfully remarks. “Or growing big!” adds August. They both break out in laughter. Like some of their friends’ waistlines, GreatPartyPics.com continues to expand with no end in sight.  2009-01-31T06:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/mark_nelsons_great_adventure/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/mark_nelsons_great_adventure/ Mark Nelson is no stranger to the party scene. Since 1987, he has been producing and promoting events. But it wasn’t until 1998, when he left his position as manager of Splash Bar in New York City, that it became his full-time job. “Why not get paid to party?” Mark thought to himself. Mark Nelson Events has been involved with such legendary parties as Saint at Large’s Black Party, Junior Vasquez’s “Earth” parties, and Heritage of Pride’s “Dance on the Pier.” He also produces a weekly newsletter, “Mark Nelson Events,” that gives the 411 on anything and everything gay in the Big City. “I used to be so cracked out when I first started rambling that thing out eight years ago from my AOL account. God…” says Nelson, who’s open about his past bad habits. “Now it’s been a weekly discipline for me to do since 2002. It’s part of my sobriety and also a sort of balancing act for me to stay focused and clear.” On Friday, September 19, Mark Nelson Events and Heritage of Pride present the 5th Annual Fairgrounds “Out @ Night,” to take place at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. The park, which usually only operates on Saturdays and Sundays after Labor Day, opens its gates at 6 p.m. for this exclusive private event for GLBT friends and family. Last year, over 8,100 people came from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and D.C., making Fairgrounds “Out @ Night” the largest private standalone GLBT event in the USA. The event raised over $100,000 for Heritage of Pride, which produces the annual New York City Pride Week. Heritage of Pride is a wholly volunteer-managed, non-partisan, tax-exempt, not-for-profit corporation that organizes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pride events in New York City to commemorate and celebrate the Stonewall Riots. noiZe: How did “Out @ Night” get started? Mark Nelson: After going to Gay Days in Orlando for a few years, I thought, why can’t we do this in NYC? I approached Anthony Dean of Heritage of Pride to see if there was interest in his organization to have another fundraiser, as I was doing the entertainment for the annual Pier Dance. Another reason that got me going to do this was that I was getting sober, and when I analyzed why I would or had done recreational drugs, it was because I was bored. I needed something to get my attention and thrill me… like a rollercoaster! Who else works with you to put this event together? I still work with Anthony Dean on this event, as well as Phil Mannino, Theary Chan, Rick Harper, Gage Kristopher of Twisted Life, and volunteers from Heritage of Pride. It’s a small-man operation that works. But as no one can do anything alone, we have opened up the promotion to New York’s finest promoters/producers, like Alan Picus, Michael ‘Formika’ Jones, Ray DeForest, Max Scott, Brad Hurtado, Jill Potter, Yamil X, Nathan H. Williams, Nathan ‘Seven’ Scott, Joe Fiore, Don Turner, Akash Abraham, GayOrbit.com, and BoiParty.com How late is the park open? This year we will stay open until midnight. Are all the rides open, or only a select few? All rides will be open!! And I might even carry a few cuties on my back, if necessary! For Gay Days at Disney World in Orlando, people wear red shirts to show their support for the GLBT community. Is there any kind of “dress code” for this event? I didn’t want the GLBT community having to wear red tops to show who they were. I thought that was sort of tired. We needed an event that was private and gave us the entire park for our enjoyment. No need to make statements to the general public. What about carless New Yorkers? We have reserved ten big Greyhound-type buses to leave from Greenwich Village at 4 p.m. Friday afternoon. They will start to return to NYC at 11 p.m. Unfortunately, the cost looks like it’s going to be $40 R/T (last year it was $30). What makes Fairgrounds “Out @ Night” so special? This is one of the most diverse GLBT crowds you will ever see. It’s truly amazing to see everyone smiling and carrying on. People are there to enjoy their freedom of expression and get some handholding time with the one they love (or just met). The park loves this event, and the staff looks forward to it all year long. So, round up your friends and head over to Jersey on September 19th to ride the coasters, experience the thrills, and take in the ultimate outdoor dance experience at the largest Six Flags in the country. Tickets go on sale August 1. For more information about Fairgrounds ‘Out @ Night V’ or to sign up for the “Mark Nelson Events” newsletter, visit http://www.marknelson.biz.  2008-08-04T22:56:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/party_review_alegria_pride/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/party_review_alegria_pride/ With massive air-conditioning ductwork snaking up the facade of Webster Hall from the street below, anyone on the outside could see that the scene inside the sold-out Alegria Pride 2008 would be Stygian—and it was: steamy hot, dark, and hard. With three DJs working three separate rooms and boyz from around the globe overflowing the labyrinthine dance floors, staircases, and hallways, Alegria Pride 2008 was another gargantuan affair—and a testament to producer Ric Sena’s bold vision in the face of Manhattan’s nightlife meltdowns. Alegria has found a new home. For the second time, Sena’s Alegria installations were mired in labor strikes—but fortunately, Sena had contingency décor at the ready. Recent changes inside Webster Hall made it clear that Sena knows what he is doing. Although parts of the club still resembled a construction project, there was evidence of improvement in nearly every nook and cranny of the recently designated New York City landmark. The renovation is bringing historic Webster Hall up to date as one of the city’s major dance venues. The closing of Pacha by the NYPD the night before (since reopened) was on everyone’s mind. It must have been on Rosabel’s mind when they whipped out Madonna’s “They say that a good thing never lasts, and that it has to fall/ Those are the people that did not amount to much at all.” It quickly became evident, however, that whatever drama was going on around town, Alegria just got better at Webster Hall. Or as Madge had it, “Give it to me/No one’s gonna stop me now.” That’s pretty much how the night went: unstoppable. Perhaps it was the brand-new mirror ball, the words ALEGRIA UNIVERSO outlined in blue neon, or a dozen brand-new tufted red velvet banquettes scattered here and there. More likely, it was the new sound systems, downstairs in the newly tessellated Marlin Room and upstairs on the Main Ballroom, making every beat sound fresh and sweet. Above the floor, a constellation of celestial galaxies shined, the contingency décor illuminated by a battalion of lasers. Ross Berger on lights, assisted by Kyle Garner on lasers, completely reanimated the venerable space. With Rosabel holding down the stage and Berger on the Mezzanine, the two forces worked together to create an unparalleled fusion of light and sound. Maybe it was working with Ralphi again, but Abel seemed even more on fire than usual—and his sound became even more percussive and persuasive, as if he were shifting into a new realm where he could spread his wings and fly free around this, his latest nest. Freedom was the operative word. Freedom and Pride. Onstage, body-painted thong dancers shook their undulating butt cheeks painted to reveal eyes. Blinking, winking bootys, bumping for the boyz. And while Rihanna sang That Song, an aerialist dangled on chains above the crowd, circling and swiveling, climbing and sliding, his legs a blur of scissor-like crisscrosses. Perhaps it might be easy for some to take all this wonder and pandemonium for granted—and to them we say, find a pair of newbies and see it anew through their eyes: two boyz from Oz, for example, who had flown from the Antipodes to Gotham. To see their delight was to experience Dorothy as she approached the Emerald City. There are few things as inspirational as Pride in New York. And for the past eight years, Alegria Pride has made itself an integral part of that package. You go to Alegria Pride expecting to see everyone—and you do, from porn stars and South Beach glamazons, to artists like Quentin Elias and all those beautiful out-of-town boyz, as well as Manhattan’s finest and firmest. In looking over the packed floor—boyz kissing, boyz laughing, boyz with their arms in the air, boyz getting down, getting nasty, and doing everything that we do so much better than anyone—you can’t help but radiate. Are we proud? Damn straight. In the face of adversity, we know how to celebrate who we are. It wasn’t only happening in the Main Ballroom. Down in the Marlin Room, Eddie Elias was turning it out for a floor that would count as a major club in itself anywhere else. Up on the Mezzanine, Dudu Marquez spun a set with a Brazilian contingent working it. All over Webster Hall, as we roamed the warren of rooms and corridors, we ran into happy boyz, up and down the staircases. More than a few said, “We’re here to support Ric, because we love Alegria.” When Sena himself danced up on the stage late Sunday morning, he was acknowledging that setbacks happen for a reason. By the end of the long weekend, this party and the following night Champions, which magically relocated from Pacha to the gorgeous Capitale, seemed to be saying that good things come to those who work for them. After all the improvements at Webster Hall, if there’s one certainty that’s worth placing, it’s that Alegria Casino on Labor Day Weekend will come in as a winner.  With Tony Moran and Abel working the beats and Ross Berger on lights to implement the creative genius of Ric Sena, Alegria Casino holds four aces. 2008-08-04T22:50:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/flagger_nation/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/flagger_nation/ I first encountered flagging during Boston Gay Pride, summer 2000. Boston’s gay ghetto, between Back Bay and the South End, was roped off for a street festival, and a bunch of muscle-boys had taken over the stage, twirling and fanning brightly-colored silk scarves in the most fascinating patterns and waves, musically flapping in the wind—and entrancing a certain green-behind-the-ears, newly out-of-the-closet kid from Montana: me. I sidled up to the stage and shyly asked one of the guys if I could try out what he was doing with a pair of purple-sequined flags. He tried to show me how to hold the 3-by-4-foot pieces of fabric. I could feel the weights sewn into the hems along two of the edges, which he explained were designed to let the flags flare when whirled through the air. I enthusiastically emulated the other flaggers, but my flags promptly tangled themselves into a knot. He patiently showed me how to shake out the knot and urged me to try again. I crisscrossed my arms frantically and nearly took out my boyfriend’s eye with the weighted tip of one of the flags. At one time or another, all of us have been captivated by the UV-reactive glowing fabrics twirling above our heads like a cloud of benevolent nuclear radiation. Hypnotic and entrancing, for those onlookers in an “altered state,” gazing into the swirl of colors can be something akin to a holy—or at the least, highly sensory—experience that has become an integral part of what makes our party scene so special. Alternately loved or hated, flaggers have taken their place on the dance floor. Some promoters actively discourage them; conversely, special stages and platforms at New York City’s Pier Dance and Black Party are built especially to accommodate them. The history of flagging began with the first modern dancer, an American lesbian named Mary Louise Fuller, later dubbed “Loie.” Her techniques involving the manipulation of huge pieces of silk—sometimes as large as 100 yards—and bouncing kaleidoscopic imagery off it with her groundbreaking invention of the electric film projector single-handedly revolutionized theater and dance. Today the flaggers that are smacking you in the head with their weighted strips of tie-dyed silk have been around at least as long as the first Circuit-type parties, which began in the early 1970s on Fire Island and in downtown Manhattan and San Francisco. But it really came into its own at the New York gay megaclub the Saint in the 1980s. Flaggers are a secretive lot. Like Freemasons, they maintain an entire set of unwritten laws, traditions, and hierarchies. San Francisco bows to Xavier Caylor; New York City to George Jagatic; Eric Mitchell rules in Palm Springs; Rodger Belk in Long Beach; Derek Fowler in San Diego; and yours truly in Louisville. Philip Bryan caused quite an upset within the flagging community when he blew open the doors to Flagdom via his website. The secrets of making flags have long been guarded as a sacred gift handed down from flagger to flagger. Bryan’s website, http://www.flaggercentral.com, details everything and anything you ever wanted to know about making flags, as well as a flagging forum. His open-book policy raised something of a ruckus within this closed community.  Some flaggers who are especially handy with a sewing machine, such as Philadelphia’s Larry Reigel, have offered their flags for sale. But generally, it’s considered bad form to sell flags; rather, they’re passed along or traded or given as gifts. Flagging Weekend in Dallas This Independence Day Weekend marked the Fifth Annual Flagger’s Conference, organized by an eleven-man committee plus dozens of volunteers. “This year’s conference brought more than 70 participants from all over the United States and Canada,” according to Bryan, who also organized and choreographed the troupe of flaggers that opened the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago. Bryan has also performed with Kristine W and led crews of flaggers at events including White Party Palm Springs and San Francisco’s Folsom Street Fair.  The Dallas flagging weekend began with opening ceremonies and a meet-and-greet dinner. Over the next three days, participants and observers got the chance to tie-dye their own flags, sew in weights, and practice at various skill levels. Aerial artist Ben Zimmerman and Kundalini yoga instructor Amy Lam demonstrated how they have worked flagging into their other pursuits. For Flagger Weekend V, Marco Roberts and his Houston Flyboys drove in to perform on Saturday and then headed to San Antonio the next day for that city’s Pride festival. Roberts, who with his troupe has been showcased at Southern Decadence, Bunnies on the Bayou, and Prides across the country, does it for love, not money: “Even though we get paid, and we performed ten times this year, we’re lucky to break even at the end of the day.” Flagging and passing along its techniques and traditions is a labor of love for devotees. “I want to give flagging to the community,” said San Franciscan Xavier Caylor, who teaches flagging classes at a local Gold’s Gym. “It’s something we’ve owned for 130 years [referring to Loie Fuller]. It’s meditative, spiritual, and mind expanding—not to mention a great aerobic workout.” For Caylor, it’s a mission to “demystify flagging,”, but, “It’s also about getting lost in the music.” Caylor moderates the Yahoo group Spintribe. He also brings flaggers together at the AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park to commemorate absent friends. Classically trained dancers like New York’s George Jagatic from New York City and L.A.’s Robin Olive are leading flagging into the 21st century by incorporating the art with their choreography. Jagatic’s company, Axis-Danz, has performed at corporate events like the opening of JPMorgan Chase’s headquarters in Manhattan and at the MTV Music Video Awards. Jagatic is no stranger to music videos, having performed in Mariah Carey’s single “Glitter.” Robin Olive and her troupe Placid Fluidity perform regularly at L.A.’s mixed nightclub Circus and the Gibson Theatre at Universal Studios CityWalk. She can also be seen twirling crimson flags in last year’s feature film, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Flagging is becoming a viable and potentially lucrative dance technique with performances in the Hollywood blockbusters Interview with the Vampire, Moulin Rouge, Vanity Fair, and Hedwig & the Angry Inch. It also has been incorporated into the choreography of modern dance troupes headed by Patrick Corbin and Hernando Cortez—both of them, not coincidentally, veterans of parties in New York City and on Fire Island. Despite its newfound popularity in the wider world outside of Circuit parties, however, flagging will always have its detractors. Many a dancer has been bopped on the head by a runaway strip of weighted silk or has endured dodging a swirling mob of fabric. “Some people at the club come up to me and ask if I’m trying to grab attention,” complains David Gosbin, a former New Yorker now living in Palm Springs. “I tell them, ‘No, just the opposite; I don’t care if anyone else is watching or not,’ to which I might add, ‘Flagging is the music made visual; it’s how the DJ plays me.’” Dan Tyler majored in ethnographic research at UCLA, has flagged for nine years, and now teaches in Louisville, Kentucky. He is also the director of a soon-to-be-released documentary titled FLAGGERS! Dan can be reached at danieltyler@mac.com 2008-08-04T00:33:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/pre_history_of_the_circuit/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/pre_history_of_the_circuit/ You think gay dance parties are a modern invention? Gay men's passion for dancing goes much farther back than White and Black Parties. Our love affair with music and movement is well documented through 300 years of criminal records, when such antics could get a man arrested. Folklorist Mickey Weems takes you back to the days long before there was even a Miami Beach, let alone the Winter Party. Molly houses In the early 1700s, England was the home of molly houses, secret establishments where men could congregate, drink, dance together and hook up in back rooms called "wedding chapels." Molly was the slang term popular at the time for queers-the same term for female prostitutes, incidentally. Molly houses had many of the same characteristics as gay bars and circuit parties today. Cross-dressing was common. One custom that has been lost, however, was the tradition of mock births. The scene came to a crashing halt when the Society for the Reformation of Manners began to raid the molly houses and shut them down when the parties got too popular. There were cases of men (and at least one woman) being pilloried, imprisoned, and even executed. There was also resistance; but even though the men sometimes fought back, it didn't do any good; mollies were forced to take their culture underground. Drag balls Fast-forward 200 years to America in the early 1900s. A lot of gay history involves men in dresses. In the 1920s and '30s, drag balls took place regularly in major cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, St. Louis and New Orleans. These events were usually sponsored by African-American organizations, the most famous being in Harlem. They were a favorite of both the black and white straight elite. Drag balls (also called sissy, fairy, or faggot balls) were spectacles in which a man could present himself publicly as herself. Not just men in drag attended these functions; women also dressed as men. Like the molly house parties, there was music, dancing and plenty of drinking. The popularity of drag balls for both straight and gay audiences eventually led to one being held in Madison Square Garden. But pansies on parade in the middle of Madison Square Garden made the fags way too visible. The same popularity that undermined molly houses led to the demise of the drag balls. With the approach of World War II, the government cracked down on such "subversive" activities. Once again, the scene went underground. Gay male festive culture expressed itself in rent parties (parties held in an apartment to help the host pay the month's rent) and orgiastic drugged-out get-togethers called "buffet flats" (as in "all you can eat") that would include live sex shows. The Beautiful South Few people know this, but portions of the Bible Belt are covered in rhinestones. In the 1950s and '60s, a circuit of underground parties was the rage in the Southern U.S. When it comes to decadence, it should come as no surprise that New Orleans led the way. Gay Mardi Gras societies (called krewes) began in the 1950s with the all-gay male Krewe of Yuga, and drag queen contests during the festivities became popular in the 1960s. As expected, police raided the krewes in the early days, but you can't keep a gay man on his knees for long. Eventually, the queer krewes became tolerated, if not accepted outright. Notably, like other krewes, they were racially segregated: The earliest gay krewes were all white. A bigger surprise is the Emma Jones parties in Pensacola, Florida. They began in the early '60s when a group of men created an imaginary town resident named Emma Jones so that they could set up a post office box in her name. Emma Jones received homoerotic magazines to keep the men from being arrested for ordering obscene material over the mail. The Emma Jones Society began celebrating their imaginary patroness at Fourth of July beach parties. Initially, the gatherings were small, less than a hundred people. But word quickly got out. The parties grew to 200 people, then 400, and eventually thousands of revelers would show up. In keeping with tradition going back to jolly old England, there were drag queens, music, dancing and, of course, lots of drinking. Pensacola is a military base and resort town that largely depends on tourist dollars. For that reason, locals turned a blind eye to the goings-on for years. The police required only that people clean up their trash. These parties peaked in the early '70s and then slowly died, most likely due to local pressure against such a massive gay presence invading the small resort. But the tradition survives in the annual Memorial Day Weekend events, which began in the '80s. I'll Take Manhattan After the disturbances at the Stonewall Inn in New York City in 1969, gay men's lives exploded in a celebration of their sexuality and dance clubs. Men were having sex everywhere, from abandoned trucks to the bushes in Central Park. This grand release of horniness generated its own industries: bathhouses like St. Marks and the Continental. Discos such as the Flamingo, Saint, and Paradise Garage gave birth to a new phenomenon, all-night parties in which a DJ kept the beat kept steady and strong by mixing songs together. The sound that came out of the gay clubs took over the world as Disco Music. Thus was born the Circuit as we know it today. Fondness for creative forms of intoxication that came out of the hippy movement was wedded to the beat as Disco. The flame would just as quickly die in the straight world, but it kept going in the gay clubs, even in the face of the AIDS crisis. As a community that fervently believes bigger is always better, we made sure our parties kept growing and growing up to present mega events like Gay Disney and the NYC Pride Pier Dance. 2008-05-01T17:37:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/strike_a_pose/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/strike_a_pose/ You're on the dance floor and you feel the bass vibrations become part of you as they pass through you. The floor undulates from the stomping feet. You feel as though you are the music, not just dancing to its rhythms. You are acutely aware of your breath. You breathe deeper than you normally breathe. You feel connected to everyone and everything around you, as though you were all one. The Sanskrit word for "yoga" means "to join"-the joining of our individual consciousness with that of the greater whole. On the dance floor, we really are all connected. That realization lies at the core of yoga. The dance floor is an ideal place for experiencing this-until you've been dancing for so long that your body rebels. Your lower back is sore. Your legs feel like they're going to give out under you. That's when the practice of yoga can actually come to the rescue. Take a few minutes to do these simple poses, on or off the dance floor. Focus on your breath as you hold each of the poses for a minute or two and breathe to the beats of the music. Let go of all thoughts (if you haven't already). Connecting to yourself on a deeper level can bring you to a higher ground-without party favors. Om shanti! Bend Over (Forward Bend) Stand with your back against a wall, and walk your feet about 2-3 feet away from it. Place the feet about 12 inches apart and parallel to each other. Bend your knees slightly, and begin to fold forward from the waist, sliding your hands down the legs toward the ankles, coming into a forward bend with your butt against the wall. Cross your arms at the elbows, and rest the hands in the creases of the arms. Let the head and neck relax completely. Draw your navel in and up, making room for the forward bend. Take a deep inhale, directing the breath into the lower back and hips, and feel your back expand with the breath. As you exhale, sigh out through the mouth, letting go completely as you sink deeper into the pose. Take a few breaths here. To take it a little further, shift your body weight forward so that your buttocks come away from the wall. Feel an even distribution of weight in the soles of the feet. To get a deeper stretch in the hamstrings, straighten the legs and engage the quadriceps; shift your body weight forward even more so that you feel more weight toward the front of the feet. To come out of the pose, bend the knees slightly, let the arms drop down, and roll up the spine one vertebra at a time, keeping the chin to the chest and letting the arms and shoulders hang the whole way up. The shoulders will naturally fall into place, and the head and the neck are the last to come up. Open Your Heart (Supported Backbend) Stand about 2-3 feet away from and facing a wall. Place your feet about 12 inches apart and parallel to each other. Bend your arms, and place the elbows against the wall directly in front of the shoulders. Position the forearms parallel to each other with the palms touching the wall and the middle fingers pointing up toward the ceiling. Draw the shoulders back and down, creating space between the ears and the shoulders, and feel the shoulder blades drawing toward each other. Take a deep inhale, and as you exhale, allow your heart to melt toward the wall. Keep the knees straight, reaching the heels of the feet to the floor. Let the front of your hips move slowly and gently toward the wall. Shift your gaze upward, and feel your heart reaching toward the sky. Take a deep inhale, filling the chest with air, and as you exhale, feel yourself sink deeper into the pose. To continue further, slide your hands up the wall, keeping the hands shoulder-width apart, and allow your chest to move closer to the wall. Either rest your forehead on the wall or rest the chin and the chest on the wall, looking up toward the ceiling. Draw the abdominals in, and keep them firm as you breathe a few deep breaths. To come out of the pose, slide the hands down, press the elbows against the wall, and push away to return to a standing position. Get Twisted (Half Spinal Twist) Sit on the edge of a speakerbox or a chair with your knees together and the insides of the thighs connected. Turning to the right, place your right hand palm down behind the butt with the fingers pointing away from the body. Place your left hand on the outside of your right knee. As you inhale, lengthen the spine as you press your butt down into the seat, and reach the top of your head toward the sky. As you exhale, turn and twist to the right, looking over the right shoulder. Add a gentle pressure with the left hand against the outside of the right knee, and press the right hand down into the seat. Inhale deeply again as you lengthen the spine, and turn and twist as you exhale. Take a few deep breaths. On the last exhale, release and face forward. Repeat to the other side. Go Deeper (Hip Opener) Sit on the edge of a speakerbox or a chair, and cross your right ankle over your left knee. Allow the right knee to open out to the side, and flex the right foot. Place your hands on the right shin. As you inhale, lift the top of your head toward the sky, and press your butt down into the seat as you lengthen the spine. As you exhale, draw the belly in, and reach the heart forward as you extend over the right leg. Tuck your chin to your chest, and lengthen the back of the neck as you reach the top of the head forward. Focus the breath into the right hip, and as you exhale, try to release any gripping or tensing. To take it further, drape the arms in front of the right shin, and let them dangle toward the ground as you let the head hang completely. Draw the belly in a little more, and lengthen through the lower back. Take a deep inhale, and as you exhale, allow yourself to sink deeper into the pose. Take a few deep breaths. To come out of the pose, bring the hands back to the right shin, and on an inhale, sweep the torso back to an upright position. Switch legs and repeat on the other side. In addition to being the Managing Editor of noiZe, Jeffery Taylor teaches yoga in New York City. Check out his website at www.yogue.com for more information. Illustrations by Chris DeCarlo 2008-05-01T16:54:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/tango_blues_puts_a_new_spin_on_club_promotion/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/tango_blues_puts_a_new_spin_on_club_promotion/ “There’s been a major change in nightlife. The reason the Circuit developed was so that there could be places where people could go and dance, where they could have big events and feel safe and not worry about being gay. With the world in general more accepting—especially the younger generation—they don’t need that. They don’t need to go to a gay bar to be gay. Nightclubs aren’t for 21- to 30-year olds going out to meet people. And if they do go out, they don’t care if it’s a gay bar. It’s really changed the industry. It’s changing the way we do business and our business model.” That’s how Andrew Briskin describes the state of gay clublife in 2009. But following the venerable Chinese proverb, out of crisis comes opportunity, that’s exactly what Briskin has done. Using his stable of talent, which includes luminaries like singer Ultra Naté, J.P. Calderon, Candice Cayne, Scotty K and Drew G, he’s been able to persuade marketers that the best way to get consumers to respond positively is where they play. So he’s been assembling packages for corporate clients to go to Clubland, where they sponsor special nights. It’s a win-win: clubs get talent and a night to promote; the client gets his message out; and the rest of us get to dance and be entertained. “We are managers, but what we do mostly is promotions, marketing and branding,” Briskin explains. To cite an example written about in these very pages two issues ago, Briskin was the mastermind behind the well-received Music to Wear 2008 Tour, which paired Andrew Christian’s sexy men’s underwear with Kimberly S.’ driving beats. “We packaged that,” Briskin says. “We put his underwear on every gay boy. Clubs that are lighter venues than Kimberly would normally play could book her.” Similarly, Tango Blues successfully rebranded AtomicMen.com for a rollout as a gay social networking site. In this case, Briskin and his staff worked as a more traditional marketing consultant. They redid the site “to look like Facebook more than Adam4Adam.” Then they began holding Atomic Mixers in bars and clubs around the country to introduce AtomicMen to its target audience—plugged-in gay consumers, the early adaptors who would respond to AtomicMen’s features like a mobile app. Just looking at its roster of talent, it’s easy to see that Tango Blues is focused on the gay market. But not entirely; Briskin has had corporate clients across the board. Tango Blues is poised to work on any product launch, such as a sports-related DVD release in sports bars. Branching out is part of Briskin’s survival strategy—not only with the lousy economy, but also in the new world of gay venues. “We had to branch out,” he explains. “There aren’t as many gar bars anymore.” Briskin maintains an active database of strictly gay clubs in North America that his staff meticulously updates every six months. “As of January, 40 percent went out of business or went straight,” he says. That also means that club owners and promoters can’t afford to bring in the superstar name DJs the way they did only a year ago. So they’re more receptive to corporate-sponsored tours such as the ones Tango Blues assembles. “With the economy, they can’t book the plane and the hotel and the big fees,” Briskin notes. “Local promoters can’t bring in talent anymore. We tie in with a sponsor to reach out to the community. It’s a great way to brand the product; and for the clubs, it’s something special to promote.” Animal Training to People Managing Andrew Briskin came to his field of expertise in a roundabout way. Or maybe not. Although his family was in “the Industry,” (that’s Left Coastese for showbiz) he stayed in Miami after graduating from the University of Miami and took a job as director of exhibits at the Miami Seaquarium. He then moved into animal brokering for zoos. During that time, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective came to town to film, and he did some work with the on-set animal trainers. He found he had a gift for working with four-legged talent, and started working with animals locally. Eventually, he hooked up with Bruce Weber, the legendary fashion photographer and connoisseur of male pulchritude (praise—or blame—him for the hegemony of the A&F boys). He worked for Weber on very fine two-legged specimens for nearly a half-decade as a freelance producer until someone hired him away to work on a Levi’s jeans commercial. Upon moving back to his hometown in 1998, he opened a production studio in Hollywood and went “from there to production to talent management. Tigers,” he sighs, “are a lot easier and less stressful to deal with than people.” This is a sentiment that would be readily seconded by anyone who has balanced the demands of a DJ, dance-song diva, lighting designer and bartenders to produce a night of magic. Don’t get him wrong: Briskin loves his work. Unlike some behind-the-scenes guys, he likes to go out and have fun. “Nightlife may not be what it was ten years ago, but you can still you have a good experience,” he says. For now, Briskin is concentrating on working with the bars, clubs and megaclubs around the country to help them survive these lean years by bringing in acts that will attract crowds but not the repo man. “Our big draw in the past year-and-a-half has been coming up with ways to increase traffic through their doors while promoting what we’re promoting,” he says. “We’re giving the clubs something to promote that won’t cost them anything.” Tango Blues’ Red-Hot Talent Roster This is only a sample of the people handled by Andrew Briskin and his staff: Debby Holiday: She’s been shaking the dance floor since 2004’s “Dive.” Billie Myers: Best known for “Kiss the Rain,” her “Am I Here Yet” became a dance-floor staple through Junior Vasquez’s remix. She’s toured with no less than Savage Garden and Bob Dylan. Ultra Naté: This ultimate House diva needs no introduction to the readers of this magazine. The Baltimore-based singer, songwriter, party promoter, label owner and House DJ is taking it on the road with a 12-city tour and a double album. Scotty K: The headliner for Global Groove’s tour last fall has played major venues from the Pavilion on Fire Island to Fresh in San Francisco. Drew G: Tango Blues doesn’t ignore Gotham, with one of the city’s best-known DJs who’s spun all over town. Marco: He’s done Saint-at-Large parties, the Eagle, Limelight, Crobar and Splash. With his life partner, the actress Candis Cayne (also a Tango Blues artist), he now lives in Hollywood. J.D. Ordonez: Best known for MTV’s The Real World: Brooklyn, he’s actually a dedicated marine mammal trainer. While in New York, he worked at the LGBT Center in the public policy department. J.P. Calderon: Even if you don’t recognize the name, you know the face and bod from the cover of Instinct Magazine. This pro volleyball player was featured on The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency and in a national 2(x)ist campaign. Flava: This noiZe feature subject has been livening up dance floors with his unique performance art for years. 2009-05-01T17:15:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/mark_baker/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/mark_baker/ After literally changing the face of the gay party circuit earlier this decade with his legendary groundbreaking soirees held during Orlando’s Gay Days, prolific party producer Mark Baker took a few years off to rest, reflect, recoup and recharge. Now he’s back with a brand new party concept for Central Florida’s first major dance-music festival held over Memorial Day Weekend: World|Vibe Orlando. Following five years of consistently (and incredibly) topping his own extraordinary creativity with parties that included Colosseum, Magic Journeys, and Stars, the Circuit impresario finally maxed out on ideas. In 2005, he sold his Disney-bejeweled party scepter to Johnny Chisholm and retreated from the spotlight to focus on his other career, directing television commercials. He still produced the occasional corporate event (at least until the economy went south). Now he’s back producing parties, this time inspired by sexually ambiguous (i.e., mixed) mega-events like Miami’s Ultra Music Festival, Los Angeles’ Electric Daisy Carnival and Montreal’s Black & Blue. While Gay Days has always focused on its gay male audience, World|Vibe Orlando is less about lifestyle and more about the music—House music, to be exact—and will cater accordingly to that genre’s diverse legions of devotees. “It’s not a totally different audience,” Baker assures. But a different one nonetheless. Headliners include DJs Boris, Chus & Ceballos, Oscar G, Jonathan Peters, Roger Sanchez and a host of other established and emerging talent. This is a big step for Baker, who made his name taking big chances. Back in 1982 he moved from Toledo, Ohio, to Orlando and began working for Walt Disney World at the Hall of Presidents on the technical side of the animatronic show. After attending his first Circuit party in 1996, he recalls thinking, “I can do that.” After a couple of false starts, he finally hit his stride in 1998 with a late-night affair called Magic Journeys. Originally held at Front Row during Gay Days, the party later moved to Arabian Nights to accommodate thousands more revelers and expanded to several nights throughout the weekend. It was the award-winning Colosseum party he threw at Hard Rock Live with DJ Abel that really put Baker on the international party map. “It was like a hybrid Circuit party,” Baker says. “It’s an entire evening put together with shows that interconnect. With my background in television, I thought of doing it like an entertainment show with a progression, a script for the entire night. It was a more thought-out entertainment experience.” By 2002, the Sunday night crowds had far outgrown Hard Rock’s 3,500 capacity, so Baker moved it to Friday night and replaced it with the Stars Party at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, with the ability to accommodate 6,000 revelers. Along with the daytime Groove parties at Universal Studios, Gay Days became Baker’s baby for several years. He also branched out to the hot (and hotly competitive) Miami scene with White Dreams at the Miami Seaquarium during White Party and a Winter Party event at the Ice Palace. From Gay Days to World|Vibe While at the top of his game, Baker decided to sell his company and the rights to his Gay Days parties four years ago to Johnny Chisholm. Eventually, he says, he realized, “You can’t really top yourself. I had done it for five years, and you kind of run out of new ideas. There were some pretty creative components to what we’d done, but I thought we had taken it as far as we could. I thought it was a good time to step away and go on to do other things.” He takes a grand and all-encompassing approach to producing events in order to live up to his personal motto, “Beyond belief is where this party begins.” “We know Gay Days weekend is a very competitive market,” Baker acknowledged during an interview back in 2002. “If you don’t have the biggest, best thing, probably the next year you won’t be around. So we just make sure that all our parties are the best.” To accomplish this, he would assemble a core team of more than a dozen people to coordinate the weekend. “The people we hire are really great special events people,” he explained. “They’re very technical people who have worked for a lot of theme parks. They take the week off and come work for us. We have an individual project manager for each of the parties, and a dedicated technical person who handles all the technical stuff. They’re not people that do other jobs like Realtors or something else during the week—they do special events all the time, and that’s all they do.” Now operating under the moniker of Mark Baker Creative, Baker has teamed up with Envibe Entertainment, which is run by his good friend and House music aficionado Steve Milo, and Groove Travel for his World|Vibe Orlando venture. Among the many considerations behind the creation of this new party weekend were the weakened economy and what he sees as a shift in the interests and expectations of a key constituency: “What’s interesting about the gay demographic is, the younger you go, the less interested those people are in exclusively gay parties. It’s just not such a big deal to anybody.” Baker also saw World|Vibe as an opportunity to do something new and entirely different. “As a promoter, when you go to Ultra and there’s 30,000 people standing in the middle of a field, you do kind of go, 30,000 times $85 is...” he says as his voice trails off, with the unspoken question: How do the numbers add up? “I love the creative, but you’ve got to make it run as a business. I think that’s why I got sold on this project more so than some of the other ones I’ve been presented with. I thought, ‘Wow, there’s a lot of potential here.’” At the same time, the current economic climate demands competitive pricing and affordable packages. “My gut is, we’re being very realistic,” he says of his low break-even numbers, which are based on average ticket prices of $45 to $55. “Everybody’s trying to find new ways to make money. This weekend attracts a whole different audience that probably wouldn’t come to Disney. So here’s a chance to bring in some new business. We were able to negotiate with the venues and hotels because everybody in the entertainment [and hospitality] business is hurting right now. There are people now giving us deals who two or three years ago would not have given us the time of day.” Baker’s “Be Here” page on his website, WorldVibeOrlando.com, lists one- to three-night travel packages, including hotel and tickets, ranging from $235 to $550. Time and again Mark Baker has proven himself a remarkably creative innovator who has consistently set many of the trends that other event producers and party promoters will eventually follow. With World|Vibe Orlando, he seems destined to continue that magnificent legacy. One can only imagine what he’ll dream up next. 2009-04-30T00:25:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/jeffrey_sanker/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/jeffrey_sanker/ Ask any party boy to name the top promoters on the scene, and the name Jeffrey Sanker will be at the top of the list. His career spans three decades starting with the New York club scene during the halcyon days of Studio 54. His parties happen in the country’s hottest hot spots—Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Miami and Las Vegas. He’s also brought some of the Circuit’s best-known DJs to parties during Gay Days in Orlando. The super-producer known simply as “The Man” has consistently come up with the baddest parties for the fiercest crowd.  How does he do it? According to Sanker, “You have to make everything like a show. That is why I feel I am more of an impresario than a promoter.” It also means keeping up with the changes in nightlife. Sanker is perhaps best known for White Party Palm Springs, which has long held the crown of largest gay dance event west of the Mississippi. More recently, he has been extending his brand into some of the hottest clubs in L.A. Every month a new party seems to crop up with “Jeffrey Sanker presents” emblazoned on top of it. But these are not your uncle’s Circuit-style parties. He might add some décor, and he always has the top DJs at the turntables, but he has realized that the younger party boys are self-lubricating with that old standby, alcohol. The music is hip-hop and pop, the dance floors are smaller, and there are “chill” spaces where the city’s A-list can see and be seen. The focus has shifted from a night of sweaty dancing to an evening being with your friends and making new ones. In fact, at one recent event, the dance floor was filled—but no one was dancing. Instead, the boys were just holding the latest trendy martini and chatting each other up. Shirts firmly remained on torsos. A lot of the Sanker “magic touch” can be attributed to the perception that if his name is on the event, you’re guaranteed a fun, sexy crowd (shirts on or off). One relatively new event, Fresh Fridays at WeHo’s Eleven Lounge, has a line down the block each week. “I create Donald Trump-style events,” Sanker said in a recent interview. “I want to give only the best of everything: the best DJs, venues, performers and themes. That is why they keep coming back.” Sanker’s signature event, White Party, is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year. Sanker points out that drink sales have gone up 25% in the past few years, but he likes to keep this one Old School. Each event is in a “big room” where the focus is on serious dancing, performances, and connecting with the crowd. For the twentieth anniversary, he is planning an over-the-top event. However, despite having big-name headliners like J-Lo and Tony Braxton in the past, do not expect the usual rumor mill of who might be the special performer this year. He is done with that. “If you want to see Cher, go to Vegas,” Sanker quipped. (He’s been there with a roadshow White Party in the 24-hour town.) This year, he is focusing on bringing big, innovative shows to Palm Springs that will blow the crowd away, without any of the anticipation (or drama) of an unannounced diva showing up—or not. He was the first to add Cirque du Soleil-type performances to dance events. Previous years have included the L.A. Philharmonic backing up Flava; live horses; acrobats; and insane pyrotechnics. No matter what he comes up with, you know it will be exciting—even without one of those big-name (and big-maned) divas. DJ-wise he is also mixing it up. This year, he’s going international by importing Oscar Velasquez from Mexico City for Friday night and Ana Paula from Rio closing the main event. He’s also nurturing the hottest young DJs on the scene such as the Perry Twins, Casey Alva and Morningstar. The theme for this year’s White Party is “Legion of Superheroes.” To keep with that theme, each event is set up “dynamic duo” style.  Every party will have a known DJ along with a fresh face as the sidekick to give the boys a feel for tomorrow’s headliners. Looking Back & Ahead Surprisingly, Sanker got the idea to do a dance event in Palm Springs from the lesbian community. In 1987, he felt the New York club scene was moribund. So he moved to Los Angeles, where he initiated a string of successful parties and clubs. His first event at the Palace (now Avalon) brought in 1,800 guys. Based on that success, he was invited to check out The Dinah Shore Weekend, a party for the gals in the Desert during the Dinah Shore Golf Tournament. When he saw the main event consisted of four speakers and a few balloons, he knew he could do better.  His first event was called Wet and Wild and attracted 500 guys.  One DJ, Manny Lehman, played all the parties. A year later he changed the name to White Party and its popularity exploded. Today, nearly 20,000 people descend on the town during White Party Week. It takes over 300 workers and $1 million to produce this marathon of dance and camaraderie. When asked about the future of the gay dance scene, Sanker would like to remind the new generation that the gay community has always danced. Dance has been an important element of socializing and feeling a sense of community. He hopes that with themes younger boys can relate to and their favorite DJs, he can continue to attract them to a big event like White Party. Once there, he feels they will embrace and understand our communal need to dance and will propel the scene into the future. So what if some of the older Circuit boys are doing cruises rather than parties these days? Or that the younger generation is restlessly looking for something different? Sanker has continued to be successful in creating the best club and party experience possible—and that’s what he intends to do, wherever the prevailing winds blow. By doing so he keeps reminding us of our need to connect in the place that has always been an integral part of the gay experience: the dance floor. 2009-01-31T06:00:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/chris_harris_renews_new_england_nightlife/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/chris_harris_renews_new_england_nightlife/ If you go out to any big clubs in Boston or you’re a regular at the major Circuit events in the U.S. or Canada, chances are you’ve been to one of Chris Harris’ events. Known as New England’s best party promoter—and certainly the region’s most important—Harris is no newbie to the nightlife scene. And he’s not just another pretty-faced party boy. An adept businessman, Chris is credited with single-handedly reviving the once-languishing nightlife scene in Boston; although now, he has extended his reach much farther afield. With hundreds of parties and Pride celebrations under his belt, Chris knows what he’s doing and he does it very, very well. Don’t think, however, that this means that he’s sitting back and sipping mojitos while letting other people do the dirty work for him! He didn’t get to be where he is today on his good looks and charismatic smile alone (although I’m sure they didn’t hurt). Chris has a long history in the industry. He’s worked in club operations at various levels for almost 20 years. But it wasn’t until he moved back to Providence from Miami that he decided to start throwing parties himself. Luckily for him, the administration of the Rhode Island capital was supportive of his efforts. His events were successful for him, the city, and the charities for which his events raised funds. When the owners of the Strand, his mainstay club in Providence, decided to go in a different direction after a five-year run, he decided it was time to move on and up to the region’s biggest city. Knowing about Chris’ successful fundraising and fabulous parties in Providence, Boston Pride asked him to bring his Military Ball to the old Avalon as the main Pride event for 2007. The party ended up doing so well that although the club was scheduled to close in six months, the owners offered him Saturday nights for the remainder of the lease. Chris jumped on the opportunity. Together with the Boston promoter Raffael Sanchez, he began his ascent to the top of Boston’s gay nightlife scene. Just as the six-month run at Avalon was ending, Chris got a call from the owners of the Roxy. It seems they had noticed the 1,200-plus turnout of gay boys at Chris’ parties at the Avalon, and these packed events looked better than the smaller straight crowds they’d been dealing with on Saturday nights. EPIC Saturdays, Glamlife Thursdays, Hot Mess Sundays Chris Harris, along with Gay Mafia, is now running three very different weekly parties in Boston. Each one has a different vibe—literally, in terms of music; and figuratively, as for the crowd: Glamlife Thursdays at The Estate (Top 40 and hip hop); EPIC Saturdays (big room dance party); and Hot Mess Sundays at Underbar, where Chris says “you’ll hear everything and anything… except Boy George.” Boy George and Chris Harris have a somewhat tumultuous history, largely because the made-up DJ (pun intended) still reportedly owes Chris $10,000. Big Boy G was a no-show for a party he was contracted to do last year before he got busted on drug charges. Although Chris has tried to collect from the DJ, his management, and lawyers, and left very clear and detailed contact information (literally) at his house in London, he’s yet to see a penny. He even confronted him with picket signs while the karma chameleon was picking up trash in Manhattan as the community service part of his sentence. No ex-Culture Club member could keep this cultural club phenomenon down, however. Chris has become known in the industry as a global promoter. Unlike some promoters who never hit the dance floor in their off hours, he tries to get to as many other parties around the world as he can, which contributes to his ability to mix it up when it comes to hiring talent. Chris’ events feature a balance of internationally known DJs with local and regional up-and-comers and established scenesters. Aside from the Military Ball, Chris has been responsible for organizing and throwing world-class parties. At one time or another, he has been behind events around a White Party, Black Party, Nation V and Winter Party, as well as Erect, Voyage, Eruption, Volcano, Chinese New Year, Ego, Northern Decadence and Ego. Although these events have made him well known among the Circuit crowd worldwide, he’s still very much in touch with the cities where he throws parties, and always looks out for the locals. Right now Chris is back to living in Providence, but since he’s in Boston nearly every weekend (the two cities are barely more than an hour apart), he keeps a flat there too. As a promoter at the top of his game, he’s looking to expand into real estate, gay travel, and some more surprises that he’s keeping under wraps. Helping out friends & worthy causes Aside from being a master promoter, Chris is also known for helping out his friends, standing firm behind true talent, and even pushing those in whom he sees great potential to go even further. A perfect example of this is DJ Dena. A novice DJ when they met, Chris encouraged Dena to hone her skills at spinning. He made sure she had the opportunity to play for ever-larger crowds. In just a few years, DJ Dena has come into her own as her reputation continues to rises on the Circuit. When Dena was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, Chris decided to do something about it. Together with others in the industry, he put together “Divas For Dena: The Breast Party Ever!” to benefit the “Save the Ta-Tas Foundation” and raise awareness of breast cancer. Right now, he’s more than busy managing the three weekly events in Boston and traveling the world. He likes to keep up with the industry and explore new concepts to keep his parties fresh. With all of those miles, it’s helpful that his Hawaiian boyfriend of eight years, Dominic, is a flight attendant. In the next few months, he’s really looking forward to “Caligula,” a Roman-themed party he and Raffael Sanchez are throwing for New Year’s, with Manny Lehman at the helm musically. He’s promising “the best party New England has ever seen.” Chris is also eager to turn his attention back to Providence and throw more parties there. Nor is he stopping at the party scene. Providence is already famous as the largest city in the country with an openly gay mayor. If, as expected, he runs for governor, check out http://www.ChrisHarrisForMayor.com to see what this ultimate multitasker has in store for 2010. 2008-10-07T20:52:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/franco_beneduce_san_frans_magnitude_man/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/franco_beneduce_san_frans_magnitude_man/ For anyone who has attended the (in)famous Folsom Street Fair, the Saturday night Magnitude Party stands out as one of the highlights of a crowded party weekend. For Franco Beneduce, the man behind this multifaceted affair, the secret of its success is simple: He gives a party that he would want to attend. It all started with a handshake on the dance floor of Club Universe in San Francisco 13 years ago. Franco Beneduce, an event planner, had recently relocated from New York City when he ran into Jito Garcia, who wanted to start producing large-scale dance events. Jito knew how to get people to the event but lacked the producing experience that Franco brought to the table. Out of that initial collaboration came forth the now infamous AfterShock after-hours parties. After that triumph, they set their sights on a Saturday night party the week of the city’s biggest gayola weekend, Folsom Street Fair. Thus the Magnitude party was hatched. To understand Magnitude and Franco (who runs it without Jito these days), one must understand the Folsom Street Fair, the massive charity event that last year donated over $350,000 to local Bay Area organizations—a figure that rises each year. Magnitude has been one of the major reasons for the steady increase. With 400,000 attendees from around the globe, the fair is the largest leather event in the world and the third-largest exposition in California behind the Rose Bowl Parade and San Francisco Pride. Folsom Street, however, goes way beyond what most people view as a leather event. “Folsom gives people the ultimate freedom of sexual self-expression,” Beneduce explains. “That is why Magnitude could only happen in San Francisco.” Many look at Folsom, celebrating its 25th anniversary at the end of September, as the one day a year they can be themselves—to themselves and to the wider world. A married doctor from Kansas City shows off his exhibitionism by walking the fair clad in nothing but chaps and a raging hard-on. An executive works his submissive side by being led around on a leash. A lesbian shows us that a woman can be butcher than any leather queen could dream of being. Much More Than a Dance Party Franco is obsessed with translating this freedom into a dance party, and the result is one of the world’s truly unique dance events. To begin with, Magnitude is about much more than dancing—although there’s plenty of that—including live demonstrations and an erotic play space. The rooms are decorated with images of some of the hottest men in leather along with other props to create a sexually-charged atmosphere. Franco admits that he prefers to throw a party that gives attendees options. “I try to create an event that I would want to attend,” he states. “Magnitude is the convergence of world-class music, dancing, live erotic demonstrations, and interactive play. And that can only exist in conjunction with the Folsom Street Fair.” The crowd ranges from the 30s to 50s (with representatives from either side of the spectrum, to be sure). These guys may not be going out every weekend anymore, but when they come to Magnitude, they are ready to party. There may be more men with chest hair and harnesses than shirtless twinks with smooth bodies, but muscle abounds … and lots and lots of fun. One might think the music would be a dark after-hours style. It isn’t. Franco works with the DJ to create a journey into sexual bliss. “Since the crowd is a bit older, they may not be up on a lot of new music.” Franco said, “We always throw in a section of classic dance anthems from the past decade to remind folks of the Circuit heyday.” Neil Lewis, who spun for five of the first six years of the event, had a major influence on Magnitude’s sound. “We have had some great DJs like Susan Morabito and Mark Anthony spin for us,” Franco says. “Since Neil’s death, we’ve tried to honor his tradition with exceptional new musical talent like Joe Gauthreaux.” This year’s DJ, Paul Goodyear, is returning for another spin at the wheels of steel. Goodyear was a close friend of Lewis, knew his music well, and has a similar style. Also, since Paul has lived in Sydney, London and Barcelona and has played all over the world, he brings a fresh international vibe to the event that reflects the changing demographics of the international crowd. Changing the Party Vibe International, indeed. Magnitude and Folsom both attract people from all over the world. Many Aussies attend every year, and there’s even a regular group from Iceland. The event was not always focused on creating an erotic and sexualized environment. However, five years ago Franco and Folsom Street Events decided it needed a few changes to make it more reflective of the energy of Folsom Weekend. The changes proved to be especially popular with international patrons, and the event’s popularity grew considerably. The first reworking included the addition of the Dungeon Beds lounge. The L.A. store Mr. S. Leather is sponsoring the dungeon space with support from Titan Studios. It will be in the basement of the venue, with different music and a different vibe from the main floor—darker and sexier. Expect a steamy, safe, playground of pleasure. While many mainstream Circuit parties continue to see a decline, it is a testament to Beneduce’s continuing hands-on involvement that attendance at Magnitude has been steadily going up over the past few years. Franco attributes the continued success to Magnitude and Folsom’s unique place in the gay universe. Some compare Magnitude to New York’s annual Black Party extravaganza. Franco admits to some similarities, but he hastens to point out that Magnitude is part of a much bigger experience, one where attendees come for a week or longer. It is not just about a single—albeit fun, massive and very well-produced—party. With all this erotic self-expression going on, you would think that it would be hard to find a place big enough that would be accepting of an event of this nature. Franco admits it is hard to find an appropriate space in San Francisco on a Saturday night. After producing events for 13 years, however, Franco has managed to build a solid reputation in the city’s larger club community. Landlords know that Magnitude will be a tightly run ship, with attendees on good behavior (but not too good!). This year, the party is moving to the Regency Center, a restored 1909 landmark. The Magnitude production team plans to transform the elegant Beaux Arts interior with the kind of lights, projections, lasers and props that partygoers have come to expect, with some new twists to keep the concept fresh. In addition to Magnitude, Franco also manages Bay of Pigs, the Saturday night party for the Dore Alley Fair. Dore is the smaller cousin to Folsom and attracts less non-leather tourists and more sleaze. When asked if anything shocks him at Folsom or Magnitude anymore, Franco simply replies, ”I’ve seen just about everything you can imagine—and then some. But what really shocks me is that there are still gay people in this day and age with puritanical minds who judge the way that other gay people express themselves sexually.” Perhaps. But maybe, just maybe, with the continued success of Folsom Street Fair and Magnitude, some of those closed minds will be changed. 2008-08-04T00:10:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/sandy_sachs_robin_gans/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/sandy_sachs_robin_gans/ In the fast-paced world of gay nightlife, lesbians typically get a raw deal. In the prevailing stereotype, gay men play the role of freewheeling party monsters, while the girls are relegated to a small cabin in the woods of Oregon tending to their golden retrievers. Venture outside our male-dominated spaces, however, and you'll discover a world of lesbian revelers paryting as hard as the circuit boyz. Hip-hop dykes or disco divas, gay nightlife has a healthy dose of girl power. Just ask Sandy Sachs and Dr. Robin Gans, the impresarios of the scene.The power couple fell in love in the '80s, at popular lesbian event SheScape in New York. After moving to L.A., they opened Girl Bar in 1990, which remains the largest lesbian dance club in the U.S. The long-running Girl Bar parties, now in four cities across the country (with more on the way), set a new standard for lesbian nightlife. They also produce Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs, the largest lesbian event in the world. They managed the White Party Palm Springs for ten years; kept the Factory Event Space in L.A. fresh for the past nine years; opened the elegant and popular West Hollywood restaurant Murano; created The Fitness Factory, one of L.A.'s top-rated gyms; and run GirlBarMatch, an online lesbian dating service. On top of that, Robin is a successful Beverly Hills psychologist, and Sandy will sometimes man the turntables at Girl Bar. Somehow they still find time to give back to the community, working with notable organizations such as The Trevor Project, Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing, Human Rights Campaign, L.A.'s Gay & Lesbian Center, AIDS Project Los Angeles and PAWS. It's no wonder they were named "2005 Women of the Year" by Christopher Street West. They started by managing Revolver, a popular WeHo bar now East/West. At the time, only The Palms was catering to L.A.'s lesbian population. Word got out that these two women were managing this fun video bar, and the gals started showing up. Seeing an opportunity, they created a weekly event that took over the back bar. They turned an exit into the entrance so patrons could enter without having to walk through the main bar. The comfortable and elegant environment became an instant hit and eventually packed the whole bar. Scott Forbes, owner of Studio One, the über-exclusive WeHo dance club, saw their success and offered to host Girl Bar in a room at his club. Things took off from there. Eighteen years later the event is still going strong in the same space, now called Ultra Suede, part of the Factory Event Space owned by Sandy. It's interesting to note that in those days gay male dance clubs were famously selective at the door-but Robin and Sandy knew that would never fly in the women's community and made sure that everyone was welcome. In 2004, the duo took the show on the road and opened up Girl Bar events in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Chicago. They are opening in Long Beach, and plan on San Francisco and Seattle as well. Chicago in particular has been very successful. Opening night was 20 degrees below zero, and the girls were still lined up down the block. The Big One: Dinah Shore In terms of attendees alone, Dinah Shore Weekend is their crown jewel. Originally, the weekend was a loose series of events surrounding the Dinah Shore LPGA Golf Tournament that attracted a Southern California crowd. The gals started by improving sound, lights and décor, bringing to the table ten years working with Jeffrey Sanker on the White Party. The result was a high-quality weekend with a wide range of activities that now attracts over 10,000 women to Palm Springs each year. And the girls don't just want to dance. They can choose from concerts, comedy shows, VIP brunches and pool parties. There are some differences between the girls and the boys with this event. Dance parties end at 3 a.m., with most attendees leaving by 2. The intoxicant of choice is alcohol. By far the most popular events are the pool parties, which start at 8 a.m.! The girls just don't do after-hours. "They literally line up the hallway with pillows and blankets," Sandy says. "It is all about getting a coveted pool chair." The music differs as well. Pool parties start with Ibiza-style chill music, and as the day moves on the pace of the music picks up. But the volume never reaches the level of an average Circuit party. At evening events, the space is brightly lit with tables and chairs everywhere. The tempo of the music varies, and is sexy without being hard and driving. It is less fist-in-the-air, and more high-energy groove. The mood sets the stage for conversation. It's true: Lesbians actually like to talk before they hook up. The probably even know each other's last names. From Promoters to Becoming a Brand Sandy and Robin know how to take care of the boys as well. A few years ago, they noticed a drop in attendance at Circuit-themed dance events at the Factory and at other clubs. One night Sandy overheard two guys lamenting that they didn't know any of the songs the DJ was spinning. She realized there needed to be a change, so she created POPStarZ, a weekly event playing all the Top-40 hits the boys love. "It's the antithesis of the Circuit," Sandy says. "Everybody has to keep their shirts on. The DJs know that if you can't hum to the music, you can't play it. The young boys love it!" The event has now become one of the most popular weekly gay male dance events in all of Los Angeles. What's next for this power couple? A lot. They are working on taking their Murano concept to other locations, and will release a CD of the music Sandy programs for the restaurant called Murano Morsels. Major brands are approaching them to be a part of their events as a way to improve their gay image. The president of Ketel One vodka just met with them in person to sign a six-figure, three-year deal. They're not afraid to venture into uncharted territory, either. "There are major hospitality groups that run hotels, restaurants and clubs that are always owned by men," Robin said. "Sandy and I have this vision that there ought to be a group like that owned by women." For now, they will continue to grow Girl Bar and expand their lesbian empire. They are bringing in younger promoters and mentoring them so the pair can comfortably move into other areas. It would be nice to, Robin sighs, "not have to work until 2 a.m. every weekend." No matter how they continue to grow, it is clear that whatever business this power couple focuses on will be fresh, fun and successful- no boys required. 2008-04-28T16:45:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/tom_whitman/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/tom_whitman/ In LA, is there any night of the week when Tom Whitman’s name doesn’t figure somewhere into the schedule? His events run the entire spectrum of gay–fabulous, but they all have one thing in common: "I try to produce events that I want to go to,” he says. “I want to hang out with fun, flirty, unpretentious people. I want to go to an upscale event and dress up one night, and get sloppy in a pitcher of margaritas in the afternoon on another day.” Tom says his events are geared to conversation, not attitude. Take aptly named “Drunk and Horny,” Tom’s Friday nights at FUBAR. "Wear something tight," says the ad. "If you go home alone, you aren’t really trying." Or just turn on your mojo at "Smack," Thursdays at O–Bar, the home of the self–proclaimed "world’s fastest open bar." Three times during the night, drinks are free for a few minutes–and after some lubrication, the hottie you’ve been eyeing across the room becomes soooo much easier to talk to. In addition to “Saturday On Sunday” nights, the line snakes around the block in front of “here” Lounge for the jock–themed night “Player,” and in winter months for “Size,” a surfboards–and–margaritas celebration of Southern California’s famed beach culture. "Before I produced events in the gay world," says Tom, "I produced concerts and television, so I love the production aspects of events." Yes, Tom has worked in what we here on the Left Coast call “The Industry”: He wrote and directed two animated shorts that have toured the international film festival circuit. Before moving to LA, he worked in NYC for five years as a producer at MTV Networks, and even now, he frequently returns to Gotham. So he knows the scene on both coasts. But Tom says that LA no longer plays Second City to NYC, although he acknowledges that LA nightlife is changing. “It’s transitioned from being centered on big, Circuit–type events to more spread–out, smaller events in bars and nightclubs,” he says. “The younger crowd likes to do different things. It’s not just about staying out until 7 a.m.” A Hollywood Wonderland Nowhere is his producing experience more evident than at Wonderland, a big Circuit dance event held on the backlot of Paramount Studios the weekend of West Hollywood’s Gay Pride. Wandering around a movie studio is a cheap thrill for anyone who doesn’t work on one, and Wonderland has quickly become one of the most anticipated events on the LA. boys’ party schedule each year. Ferris wheels, fireworks, racks of speakers with go–go boys on top, outside dancing...yes, it’s all been done before. But what’s fun and so special about Wonderland is the fact that it could only happen here in LA. Sure, we have some great party spaces here, and world–class clubs. Leave it to a movie guy, though, to bring the Circuit to Hollywood. There’s a "road" version of Wonderland, too, a New Year’s Eve event held on the roof of the Ipanema Plaza Hotel in Rio de Janeiro. Not quite as "Hollywood," but you do get to party in Rio with all of those drop–dead gorgeous Brazilian men. One LA nightlife regular calls Wonderland “without question, the best event in LA in years.” This jaded partygoer, who has earned his Circuit gold star many times over, says Wonderland “ranks with the best events in the world. What made this particular party memorable, was not only the way it flowed seamlessly, or the music, or the lighting, which were all stellar, but the way he became the heart of the event, bringing to mind Studio 54 in its heyday, or promoters such as Suzanne Bartsch, who becomes the star of her parties.” Tom appeared at the last Wonderland in a "Mad Hatter" costume, was hoisted above the dance floor and welcomed the crowd with a message about having fun safely. It was a magical moment, and the already happening event took off. It’s another sign that Tom lives out his claim that he produces events that he would enjoy himself. Unlike some promoters, he can often be seen out on the dance floor. One regular LA partygoer describes him as a “surprisingly great dancer. He’s surrounded by boys at the clubs, and acts as though he’s one of them,” he adds. “He’s truly one of the most popular guys in town–who just happens to be a professional event planner. No wonder one of his lounge nights is called ‘Popular.’” A Wanderer at Home Recently, Tom made a splash with the “Lucky Devil” burlesque show at hot Melrose Avenue club Forty Deuce, billed as the first such all–male burlesque in the country. Each winter, Tom lures the crowd outside the city and into the great outdoors. Attendance at Elevation Ski Weekend in Mammoth has been nearly doubling in size each year, with 2,000 or so party–hardy skiers and snowboarders expected this year, making it the third–largest gay ski event in the world. This is high–altitude, no–attitude fun; why is it that everyone is so much friendlier when you get them out of the city? On top of all the fun, Tom also gives back to the community. He is on the Board of Directors of AIDS Project Los Angeles and has produced events for it along with many other local charities, including the local HRC chapter, The Trevor Project, The LA Gay & Lesbian Center, among others. Tom probably gets his out–of–the–box attitude from his wandering childhood. An Air Force brat, he was born in Hawaii but spent most of his childhood in Europe. He first came to California to attend UCLA, then shuttled between the two coasts. Wherever he is, the one thing you can expect is to see Tom in the middle of the party, having as great a time as any of his guests. Visit http://www.myspace.com/tomwhitman or http://www.tomwhitmanpresents.com for dates, times and locales of Tom Whitman’s parties. 2008-04-14T17:11:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/alexander_catala/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/alexander_catala/ Enter Alexander Catala. Originally from Puerto Rico, he is a traveling professional and a self-described “Circuit pro.” When he went to that final Ice party in the spring of 2004, he was at the end of his Circuit rope. “I was towards the end of my experience. I asked myself, ‘What exactly am I getting from this?’ Traveling and spending all this money - something had to change. The prices were getting astronomical. At that point I had already started contemplating promoting and producing my own parties, but I never understood how I could really fit into that puzzle.” All of that changed when he met Dan De Leon. Dan remarks, “We complimented each other well. Alex is the quintessential Circuit boy on the dance floor and perfectly understands the Circuit experience from that perspective. I have this sort of worldly musical view from my rave background. The pieces of the puzzle that I didn’t get about the Circuit, what appealed to the gay community, and the part of the puzzle that he was looking for: that’s what I had to offer to him.” They came together not only as a couple, but as partners with a vision that they could both finally realize with each other. Lattitude Events was born. It was a product of what they each had to offer in a party all their own. They came together not only as a couple, but as partners with a vision that they could both finally realize with each other. Lattitude Events was born. It was a product of what they each had to offer in a party all their own. The first two Lattitude events were Circuit-style parties completely geared towards the gay community, but with their unique production aspects and impressive roster of guest DJs, they soon became huge successes with both gay and straight LA club-goers. Internationally renowned DJs like Chus & Ceballos, Murk’s Oscar G, and Saeed Younan caught on to Lattitude’s fresh approach to parties and De Leon’s musical vision. The last few events at Avalon Hollywood, one of LA’s leading nightclubs, were so successful that management there has moved it from Friday night to the more lucrative Saturday night slot. Dan orchestrates the musical aspects of each event, and Alex masterminds all the production aspects and promotional duties that fuel any successful party. “You’re really getting more than just a DJ setting up behind turntables and playing some records. You’re really getting a vision.” There is no set timetable for Lattitude events because Catala insists that it’s more important to get all the details exactly right for every event than trying to throw as many parties as possible in one year. “It’s a lot of work to do it right. It doesn’t just happen magically: trust me.” Lattitude has begun to move beyond the shores of California to the high seas. In February, RSVP Cruises brought them onboard to bring new life to the club events on their gay cruise in the Caribbean. The collaboration was successful, and they continued with RSVP on their Mediterranean and Alaskan cruises as well this year. They are slated for this coming February’s Caribbean cruise. Lattitude Events is a brand and a party tied intrinsically to both Dan and Alex as a couple and as individuals. As Alex explains it, “There is an emotion to every event that comes from between us as a couple.” “Together: that’s the way the formula works,” says Dan. “I don’t think I could have done it without him, or vice versa. It’s definitely a product of the two of us.” 2007-12-14T18:26:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/hilton_wolman/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/hilton_wolman/ How did you get your start promoting? As Advertising and Promotions Manager for a major European car manufacturer, I had been responsible for new model launches to dealers, the press, and the public. We would constantly try to come up with spectacular ideas that would blow the attendees away, be it by taking over a conference center, hotel or resort, or even chartering an entire ship. That experience served me well when I moved to South Florida and got involved in producing and promoting parties. What are some of the highlights of your career? Working with Abel every Saturday night at Salvation and watching him become one of the most beloved Circuit DJs; witnessing the meteoric rise to fame of other wonderful DJs that I worked with like Manny Lehman and Tony Moran; producing over a dozen parties for White Party and Winter Party; and accidentally pioneering the daytime Sunday party when the laws in South Beach forced the after-hours clubs to close at 9 a.m. Church (at Salvation) on Sunday morning became incredibly successful, as did the Monday morning parties we added to the major party weekends. After Salvation I produced Orbit at Space and was also involved with events at Crobar and Coliseum; and while Twilo Miami has come and gone, we certainly had some amazing nights there. Salvation in Miami was one of the most legendary clubs in history and you were intimately involved during its heyday. What are some of your favorite memories? Can you tell us a little about your annual “Salvation Reunion Party”? Saturday nights at Salvation ran so smoothly that I was able to spend most of the night on the dance floor, meeting people and having a great time. I think that part of my success as a promoter stems from the fact that I was out there in the middle of it all, and I could see what worked and what didn’t. I remember when we were the first club in Miami to do liquid nitrogen blasts, hand out ice- lollies, or have Power lowered from the ceiling to perform a show. People would come back each and every week to see what we did at midnight to open the main room. It wasn’t easy coming up with something different fifty-two weeks a year! I made so many lasting friendships at Salvation. It was on the dance floor there that I met my good friends and the promoters I most admire, Ric Sena and Mark Baker. I also got to work with so many talents - performers like Power, Kitty Meow, Circuit Mom, and RKM as well as numerous DJs who have gone on to become good friends rather than just business associates. The Salvation Reunion Party began at one of my birthday parties and it has become an annual event. Abel always spins and Power always performs. It’s a great mix of the old and the new, where Abel hauls out the classic hits from the Salvation days, but mixes them in with current favorites so that it doesn’t feel like a night stuck in the past. But it is a party that usually brings out many people who don’t go to parties any more. Next year we are also hoping to take it to a few cities outside the South Florida area. I think that people will really enjoy the experience, especially those who actually attended a Salvation event. In addition to Salvation, Miami has been home to such mega clubs as 1235, Liquid, Crobar, and the list goes on. However, the landscape of South Florida nightlife has changed as all of these clubs, as well as the newly- incarnated Twilo in Miami, have closed. What insight can you give us as to the changes happening in South Florida? A few years ago Miami could support three megaclubs being open on three consecutive nights - Level on Friday, Salvation on Saturday, and Crobar on Sunday. But the trend has been to the smaller venues, with lounge type atmospheres. Score on Lincoln Road is always busy and the newly opened Halo is another example of the more intimate venues that have become popular. For a while, many of us blamed the internet and the hookup sites for the decline in attendance at the large clubs. You no longer needed to go out to a club to meet someone - you could go online and “order in”. Miami Beach also saw a decline in the gay population as people moved away because the nightlife was no longer the draw it once was. And the gay tourist doesn’t travel down as often because these days many of the DJs that once only spun in Miami, New York, or LA can be found at the local bar or club. But the pendulum seems to be swinging back. People seem to miss the social aspects of a night out dancing, and most of the local clubs are reporting an increase in attendance. I also think that with the closure of Twilo many people in South Florida realized that if they didn’t support their local venues on a regular basis, they stood a chance of losing their “playground”. Tell us about your monthly parties you’re throwing at Coliseum in Fort Lauderdale with Gary Santis. The scene in South Florida has definitely moved from Miami to Fort Lauderdale. Gary already had a successful Saturday night party, but he invited me to collaborate with him on a new monthly event that would hopefully add something exciting to the formula. By combining forces we’ve managed to boost attendance figures - and production values - to levels that hadn’t been achieved locally in several years. But we are not giving up on Miami. I’m still working on several exciting projects in the Miami area, just not on a weekly basis. Last January, you presented “Freedom - The Official Sail-Away Party for the Largest Gay Cruise in History” before the Atlantis cruise. Can you tell us about that as well as what you have planned for the upcoming Atlantis cruise next January? Actually we began doing the Atlantis Sail-Away party back at Salvation, but as the ships have grown bigger and bigger each year, so has the size of the party. Two years ago for the Navigator cruise we had Manny, Tony, and Abel all spinning on one night, and for Freedom, Warren Gluck teamed up with Abel. In 2008 and the Liberty cruise, I am hoping to expand the concept from simply a dance party to a night that offers all sorts of possibilities because of the spectacular new $25 million venue that we will be using. Not only is there an amazing indoor and outdoor space for the dance party, but we also have adjoining restaurants and bars that will allow those patrons who are not interested in the dancing to still participate in the night. Kind of like what happens onboard the ship, where you can choose from a piano bar, restaurant, or the main dance event - something for all tastes. What do you think the future holds for gay nightlife in general? People are not traveling to as many parties as they once did. But they are still traveling - doing the cruises and picking one or twomajor events each year. The successful promoters are the ones who don’t cut back on their production values because there might be a decline in attendance. They just adapt accordingly. Gay nightlife will continue. I remember being warned that, with greater mainstream acceptance, the younger generation would be more inclined to party with their straight friends at straight(er) venues. My son, who is also gay and in his early twenties, did that for a while, but these days he and his friends are supporting the local gay bars and clubs on a regular basis. Promoters are reaching out to the younger crowd by incorporating different styles of music, different entertainment, and different pricing strategies. I think it is working and I’m thrilled to see that with each party I do, there are more and more people I don’t recognize! Or is that just a sign that at my age the memory begins to fade? 2007-11-14T18:29:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/adam_gill/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/adam_gill/ Often in the world of large gay-themed events, the well-known promoters that noiZe profiles are intimately familiar with the gay party scene, being gay themselves. It’s not often you find a young, driven heterosexual behind the scenes of a gay mega-production. Enter Adam Gill, President of Embrace Productions, at age twenty-six. He cut his teeth early at the entertainment behemoth Clear Channel. While at Winter Music Conference a few years back, he ran into Michael Perlmutter, a friend who did all of the music for Queer As Folk and the related compilations. Adam came up with the daring concept of taking the fictitious Babylon club from the show on a national tour, complete with truckloads of the actual set. He left Clear Channel to start his own company and hit the road. The tour was wildly successful, but quickly outgrew the limiting concept of the television tie-in. Now in its fifth year, the Babylon tour continues to evolve as Adam and Midori bring us Arctic Babylon, which kicks off in Atlanta on April 21st. Adam got to know some of the big name DJs of the gay set in Montreal, while he worked the Friday night straight events at Stereo. The Babylon experience has given him a respect for the power of gay events, and with Darren Bryant by his side to navigate through gay waters, Embrace Productions is set to tackle their gayest adventure yet: Toronto Pride. Pulling in about a million proud revelers from all over the globe, Toronto hosts one of the largest festivals in the world, and Embrace has purchased the Prism lineup of parties that host about 17,000-18,000 people over the long weekend of headliner events. Adam and Darren are obviously excited to be working with Pride this year. Darren gushes, “There’s a lot of history here. I was involved with Toronto Pride six or seven years ago and then went off on my own and did my own thing. To be back on board with it...” His dramatic pause says it all. Asked which event elements he’s looking forward to, Darren says, “One of the definite highlights is bringing RKM into the weekend. We brought them in last year and they’ve been here before, but I think what people don’t realize is that they’re going to do decor for the entire weekend. So, for five events, we’re going to have RKM decor, which is as good as it gets. On top of that, we’ve got all the A-list DJs coming, and we’ve got the A-list entertainers performing.” noiZe spoke further with Adam in a revealing interview about the changing nature of gay events, how the internet affects attendance, and why the future of gay entertainment might just be in Texas. How has the Babylon concept evolved over the past five years? The main turning point for us, and the story that will be under-told is the way we changed the model of how you can actually tour an event like this. In the rock world, bands can play five or six shows a week. In our world, you’re getting two, max. I hired RKM to perform a couple dates during the first year because they were Junior’s guys. They did some party for Junior in New York, his Green Party at the Roxy. They sent me all these pictures. I asked them, “What did you guys do there?” and they said, “We just flew up with a bunch of duffle bags and we did the whole party.” So when we made the transition to have RKM design and take care of the production with us - that really was the turning point. That allows us to be in three cities across the country on a weekend. Memorial Day this year, Friday we’re in Pittsburgh, Saturday we’re in Denver, and Sunday we’re in Minneapolis. It’s just not possible if you have to use a truck. It’s such an interesting concept to bring a fictional nightclub to life and take it on tour. It was originally pitched to Showtime as “Queer As Folk - The Tour.” That was in our pitch: this is the only show you can do a tour with and make it relevant and exciting. The whole selling point in the early years was “Experience Babylon” and the back room and all that stuff. Somewhere along the way, especially last year with Queer As Folk being gone, we really moved towards Babylon. We pretty much have a loyal fan base that comes to us every year. Our concept is pretty consistent. That’s impressive that the concept grew beyond the show itself. You can’t recreate Queer As Folk, period. And if we ever were going to, it would have been the first year. What we try to do each year is play on people’s imaginations; we want them to make Babylon their own. Over the years, we’ve really worked on pushing Babylon and playing down Queer As Folk. We’re now in our fifth year, and our fourth year with Midori involvement is something as a promoter we’ve been very fortunate about. Has all that experience affected the way you’re going to approach Prism? Toronto Pride and Unity have been around for a long time. Last year we partnered with Prism to produce Babylon as the Saturday night main event. We promoted it and it seemed like the right time to take it over. Toronto has a need for something good again. Unity was a very famous and successful weekend and Prism is a reincarnation of it. I decided that this was a good move for us. I wanted a big weekend to have our own. The good thing about this weekend is that it’s around Pride. People can come to Toronto but also get a great Pride festival. You kind of get the best of both worlds. We’re definitely excited about Prism this year. It’s tough, though. The market has drastically changed over the past five to ten years. Half of the venues that we went to [on the Babylon tour] the first year, we’re not going to this year. Changed in what way exactly? I think one of the big things that happened maybe two, three years ago was when the internet invasion really started happening. A lot of clubs and a lot of that world lost out a lot. Because people are meeting each other in a different way now? Well, if you want to get laid, you don’t need to go to the bar and spend twenty dollars - especially across the country. This is what was echoed to us. The crystal thing is another thing. Aside from that, I just think that the clubs changed. The market is still there, still great money to be made. You just have to be really smart and tactical at how you approach it, the same way the boys are - they’re smart and tactical about when they go out and when they spend their money. What are your ticket prices for the Babylon Tour? That’s been one of what I think is our biggest successes. We’ve used the sponsorship dollars to offset the cost. Our prices go from $5 to $65 but usually we sit around $15. It’s not a high ticket at all. They’re getting a full experience. Black Party was $140 this year. Crazy! We realized that Babylon is not the Black Party. Black Party may be the party that saves your life or ruins your life. Babylon is what it is - a high-quality, top-notch, greatly produced event which is a good value for your dollar. What’s it like working with RKM? I have an enormous amount of respect for what RKM does. I think they’re brilliantly talented, and they’re great to work with. I wish people knew how hard they work. A lot of times people take the décor for granted. We used to have six or seven people setting this thing up, and [now] it’s just Rubio and Kidd. I think we have a really good, exciting concept this year and I think it’s really resonating. They design all of our sponsor stuff and we do it in a way that looks like it’s relevant to being at the event, not like a bunch of banners hanging up in the corner that don’t really make sense. Why do you think the crowds are getting smaller at these types of gay events? In the major markets, the gay identity is not just on the gay street. In liberal cities, the gay identity is everywhere. People don’t need to go out to these clubs to hang out with gay people. The one interesting thing about that is that the markets that are still doing very well in the gay world are markets like Texas - Houston or Dallas. You still have to go to the gay street to party. Those clubs are doing big business. But in the markets that you don’t have to, like Chicago, Toronto, San Fran - they are definitely suffering. It’s a great thing for culture; it’s a bad thing for you and me because we’re in the business of people going out to listen to dance music and have a good time. 2007-08-14T18:28:00-08:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/rich_campbell/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/promoter_spotlight/rich_campbell/ In late January, the latest Atlantis gay cruise set sail. noiZe had a chance to speak with Rich Campbell, President of Atlantis Events, Inc., just before he embarked on what was to be the biggest cruise, gay or straight, in history. The Freedom of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s newest and biggest ship, was host to 3600 guests who joined Rich on this floating city for one of the most unique experiences of their lives. How did you get started with Atlantis? We started this company in 1990 as the gay brand of Club Med. I was bouncing around television in Los Angeles and I was trying to figure out something else to do for a period of time. You rarely actually plan on things to come out the way they do. I had this crazy idea of hosting a gay week at Club Med. I thought I’d do that for a year or two, make a little money, and then go back to Hollywood. In 1990, we went to Club Med on a cold call and walked out with a contract, knowing absolutely nothing about the travel industry. In May of ‘91, we operated our very first Club Med resort under the name “Atlantis at Club Med” and we sold it out and had an amazing time. And that was the beginning. I liked the experience, our guests liked the experience, so we went back and said let’s see what else we can do. There really was no grand plan. There still isn’t. We’ve always been very opportunistic about trying to create these really unique interesting experiences for people. We continued with Club Med for the next seven years. We grew considerably; we were doing six Club Med resorts at our peak in 1996. In ‘97, we decided it was time to broaden our horizons. There was an opportunity to charter a small ship - a 900-passenger ship called the Leeward that Norwegian Cruise Lines owned. We chartered that ship, sold it out in about six months, and that was how we got into the cruise business. In early ‘98, we did our first big ship cruise and we’ve been growing steadily ever since. In 2007, we’ll do eight full-ship charters ranging from 700 passengers to 3600 passengers. Do you have competitors? Everyone is our competitor. Every possible type of travel experience - whether it’s going to a party in Miami, going to Hawaii for vacation, or going to Europe with your family - all of those things are competitors to us. The biggest issue with Americans is that they don’t have much time for vacation. We’re trying to fight the two-week limit more than anything else. There’s one other company that does what we do, RSVP, and there’s a company in the women’s market called Olivia. RSVP is a quarter of the size of us - they’re running four cruises this year, we’re running eight. And now you can say you’ve chartered the largest cruise in history… My thing has never been to be a travel company - we’ve always been an event production company. The idea was to create unique experiences in really interesting places. Lately, those places have been cruise ships. But we also have resorts. We’re back at ClubMed this year for the first time ever. They’ve upgraded their resort substantially and they’re pretty fantastic. So I’m really thrilled to start a new relationship with them. What types of things do you do to turn a cruise into an event? We rip it apart and put it back together. We basically reinvent the cruise experience from the ground up. Besides the fact that it’s a gay audience, it’s also a completely different style of cruise from what the cruise lines typically offer. They try to be all things to all people; we try to be great things for a few people. We bring all of our own entertainment. We’ll have twenty-five different shows on the Freedom next week. What kind of shows? They range from cabaret singers to a couple of big name headliners that I can’t disclose to you. We had Jennifer Hudson on the last cruise, who just got a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in Dreamgirls. That’s the caliber of people we bring in for our headline entertainers. We’ve had Patti Lupone on a few times, Roseanne Barr has done a few, Joan Rivers has done a couple. We have a stable of people that we like to work with. And then we try to get the newest, freshest, most exciting talent out there that’s appropriate for a gay audience. It’s also what’s appropriate for an audience that tends to be more active, younger, and more social in nature than a typical straight cruise. We start the week with Charo! We have performance acts - on this next cruise we’re bringing a couple of really unique people. We’ve got five DJs on this cruise - Manny Lehman, Brett Henrichsen, Warren Gluck, Abel, and we’re bringing Junior Vasquez for the first time ever on a ship. We’re going to have him do a highly-themed, really unusual indoor night that will really blow people away. What is the age range of your clientele? The youngest person is 20; the oldest is 88. 80% fall between 34 and 43. Your DJ selection is really impressive - there’s such a wide range of styles. That’s the idea. With 3600 people, we don’t throw one party - we throw twenty. And we use different venues. There will be an R&B night, a classic disco T-dance with all 70’s music, and we’ll do an 80’s party. We’ll do an alternative night as well as a trance night. We try to vary the music programming in different sized venues so that if you want something unique musically, you’re going to find it. Are there multiple events going on at the same time? Always. The most difficult thing for people is picking and choosing. The suicide guests try to do everything; the smart guests go, “OK, I guess I’m not gonna see this.” At any given point and time, I’ve got between five and nine different events going on. We have an ice rink on the ship where we could have a show, as well as a show in the theater, a parade going on in the promenade - we have a promenade that’s the length of three football fields. You have parades? Parades! These are things that Royal does that we just adapt slightly. There could be a cabaret performer in the Schooner Bar, a small show in Pharaoh’s Lounge, and a party just starting out on the top deck - that’s all entirely plausible. Oh, and at the same time, we could have nighttime surfing on the back deck on the FlowRider surf machine. And that’s not counting the thousand people that are still finishing dinner. We try to do it so we’re not entertaining 3600 people all at once. Five hundred here, eight hundred here, a thousand there - and even then you’ve still got twelve hundred people to handle. Do you have a staff that helps you out with all this? We have about 100 people onboard. Some of them are employees; a lot of them are contractors. And that includes the talent. Also, we bring on a team of about thirty - they’re not quite staff, they’re not quite guests - they’re more or less facilitators. They keep the show running. They’re the glue that holds the entire week together. They’re basically volunteers that we bring in from all over the world. It sounds like event promotion times a thousand… It’s a live theatre production with 3600 people and they’re all part of the show. You don’t walk off of this saying, “Oh, I was just on a cruise.” You walk off going, “That was the most unique experience I’ve ever had.” We create this somewhat artificial but very real community that people become a part of and engage in. What’s really cool is that there’s a lot of down time. There’s a lot of time out in the sun and on the pool deck, time wandering around the ports, time sitting with friends and, sometimes, total strangers. It creates this wonderful social interaction. So you’re all stuck together for seven days and you end up talking and meeting new people and making friends… Exactly! And I would hardly call them “stuck”! Stuck in a good way! Exactly! And that’s really why I’ve been doing this for so long. I walk off that ship and I see people who’ve made friends and will remain friends for a long, long time. Compared to doing a land-based operation, what would you say are the biggest challenges working on a ship like this? There’s no turning back. Once you sail, if you forget something, you’re screwed! Once we forgot the dog tags for a Dog Tag T-Dance on the dock! Do you ever get down time? Do you ever get to relax and enjoy the cruises yourself? I love what I do! I have the best job in the world. Are you kidding? I get paid to go to really fun places with really cool people and entertain them for a living. 2007-04-14T18:04:00-08:00