http://www.noizemag.com/index.php en ronn@spongeworks.com Copyright 2010 2010-04-27T04:54:25+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/alyson_calagna/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/alyson_calagna/ When you listen to Alyson Calagna, whether on a dance floor in New York, Rome, or Bangkok; at the gym through your iPod playing her latest podcast; or as you walk down the street streaming one of her songs through her new mobile app, you can’t help but move. Her beats are infectious, her sounds sensual, and her mixes sublime. This East Coast DJ with a West Coast soul travels the world connecting people through her music and building an ever-growing tribe of followers. Calagna recently headlined at the Gay Village, a summer festival in Rome complete with bars, restaurants, crepe stands and gelato booths, as well as two huge stages. Alyson found herself right at home onstage in front of this crowd. “It’s really refreshing musically, because I can completely let go,” says a DJ whose House sound especially resonates in Europe. “There’s so much freedom when you’re playing for a huge, mixed crowd.” This particular congregation is even closer to Calagna’s heart because of her Sicilian heritage. “It feels like a homecoming,” she says. Her real home was originally Houma, Louisiana, an hour south of New Orleans. From there her family moved to Baton Rouge, then Dubai, then Aberdeen, Scotland, where she first encountered House music. Alyson recruited some guys to back her as Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses in a lip-sync contest hosted by her school. She won, but it was a performance of Black Box’s “Ride on Time” that changed her life. “What is this music?” she remembers asking. “My quest went on from there.” The following year, Alyson and her family moved back to Louisiana, this time Lafayette. She learned how to DJ from a friend who worked in a local teen club; by age 17, she had landed her first residency at a local bar, Images. After moving to Fort Lauderdale, she DJ’d at Power 96, a local Miami radio station, but couldn’t land any club bookings. While working at a record store, she met a guy buying equipment for a club he was building in New Orleans and gave him a demo. Southern Exposure Having no luck in South Florida, Alyson decided to move back to Louisiana, but almost immediately was ready to decamp to Minneapolis. The night before leaving, Alyson got a call from Mike Mazer, who owned the legendary South Beach club Salvation, asking her to spin a lesbian party. When she told him that she had moved back to Louisiana, he told her he was opening up a new club in New Orleans called 735. When Mazer called the manager of the new club to tell him about Alyson, the manager told Mazer that he had met this girl in Florida named Alyson and really liked her demo. She got the job. “735 was the greatest residency that I ever had,” says Calagna. “I would play 12-hour sets every Saturday from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m.” The Bourbon Street hot spot propelled her career; before long, Mazer was also booking her at Salvation in Miami. She particularly loved the Miami sound; Latin percussion and rhythms were what had drawn her to South Florida in the first place. Soon enough, she started to branch out, to Nation in D.C., Miami’s Crobar, and Circuit parties like Miami’s White Party after-hours, Gay Days’ Arabian Nights, Montreal’s Blue Ball, D.C.’s Cherry, Dallas’ Purple Party, Detroit’s Motorball and even Bangkok’s Songkran. This past year marked two significant achievements in her career: headlining the Winter Party main event in Miami and making her debut at Alegria in New York. “Alegria for me is one of those huge milestones,” says Calagna. “It’s been on the list for a really long time. As far as the U.S. goes, there’s no better place for my sound. I love percussion. I love deeper stuff. It’s what moves me the most.” An After-Hours Sound She particularly enjoys the late-night/early-morning slot, going on at 5 or 6 a.m. “It’s like church to me,” she says. Playing at that time at the mammoth Alegria parties is an ideal slot. She says it’s very freeing “to be able to go and play the music that I play to a crowd that just wants it.” After playing Memorial Day in New York, impresario Ric Sena selected Alyson to play at the first-ever Alegria in Los Angeles with Ralphi Rosario this past Labor Day weekend. Now Alyson is on the roster to share the spotlight with Abel at Alegria Halloween. Abel, whom Calagna affectionately refers to as “Papa Bear,” will start it off, but she’ll get her favorite slot, the closing hours. “For me, as much as I love vocals, I love instrumentals just as much,” Calagna says. “If you hear vocals all night long, I feel like you’re being told what to feel, whereas when you hear instruments, you are the writer. You hear your intuition. You get to hear what that voice is telling you.” Spirit of the Beat Calagna feels a connection to her own inner voice when she’s on the mat practicing yoga, which she started about eight years ago. Her yoga and meditation practice have affected her profoundly, both as a person and as an artist. Two years ago, Alyson released Omtronica: Music for the Seeker, combining the pulsing beats of house music and Middle Eastern soundscapes with Sanskrit chants, the poetry of Rumi, and messages of inspiration. “Omtronica is that mix between my spiritual path and music,” she says. She recently released the second volume, inspired by her experience playing at Buddha Bar in D.C. this past New Year’s Eve. She was nervous to release Omtronica at first because she wondered what people would think of something so personal. But she decided that this was her expression as an artist: “Now people know who I am on a personal level.” That, in turn, has deepened her connection to her fans, opening up a dialogue between them: “It’s become this really cool exchange of knowledge between what I know and what they know. I didn’t know we shared a lot of the same core belief system.” Calagna refers to these fans as the Tribe, fellow seekers who follow her on her journey both on and off the dance floor. “It’s so much more for me spiritually than it is just about the music. The Tribe represents that for me, a sense of togetherness,” she says. “We’re all there to go on this ride together.” She communicates with the Tribe via her Facebook page (DJ Alyson Calagna), which has almost 6,500 fans, her Twitter account (@djalysoncalagna), and through her Omtronica Blog at http://www.omtronica.com where she shares her insights and inspirations. Firing on All Cylinders Calagna has kept pace with technology as well as music. She’s developed her own mobile app (for iPhone and Android) that brings everything together in one place. Find out about upcoming performances, access her blog, read her tweets, buy her music — all without leaving the comfort of your phone. You can even listen to her latest podcast, Momentum, from the app. Momentum encapsulates Calagna’s current club sound. Her original podcasts, House Blend and Sunlife, which Calagna created around the Winter Party main event, are also available on iTunes. The different podcasts show her range and versatility, from sunny, jazzy uplifting grooves to deep, dark, progressive house. In addition to working in the studio on her own music, Alyson is currently working with producer Flynn Nolan on a track called “Lost in the Music.” She works often with Jose Spinnin in Mexico. She also worked with Barry Huffine as The Housekeeperz; in 2003, the duo produced a track called “Wurkin’” with Ceevox. To really get the feel for Alyson’s House blend, you have to hear her live, surrounded by like-minded souls as she takes you on a journey through the darkness and into the light. She will be in New York for Alegria Halloween on October 30 at the Nokia Theatre. The following weekend, she’s spinning at Hell & Heaven in Bahia, Brazil. Check her website, http://www.djalysoncalagna.com, or her app for other upcoming gigs.   2011-10-28T16:05:34+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/francesco_pagano/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/francesco_pagano/ Circuit parties are about music. They’re about dancing. They’re about eyeballing gorgeous men with sweaty torsos. They’re about doing many other things with gorgeous men with sweaty torsos. But they’re also about building a global community. Witness the unique, amazing and inspiring sense of connectivity that is formed when hundreds of men celebrate the universal language of a beat, and put their hands in the air in simultaneous salute to the party gods. Once upon a time, DJ Pagano longed to feel that kind of community that only music brings. “Sicily is a beautiful place,” says Pagano, who grew up on the southern Italian island. Though he cherishes memories of growing up in Sicily, he explains, “Back in the day — and this was before the Internet — it felt so far away from everything.” It felt especially far from the U.S.A., where much of the music Pagano loved was originating. He would head to the local record store to pick up vinyl from legends emerging out of the Detroit techno and Chicago House scene: producer-remixers like David Morales, Frankie Knuckles and Ralphi Rosario. He’d listen to his records and the booming music coming from Marabu, a nightclub not far from his parent’s summer home, and it would take him on a sonic journey. By the time he was 16, he was hitting raves in the Sicilian mountains. Around the same time he started spinning and spent the better part of the ‘90s cutting his teeth at clubs and events around Italy. At a prodigiously young age, he wound up the head of A&R for Italian label Media Records and in-house producer for the SAIFAM group. And he began to notch his belt with international DJ work that today reads like a laundry list of enviably high-profile club and event gigs: from Privilege and Space (Ibiza) to ARQ (Sydney), Circuit Festival (Barcelona) to Club Latex (Cairo) to Fresh (Amsterdam) — just to name a few. In the early part of this century, he moved to London to be a part of the city’s explosive club scene. The DJ-producer is now based in London, where he can often be heard at the legendary party Trade at Ministry of Sound. He’s also had London residencies at Heaven and Fabri, plus annually headlining the after-hours at the renowned Amsterdam event Rapido. His work as a producer and remix artist, meanwhile, continued to flourish: He’s collaborated with Robin S, Chus & Ceballos, Mauro Picotto, and (how’s this for coming full circle?) one of his own earliest influences, Ralphi Rosario. (“Getting to know him and work with him was a dream come true!” he says.) That’s the bullet-point biography, but what really defines Pagano is his approach to, and perspective on, the Circuit. Yes, he’s made good on his early dreams, carving himself a major niche in the global electronic music scene. But what’s truly special is how that early desire to be part of a larger community through music informs the approach he brings to his craft: he’s passionate about bringing crowds together and encouraging unity among all party people. “One of my favorite parties to play is La Demence in Brussels,” explains Pagano. This regularly scheduled party exemplifies everything great and unifying about gay dance parties: “Everyone converges there, and it fuses the best in all sorts of gay people: bears, leather, fashionistas, young, old. It’s all about the music. Everyone is friendly, there’s no attitude.” He gets the same positive vibe from the crowds he’s spun for at Gay Days in Orlando, or from New York club kids decked out in their elaborate outfits. Pagano loves nothing more than a party where pretense is checked at the door, and crowd members come together as one. “To me, that’s the spirit of a party,” he says. “Friendly people meeting other people who are there to have a good time.” Sometimes, the best times are had not only when disparate groups within the gay community come together, but when all partiers do. “In Europe, many of the best, coolest parties are mixed,” he says, comparing those “50/50” crowds to the relatively segregated gay scene in the U.S. He’s also a bit disappointed by the more commercialized music that is now the soundtrack to many gay parties. “It used to be that you’d go to gay clubs to hear the cool new music,” he says. “But I’d get bored if I went out every week and listened to countless remixes of the same-old-same-old pop artists already overplayed on the radio,” he says, adding that some of the edgiest sounds right now are emerging from mixed scenes. So Pagano fills his sets with what he loves to hear: exclusive bootlegs and cutting edge productions, and dirty, sexy stuff that encompasses everything from hard House to tribal. His style is serving him well, as his profile continues to rise, especially Stateside: among the most recent highlights was his 2010 debut at New York City’s massive Alegria, where he was invited to return for a second set within just six months. Over the last year he’s also been a marquee name at no less than White Party Palm Springs and Atlantis’ 20th Anniversary Caribbean Cruise, among other gigs. Other big coups in 2011 include Infinita Gay Week in Madrid and The Week in Sao Paulo. He’s already booked to spin Allure 2012, another Atlantis Caribbean cruise at the beginning of next year. Besides his live work, he’s become a force to be reckoned with for his work in the studio. In the past year he has scored two Top 10 hits on the club charts and released Digital Generation, a progressive House compilation on U.S. label Kult Records that includes eight of his own original tracks. Plus, he continues to churn out releases on Deviate Records, the independent record label he founded in 2006. The Deviate brand has grown to encompass events, including hugely successful monthlies at Barcode Vauxhall in London. There’s less and less of it these days, but in his spare time Pagano does have one hobby that’s not quite as sexy as spinning: “I’m a shameless sci-fi geek,” he confesses with a laugh. Yes, you might catch him browsing through comic book stores when he’s not in record shops; and one of his original productions, “Kissing the Wookie,” is indeed named in reference to one of his favorite movies, Star Wars. “I know, it’s kind of uncool!” he laughs. Hardly. This Italian master beat mixer is proof that the gay party scene is ready for something — and someone — who brings a difference to the dance floor. 2011-08-01T13:00:57+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/randy_bettis/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/randy_bettis/ This NYC master mixer’s evolving style keeps him relevant — in the DJ booth and the recording studio. They say if you can make it in New York City, you can make it anywhere. That’s doubly true for creative types, who must compete with the best and brightest. Even more impressive are those rare and exceptional individuals who manage to accomplish their goals in multiple genres. Meet Randy Bettis. This Renaissance man’s dancing, acrobatic, and DJ skills have brought him renown in all those disciplines. Now focusing on music production and remixing, he’s gearing up to conquer yet another field. His personal odyssey began in 1985, when he moved from Nashville, where he danced with a troupe at Opryland USA, to New York City to pursue a career on Broadway. He soon landed a gig touring with a production of Cats in Germany. When he returned to New York in 1987, three different stints in Cats followed, as did parts in the critically acclaimed revival of Guys & Dolls, and the highly successful and long-running Miss Saigon. In 1992, he performed in a show at Walt Disney World in Orlando. That same year, he eclipsed a pre-superstar Britney Spears when his dance group “Boys Back East” was crowned Grand Champion Dance Team on CBS’s Star Search. Incidentally, veteran Broadway performer Marty Thomas beat out Spears in that year’s Junior Vocalist competition. Thomas is now collaborating with Bettis on music production. Like all dancers, Bettis had to face the fact that all that hoofing tears up the body, and a dancer has a relatively short shelf life. So he began exploring other, lower impact, creative outlets. A major fan of dance music and club culture, Bettis attended Miami’s Winter Music Conference in 1997 and had his “Eureka!” moment. DJing, he decided, would be a perfect fit for his particular interests and skill set. He proved to be a natural at the craft and soon landed house party gigs for his Broadway pals that eventually caught the eyes and ears of two of New York’s then-biggest party promoters, Marc Berkley and John Blair. Bookings for smaller gigs began trickling in, in Manhattan and on Fire Island. Eventually, he landed a coveted weekly residence at Splash. That helped Bettis establish a loyal local fan base as well as worldwide name recognition, thanks to the many out-of-town visitors for whom a night at the popular Chelsea club is considered as essential as a trip to the Statue of Liberty. Breakthoughs: Winter Party, Black Party, Pier Dance His first big break on the nationwide DJ scene happened in 2001, when Bettis was selected to participate in Winter Party’s annual DJ Showcase. “It was the first time that people outside of the New York club scene had a chance to hear me,” he recalls. “Tony Moran was one of the organizers that year, and that’s when I first came under his eye.” The showcase also introduced Bettis to Corbett Reynolds of the Columbus Red Party, and both connections helped pave the way for future success. It was in 2005, though, when Bettis’ (second) career really skyrocketed with three high-profile bookings. First there was the Saint at Large’s New Year’s Day party, Escape to Candyland, at Capitale. When he was put on the roster to do the coveted Morning Music segment at the Black Party in March, it marked his arrival as a major Circuit DJ. Heritage of Pride chose him to open its gargantuan Dance on the Pier, the capper to New York’s Pride March and, like the Black Party, one of the best-known parties in the world. Residencies at Limelight, Sound Factory, Stereo, Blu, XL, The Monster, and Pavilion in New York and Fire Island soon followed. Bettis is also unusual in having regular gigs in clubs in other cities, such as Velvet Nation and Town Danceboutique in Washington; in Provincetown; at Philadelphia’s Pure; Steel in Fort Lauderdale; RSVP cruises; and the party for which he has become most closely associated, Gay Days in Orlando, Florida. The latter spawned the nationwide Gay Days Tour. Bettis has helmed eight well-received Gay Days CDs for Centaur Music, as well as the White Party and Cherry CDs, as part of the label’s prolific Party Groove series. Retooling Gay Days Bettis is looking forward to touring again this summer in support of his latest Gay Days CD, but is planning to retool the concept to give audiences a slightly different and more innovative experience. “With anything that’s been around a while, people want something new and fresh,” Bettis says. “People used to love getting a physical CD to commemorate the party, but now with digital downloads being the norm, all you have to hand them is a card, which doesn’t feel as special. So we’re working on reinventing the tour to appeal to the next generation.” For the better part of the last decade, Bettis has been exclusively associated with one of his personal favorites, the pool parties during Gay Days. This year, he’s ratcheting it up a bit to play another water-inspired event, Riptide, the signature event at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. “It’s an event I’ve always wanted to play,” Bettis admits. “But I never thought I’d be asked to play it because I do the Gay Days pool parties every year, which aren’t affiliated. So I thought it might be a conflict of interest.” Luckily, the event organizers at Broward House, Broward County, Florida’s oldest and largest non-profit HIV/AIDS community service organization for which the party is a fundraiser, felt differently. So with Gay Days’ blessing, Bettis will play one of the weekend’s largest events, mixing it up for an estimated 6,000 soaking wet revelers on Friday, June 3.   Also on the horizon is a headlining gig in Provincetown during the hot-hot-hot July Fourth Weekend. He’ll be spinning the Pier Dance on McMillan Pier as part of David Flower’s Summer Camp. Bettis considers it “a much more manageable kind of Pier Dance. It feels like you’re at the end of the world, on the ocean, partying with a smaller group of friends.” Involvement With AIDS Causes On Sunday, June 19, Bettis continues his long involvement with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS when he will DJ the enormous — and enormously successful event — at Roseland Ballroom. Bettis has played a pivotal role in nearly all of the annual benefits for the group’s events since its inception in 1990: first as a featured dancer for several early years; then as the evening’s DJ for all but one of the remaining years since. In his spare time (yes, somehow he manages to find it), Bettis does a weekly mixshow on G.I.R.L. (Gay Internet Radio Live) and a satellite broadcast on Sirius Radio’s OutQ Saturday Night Out. He also acts as a reporting DJ for Billboard and is a member of the Recording Academy, meaning his vote helps determine who receives Grammy Awards.  Bettis revels in finding — and creating — fresh remixes of old classics. He’s been known to drop updated versions of Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon,” Erasure’s “A Little Respect,” and his personally remixed cover by Jason Walker of one of his favorite club hits, Sabrina Johnson’s “What Hope Have I.” Bettis is currently working with his BetBoyz production partner, composer/arranger David Boyd (whose many credits include writing the music for the off-Broadway smash My Big Gay Italian Wedding), on a cover of Pat Benatar’s “We Belong” with singer Matt Zarley. The single is going to be released as a benefit for The Trevor Project, an organization dedicated to preventing suicides in the LGBTQ community. Last year, he produced a Pride anthem, “Pride Is the Word.” Like any good DJ, Bettis’ sound has evolved over the years. “My night tells a story,” Bettis explains of his core philosophy. “I still think of it in respect to having a dialogue with the audience. It’s really about the vocals telling a story.” But lately he’s been transitioning into newer ground, experimenting with a more progressive sound, a “House party DJ with a big room sound. I think music got a little thin or a little dark for a while,” he notes. “I was having trouble trying to figure out which direction I wanted to go in. But I think now I find myself going much more for a bigger room sound, a more tribal sound, with more of a world feel.” Along with further developing his remix skills and working more on the engineering side of things, Bettis is looking to play more international gigs. He’d particularly like to check out hot spots like Barcelona, Brazil and London, all nightlife Meccas. “I just want to go and see how people react to dance music, and just learn from difference cultures,” he says. “For me, that’s the next step.” Wish List Typhoon Lagoon @ Disney (Orlando) Black & Blue (Montreal) The Week (São Paulo) Circuit Festival (Barcelona) Mardi Gras (Sydney) Where Nightlife Surprised Me Shanghai (D2 Nightclub) Indianapolis (Talbott Street) Saugatuck (The Dunes) Charlotte (The Eagle) Ogunquit (Mainestreet Nightclub) Favorite Club Reworks Band of Gold by Kimberley Locke (Almighty Club Mix) Relight My Fire by Ricky Martin ft. Loleatta Holloway (Hex Hector Club Mix) Don’t Stop Believing by Brian Kent (Keith Haarmeyer Remix) Saturday Night Sunday Morning by T-Empo Feat. Juliet Roberts (T-Empo Club Mix) If You Could Read My Mind by Stars on 54 (Amber, Ultra Nate & Jocelyn Enriquez) (Hex Hector Club Mix) Favorite Summer Classics Life, Love & Happiness by Brian Kennedy (Jimmy Gomez Club Mix) Breathe by Vick Moore (Club Mix) High by Lighthouse Family (Original Vocal Mix) Looking At You by Sunscreem (Jimmy Gomez Club Mix) Let The Sunshine In by Milk & Sugar (all mixes) 2011-04-29T03:55:04+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/the_perry_twins/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/the_perry_twins/ Doug and Derek Perry are perfectly comfortable finishing each other’s sentences. It’s a twin thing. The way they work in tandem helps mesh their DJ sets into an organic flow, even though there are two at the controls. Where most brothers would be squabbling over what to play next, the Perry Twins are effortlessly passing the tables to one another — and blowing away crowds across the globe with their signature sound. “We had actually seen each other every day of our lives until we were 20 years old, which is really weird,” Derek explains. It’s the kind of “weird” that people are increasingly learning to love about these two stars from Los Angeles. With huge hits under their belt like “Activate My Body” featuring Jania and “Bad, Bad Boy” with Niki Haris, success is obviously in their blood. A Family Affair Growing up in Rhode Island, Doug and Derek tried in vain every Thursday to hear the latest episode of Seinfeld over the sound of their parents’ band, which was called Fortune. It was a “huge distraction when all we wanted to do was watch TV, do our homework and go to sleep,” Doug says. “But we did get to hear a lot of great music. I really miss going to sleep hearing our mom singing and our dad playing the drums ‘til 2 in the morning.” It’s not often the kids have to tell their parents to keep the noise down.  They may have been loud, but the twins learned valuable lessons from them about hard work and making it as entertainers. “We grew up appreciating all kinds of music, and now we share the same passion for music that they do,” Derek says. “We had the added benefit of our ears ringing a little bit on Friday mornings, and now we’re returning that gift to them when they come see us DJ,” he mischievously adds. The best lesson they learned was how not to take life too seriously. “For them, it was all about having a good time and making people happy,” Doug notes. “That’s how we try to approach things, too.” The boys wasted no time grabbing the musical baton from their parents. They started DJing at local clubs at an early age and launched Dance Planet, a radio show that ran for five years in New England. Touring with a dance troupe of the same name along the East Coast gave them a 360-degree view of what it takes to put on a great show. It doesn’t hurt that these two are easy on the eyes, but they put in the time and work to make sure they were much more than just a pair of pretty faces. Go West, Young Men Their love of the Ocean State couldn’t keep these restless spirits from eventually wandering west to seek their fortune. Driving around the City of Angels in 2003 was enough to convince them that this was where they belonged. The promise of sun and showbiz has lured many beautiful boys who want to be stars (and end up pumping gas and parking cars). The twins had their talent and a ton of experience already, though, so they quickly became fixtures in the local Circuit scene. Looking like models never hurts in L.A., either. Like many DJs, they eventually started producing their own tracks. In 2007, while putting together a compilation called Activate, they decided to contribute an original song of their own. They had been writing songs since they were kids, so it seemed like the natural thing to do. They considered calling it “Activate My Love,” but then decided to turn the volume up a bit and went with “Activate My Body.” The rest is dancefloor history The track spent several months on the Billboard’s Hot Dance/Club Play chart. A smoldering hot video and megawatt remix from Escape and Dom Capello made it official. The Perry Twins had arrived. Divas To The Dancefloor, Please But they didn’t do it alone. “Once it started coming together, we knew that our friend Jania, who is an amazing singer and performer, would be perfect for the vocals and to bring the song to life,” Doug reminisces. They were right: Jania belts out the lyrics with the full force of a seasoned dancefloor diva. They also worked with Quinn Coleman on writing the track. Quinn is like “the third Perry Twin,” according to Doug. All the ingredients were now in place to take it to the next level. Having worked with Circuit luminaries such as Kristine W., Niki Haris, Ari Gold, and Tony Moran, one begins to wonder if the term “diva” is ever more than just a compliment. Derek assured us that “most of the club divas we’ve met and worked with have been extremely humble and sweet.” A great example is Abigail, whom they worked with recently on “We’ll Never Know.” She was “so easy to work with and is so down to earth in addition to obviously being extremely talented,” explains Derek. Of course, stressful situations arise in the business of show, but the worst these two have ever experienced was a heel to the head from a fired-up club diva, who shall remain nameless. Doug laughs about it now, telling us “she’s like our sister and I still love her. I just keep my distance when she has one of her stilettos in hand.” World Domination and Beyond! Maybe it’s the fact that they grew up on the East Coast and relocated to the West Coast, but their musical style is a syncretism of the two very different sounds found along the Atlantic and Pacific. The Perry Twins definitely play upbeat, even poppy mixes of diva anthems and straightforward-beat scansions that are associated with L.A. But to that, they add bass-driven House derivatives and some non-vocal, drum-based interludes. That combination is what is making them a favorite choice for Circuit venues, where the crowd is divided between the melody-and-lyrics camp and the tribal-drum-‘n’-bass boys. At this point, the tiwns have toured the world, whipping crowds into a frenzy in gay hotspots like Montreal, Dallas, Boston, San Francisco and even a major party on Fire Island. Playing the Bay Dance last year was a highlight for the Twins. Doug told us it was “so cool” to play from a booth jutting into Great South Bay with fireworks going off around them. They hope they have the opportunity to do it again soon. Meanwhile, they keep expanding their repertoire. They mention Richard “Humpty” Vission and Afrojack as dream collaborators, but they don’t limit their imaginations. Derek’s list “is seemingly endless when it comes to people who we want to work with in 2011. How much space do we have here for the complete list?” Coming up, the Perry Twins will be appearing at the Purple Party in Dallas and Mark Baker’s Wonderland in Orlando. Don’t worry, they assured noiZe that “there will be quite a few Perry Twins releases in 2011. We have some big projects which we can’t announce yet — but this should definitely be our best year yet!” Where the Twins Have Been A few sample gigs from the fraternal duo: Unity - Montreal Red Dress Party - Seattle Fresh - San Francisco Splash Bash - Phoenix The Roxy - Boston Tracks - Denver Krave - Las Vegas Gay Ski Week - Telluride, Colo. Pride Ball - San Diego Babylon - Salt Lake City Nation - Mexico White Party - Palm Springs Twisted Element - Calgary Winter Party Weekend - Miami Ascension Weekend - Fire Island Black & White Ball - New York Jungle - Atlanta 2011-02-15T07:54:08+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/moto_blanco/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/moto_blanco/ Ask any DJ/producers if they crave some form of mainstream success, and many will scoff at you, claiming to prefer the grind of struggling in the underground. This is most likely a lie; every artist wants to be recognized for his or her achievements — along with all the critical attention and economic rewards. Most of them never get there, which is why the idealized “underground” is such a popular answer to the question. Danny Harrison and Arthur Smith — the two men behind the British power production team Moto Blanco — have seen both sides of this equation. For almost two decades, they haven’t had any problem playing huge venues as major draws, while enjoying huge success as producers for major-label artists like Mary J. Blige, Lady Gaga, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Rihanna. When you ask them about their mainstream success, however, you quickly realize that these two prefer to let the music do the talking for them — which might help explain their runaway success. “We are men of few words,” says Danny Harrison, who also works under the name Bobby Blanco. “Just listen to the music.” People have been listening to, and loving, their production work in one form or another since 1989. A Mutual Love of Music A mutual love of music is what brought Danny and Arthur together, way back when they had met as schoolmates. Like many great British music stories, it all started in a record store. “We met in the ‘90s in the now-legendary London record shop Big Apple Records in Croydon,” explains Danny. “I was making tracks on the weekends and evenings but had a ‘nine-to-five’ shipping in U.S. import 12-inchers, picking them up at the airport and selling them to the London shops. Arthur had a studio above the shop, so we’d always chat about music and stuff.” Those chats led to an appreciation of each other’s musical tastes and talents, so they started cutting tracks together. “I honestly can’t remember the first track we did; I guess it was a U.K. Garage thing,” Danny recalls, “maybe a Menta track.” Soon thereafter, Defected Records signed the duo, and they were having a blast doing what they both loved best. Phoning up their DJ friends with fake bookings became a thing of the past, but that mischievous spirit still permeates the Moto Blanco sound. As for that crazy name: Danny already had been using the pseudonym Bobby Blanco, and asked Arthur to come up with one of his own. Arthur had seen and loved the name Mikimoto in Japan. However, releasing a steadily increasing number of tracks as a “Bobby Blanco and Miki Moto remix” seemed tedious and verbose. So they shorthanded it to Moto Blanco. Not surprisingly, Danny notes, “Everyone thought we were a Spanish, Italian, or Japanese duo of producers,” as many still do! “They still get a shock when they find out we are two South London herberts,” U.K. slang for “couch potato.”  Croydon, where they met, was also the birthplace of Dubstep, the gritty, constantly evolving sound of the U.K. underground dance scene. Originally just dub versions of the more popular 2-Step Garage tracks that incorporated the breaks and dark basslines of Jungle, Dubstep has splintered into a myriad of micro-genres. “For me, the real pioneers of that scene were the U.S. guys,” Danny says — names like Victor Simonelli, MK, Todd Edwards, Jazz-N-Groove, Wayne Gardiner. “That was the music I was hearing and playing. We’d speed it up and play the dubs, but soon U.K. producers were bringing their twist to it — a bit heavier on the bass. It’s now U.K. Funky and Dubstep that are the sound of young London.” Given the storied trans-Atlantic musical ping-pong effect between the States and Great Britain, it’s no surprise that the Dubstep sound eventually found proponents in the Hip-Hop and R&B scene, with producers like Timbaland cashing in on the kinetic sound. As for Moto Blanco, their sound evolved from Dubstep eventually to settle into the fun, upbeat, Disco-House variant that has made them the latest import sensation in the Circuit world. AT Home Abroad These two “South London herberts” have managed to find a happy home in the international — and, more recently, U.S. — Circuit scene. Just this year, they played some prominent tea dances and headlined the Pines Party, the big oceanfront all-night event, as well as the Saturday night before the even bigger oceanfront Ascension Party at Fire Island’s prestigious Pavilion. No doubt, it’s their infectious, happy sound, as well as their ability to draw marquee-name talent to their remixing abilities, that have the Circuit boiz dancing. Even on those rare occasions when they have found a crowd unresponsive, they have managed to make omelettes from the broken eggs. “We’ve done gigs in Russia where our remixes have cleared the floor,” admits Harrison. “But fuck ‘em! The bar staff seemed to like it!” Asked about their big-label appeal, Danny says, “In this game you’re only as good as your last mix. We’d been busy, but after the first Grammy nomination for Mary J. Blige’s ‘Be Without You,’ things went crazy. We were booked up with mixes for months and months, and it didn’t slow down.” Miss Mary J. can have that effect on a career. Not afraid of being radio-friendly, the duo was soon working with people like Leona Lewis and Jennifer Hudson. They both harbor a healthy respect for such artists. “They are all amazing songs and brilliant singers,” Danny said. “You can’t fail.” Despite working with such glittering talent, it was a complimentary email from the Brazilian Bossa Nova legend Sergio Mendes that meant the most to them as artists. What does the future hold for these two venerable producers? Danny makes sure to point out that music is the driving force behind what they do, and that isn’t likely to change: “Even if we weren’t making music, it would still be in our lives! We live it, eat it, and breathe it!” They still love “a good knees-up,” when they have the downtime, and they enjoy the party scene in all of its variety. This lack of attitude and cynicism is as likely to keep them in the dance music spotlight as the music itself. Danny Harrison concluded that a healthy respect for the past might be the best recipe for the future. “My earliest memories of clubbing were hearing a Funk track, then a House track, then Techno, Disco, Reggae … anything! The highs and lows of the night are what it’s all about. Good music is good music. I think we need to get back to that a bit more.” 2010-11-02T07:28:20+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/twisted_dee_and_phil_b/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/twisted_dee_and_phil_b/ With August here, you can look forward to one of the month’s big events — the party that you have been waiting for since last August. Now in its fifth year, Fire Island Pines’ “Ascension” has grown from a single beach party to an entire weekend of parties, performances and events with something for everyone. Of course, the main attraction remains the main beach party, which starts at noon on Sunday, Aug. 15. But the night before, at 6 p.m., the tradition of High Tea will take on a new life with the addition of two faces already familiar to the Circuit. DJ Twisted Dee and DJ Phil B will take their positions at the turntables and turn the traditional Tea into a four-hour dance party that will effectively serve as the opening act to the main party. Like a runner who carbo-loads the night before a marathon, our dynamic duo will set out to energize the partygoers and give them a warm-up for the events to follow on Sunday morning. In other words, hire someone to cook dinner that night because no one in your house should miss this event! Two years ago on July Fourth, tragedy brought together two talents who had admired each other but had never worked together before. Cary Stringfellow was a mutual friend to both Dee Martello (DJ Twisted Dee) and DJ Phil B (Phil Bhullar). After Stringfellow’s untimely death, Dee (who is based on the East Coast) and Phil B. (who is based on the West Coast) met and were immediately booked to spin at Splash Days in Austin, Texas, over the Labor Day weekend. Stringfellow, a well-known and much-loved DJ and club owner from Salt Lake City, was originally slated to headline the event. The pairing of these bi-coastal DJs can only be categorized as serendipitous, and will remain as the legacy of his unfortunate death. The joy they create together is a tribute to Stringfellow and the 36 years he lived. I spoke to both DJs individually by phone, and they both emphasized the impact that Stringfellow had on their lives personally and professionally. “Cary brought people together in his personal life as well as on the dance floor,” Martello says with a bittersweet tone. “Without Cary Stringfellow, there is no Twisted Dee and Phil B partnership. He was one in a million.” “I cannot imagine my life without him in it,” Phil B says. “He will be with me every day of my life.” Opposites Attract It is a well-known and accepted notion that opposites attract but rarely do they complement and balance one another like these two. Dee Martello was raised in the Long Island suburbs — in Commack, N.Y. She attended Hauppauge High School, not far from the Great South Bay, the body of water that separates Long Island from Fire Island. She looks back nostalgically about the place where she first became interested in turntables and the dance floor: “My dad owned the Sting in Smithtown, one of the first discotheques on Long Island. So when I got out of school, I would go over and help the bartender and cut fruit. One day after I finished, I walked into the DJ booth. I never wanted to leave.” When the club closed a few years later, Dee inherited the DJ equipment and vinyl: “At that point there was no turning back.”  Bhullar’s own road to the DJ booth started early, when he was about eight years old. His family was living in England at the time. “From a young age, I remember being fascinated by dance music,” he recalls. “Every dime I had was spent on records.” His first 12-inch single was Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lets’ “Get Dancing.” “The disc wore out long ago but I have the cover framed,” Bhullar jokes. He has been working throughout the world as a DJ for 22 years and has spun at most of the major U.S. Circuit events at one time or another. “I have always been fascinated by this country, the politics, the culture, the diversity,” he says. “I was living in Australia when my career really began, but I soon realized what a small place it was and that I would have to move to another country if my career was going to grow.” So he moved to San Francisco, where his career really took off. Mutual Admiration Since that first gig, the duo has played close to a dozen events together. “Event producers like to call it ‘dueling DJs’ to set up the intrigue of competition,” Bhullar says. “But we really don’t duel; we balance each other’s style.” After all, how can you dual with someone you admire and respect so much? “Phil is phenomenal. His music is totally different from mine in so many ways, but I love what he does,” Martello exclaims. “He has the ability to work the most docile dance floor into a frenzy.” Ditto on his part: “The first time I heard Denise spin I was amazed. Her mixes are seamless and sexy and energized. Any major Circuit event is incomplete without Denise as far as I am concerned. But I may be biased.” Each member of the pair attributes their success spinning together to communication. “We just played Avalon in L.A. on July Fourth, and during the nine-hour event, except for restroom breaks, we stayed a few feet from each other and kept an unbroken line of communication,” says Martello, who describes her style as “sexy tribal,” whereas Bhullar claims to be more “mainstream with an edge of techno and trance.” He reiterates her praise: Working with Martello is such a joy because her style challenges him to take greater risks, he says. “Denise has much bigger balls than I do,” Phil B enthuses. “Sometimes she makes choices that are so unpredictable and risky, and I am always left thinking, ‘How did she make that work?’” Martello is especially relieved to be working with Phil at an event so “he can play the Lady Gaga. Don’t get me wrong,” she hastens to add. “I love Gaga, but I feel a responsibility to bring new music to every event. I don’t want to play something that we have already heard three times today.” Martello reiterates the importance of the sexual energy in her tracks: “I like to tap directly into people’s emotions, make them feel joy, nostalgic, happiness and above all, sexy.” She related a story about a recent event when she looked down on the dance floor to discover three guys fucking right in front of her. “My job here is done,” she remembers thinking to herself. 2010-07-29T13:36:29+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/dj_chus/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/dj_chus/ Fiercely proud of their Spanish roots, Chus + Ceballos have capitalized on a sound derived from their native land that has become their trademark. The native Madrileños are more than willing to bring their unique Iberian flair to dance floors and Circuit parties around the world. “Our sound is infectious and very contagious,” Chus says in a recent interview. “You can’t stop dancing for hours. The rhythm takes over your body and you enjoy yourself until the end. We love to see people enjoying themselves.” Chus + Ceballos define “Iberian Sound” as a “delicious blend of hypnotizing, warm, inviting tribal soundscapes laced with a brilliant use of modern tech elements.” This sound certainly integrates itself well into the renowned nightlife of the party island of Ibiza, where the two have become virtually the resident DJs. Picture watching the sunrise over the Mediterranean on a balmy summer morning after a night of dancing and you’ll have some idea of the groove. Chus emphasizes, however, that their Iberian Sound goes far beyond the small Balearic island that lures hordes of eager partygoers from around the world each summer: “It is the meeting point of two cultures; the Spanish and Portuguese with the solid influence of American house — similar, but at the same time different.” Chus’ Personal Journey Born in Madrid in 1971, Chus came of age during la movida madrileña. This cultural movement transformed Spanish society in the 1980s. Its primary movers and shakers were the young people who were especially eager to shake off the oppression during the long, dark years of the fascist Francisco Franco, who ruled for nearly 40 years after the Spanish Civil War. These disaffected youth finally found an outlet for their angst on the streets of Madrid. Directors Pedro Almódovar and Iván Zulueta, and fashion designer Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada were among the dozens of figures who emerged out of la movida. So did musicians such as the bands Alaska y los Pegamoides and Aviador Dro, which helped popularize electronica and experimental music in Madrid’s suddenly exploding club scene. It was under this backdrop — at the height of acid house’s popularity in the Spanish capital in the late 1980s — that Chus landed his first gig, at a club appropriately called Alien. Chus then took up a residency at Kadoc on the Algarve — the southernmost tip of Portugal and a tourist Mecca — in the summer of 1992. Two years later, he opened the seven-story Teatro Kapital disco in the heart of Madrid. Kapital, with its three dance floors, remains one of the Spanish capital’s most popular clubs. Chus stayed there as resident DJ for the next seven years, where he perfected his driving Latin-inflected dance music. Madrid’s nightlife is arguably the best in Europe. Most clubs don’t open their doors until midnight, but they don’t really get going until 2 or even 3 a.m. Several after-hour clubs allow Madrileños to keep the party going well into the morning. And it is not unknown to see weary clubgoers stumbling home after noon. Chus continues to find the capital’s vibrant nightlife a steady source of inspiration. “Madrid is my native city, and it is the perfect place to work,” Chus says. “It is near virtually every destination in the world — in the middle of Europe, near the United States, and near Asia. Strategically perfect!” The Algarve remains a second home for Chus, his wife and their eight-year-old daughter when he is not working, but his solo career has taken him to venues that range from ageHa in Tokyo to Peppermint in Dubai and Stereo in Montreal. He has remixed and collaborated on projects for Enrique Iglesias, Yoko Ono, Danny Tenaglia, Superchumbo and others. A Productive DJ Partnership Chus co-founded Stereo Productions in 2001 with Pablo Ceballos and Carlos Manaça. Chus + Ceballos began to collaborate a short time later. Chus + Ceballos have remixed tracks for Madonna, Deep Dish and Plastic Fantastic, as well as many other artists and producers. The duo, currently resident DJs at megaclubs Stereo, New York’s Pacha and Miami’s Space, headlined the Winter Music Conference in Miami this year and last. The duo has also done sets at Parking in Montreal and Cielo in New York. “Each place is different, and it has its own characteristics,” Chus notes. “As a result, I like to adapt my sessions to each place. I like it when I play several times in the same place, because each time I get to know the public better, and each time I am better adapted to the expectations of each crowd.” Circuit Popularity The Spanish magazine Deejay declared Chus + Ceballos the Best Tribal and Progressive DJs in 2007. Their ever-expanding body of work increasingly includes the gay party scene. Chus + Ceballos headlined the White Party in Palm Springs alongside the Freemasons and Moto Blanco on April 10, as well as Alegria in January. “We are heterosexuals but we are friends of the gay guys,” Chus says. “We love to spin for them, because they have a special sixth sense about music and how to have fun. They know how to enjoy themselves and appreciate our work in a very special manner.” Chus observed the dance scene is more or less the same around the world, but he did note some differences in the way gay men react to his sets. “Perhaps the only big difference between gays and straights is that when they go to a party they do it to have a good time and to dance for hours,” he notes. “Nothing is more important to them. Gay people are very musically educated, and they know the DJs and their sound very well. They are very exacting and they don’t conform to a particular thing. They are an audience of high quality, and as a result it puts us to the test constantly.” Fans can continue to keep tabs on Chus + Ceballos on their website (http://www.stereo-productions.com/monophone-dj-agency/chus-ceballos) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/chusceballos), or at Stereo Productions (http://www.stereo-productions.com). 2010-04-27T03:39:25+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/freemasons/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/freemasons/ “Why the Freemasons?” asks Jeffrey Sanker, rhetorically. Why a British duo sought after for their melodic and musically rich sound by the biggest names in the music industry to headline the White Party? We’ll let him explain it: “After last year’s 20th anniversary of the party, I wanted to break out of the same mold, take a different angle, get internationally known DJs. Everyone 25 and under kept saying, ‘Freemasons! Freemasons! Freemasons!’” Thusly does Sanker explain a decision that has rocked the Circuit world. By booking the hottest DJs/producers/remixers in the world right now, he has refashioned what defines a major American dance event. The British duo is at the top of their game—and at the top of the dance-music world. Since they burst on the scene with the definitive mash-up—the disco standard “This Time Baby” and Tina Turner’s “When the Heartache Is Over,” sung by Amanda Wilson—they have become the go-to guys for every first-name dance diva, from Shakira, Beyonce and Whitney to Heather Headley, Kelly Rowland and Kylie Minogue. They have also played every big house from Brussels to Melbourne, although they parse out their DJ gigs since it keeps them away from the studio, their real home. So what are these two mainstream DJs doing flying halfway across the world to spin at a Circuit party, even one as big as the White Party? It’s simple: We get their music. And they love us for it. “It is quite bizarre, two straight guys making music really embraced by the gay community,” said James Wiltshire, half of the Freemasons (along with Russell Small) during a recent London interview. “But we’re much more able to play what we’ve created with you guys. You’re much more accepting to vocals.” For other gigs, the crowd wants to hear underground sounds, the thump-thump of tribal. That’s not Wiltshire and Small’s style. “We love playing gay parties!” James says. It’s not only the diva anthems—although that’s a large part of it. “When we walk into a gay party, we can play the music we made. If we’re playing another party, we’ve got to play a lot of underground; but we do want to play what we make.” Last summer, the Freemasons played their first East Coast gig for the Saint at Large. The concert, held on Governor’s Island off the coast of Lower Manhattan, was a big success and introduced the Freemasons to their base of gay American fans. It also let us take a look and listen to the group that produces so much of the music we’ve been dancing to lately. According to party veterans Mark Thompson and Robert Doyle, the crowd really “went crazy and stayed that way” once the Freemasons took over the booth. “With smoke billowing and red lights flashing, Freemasons took over—and right from the start, the boyz were whooping it up and bouncing all over the asphalt, working it out, shaking it down, so that when the Freemasons really hit their stride with remixes of ‘Love on My Mind,’ ‘Sexual Healing,’ ‘Déjà Vu,’ ‘Just Can’t Get Enough,’ ‘Lola’s Theme,’ ‘When Doves Cry,’ ‘Rain Down Love,’ ‘If I Were a Boy,’ and ‘Ring the Alarm,’ the floor was filled with boyz who were dancing, really dancing,” Thompson and Doyle wrote on EdgeNewYork.com. White Party Posse Although they have previously played one relatively small (non-gay) party in San Francisco, the White Party really marks their West Coast debut—certainly their West Coast gay debut and their first major U.S. Circuit party. Previously, they headlined Sydney Mardi Gras, Melbourne and Auckland, New Zealand. Jeffrey Sanker, the impresario of the Palm Springs weekend-long extravaganza, certainly has taken to heart the rumblings that the Circuit needs a shake-up from the usual roster. Having decided on the Freemasons, he spoke to their manager, who had to rearrange their schedule. “That tells me they really wanted to do it,” he said. With their U.S. work visa expiring at the end of April, the timing was perfect. Although they will headline the White Party, the weekend will also feature a cast of Circuit all-stars. Manny Lehman is the lead-in for the Freemasons at the main event, while another European sensational crossover duo, Spain’s Chus+Ceballos, play the after-party. With the U.K.’s Wayne G and Moto Blanco playing the Sunday Tea Dance, this White Party is a truly international affair. It’s all part of Sanker’s plan to mix up the playlist between new talent well known to the rest of the world but new to Circuit boys, and favorites like Abel, Lehman, Brett Henrichsen, Tony Moran and Joe Gauthreaux. With wild card Chi Chi LaRue, New York’s up-and-comer Scotty Thomson and Luke Johnstone, this promises to be musically the most interesting White Party yet.   Still, Sanker has been picking up the vibe that the anticipation is riding especially high from the thousands of attendees to hear the Freemasons. Playing earlier in the night fits perfectly with the hands-in-the-air songs that they have made their trademark. One of the big questions looming over their set is whether they will mix in other artists’ and arrangers’ work or limit themselves to their own handicraft. Considering their voluminous output, a long evening could easily be comprised of nothing but those sounds composed, produced, remixed or at least mashed-up from the Freemasons themselves. Sanker, for one, expects and hopes that they play their own music, if not exclusively, than for the bulk of the set. “Their music fits the evening perfectly,” the L.A.-based promoter said. The Current State of Dance Music On their end, they happily fess up to enjoying what they make and wanting to share the upbeat tempos, feisty lyrics and musical ornamentation. “It’s certainly heavy with our stuff,” James says of their infrequent club gigs. “But, yeah, we play other stuff as well.” The duo does always manage to bring all new mash-ups and production numbers to wherever they’re playing. They are anticipating introducing a song from Sophie Ellis-Bextor, a British singer not well known in America—yet. The most important thing for them is to play off the energy of the crowd. These are not DJs-as-gods, who sit perched on a turntable Olympus, deciding what kind of mood to bestow up on the dance floor. “We’re fairly conscious of what’s going on,” James says. “But every crowd is different.” The Freemasons are optimistic about the current state of dance music. James remembers the days not so very long ago when progressive House provided hardly any chord progression at all. “Russell and I carry on with what we want to do: melody! Others can do tribal; they do it better than we can, anyway.” Above all, he sees the function of a DJ is to use his music to bring people together to express their emotions collectively. That’s one of the reasons why Russell and James are so well known for looking at each other in the booth. They’re both responding to and enjoying the feelings emanating from the crowd. As for Sanker, he is fully cognizant that the big-name talent this year will be in the DJ booth. If there is any entertainment at the main event in Palm Springs, it certainly will be lower key than last year’s appearance by Lady Gaga. “This year, it’s all about the music,” he said. “Friends from Sydney told me how amazing they were there—crowds of tens of thousands of boys, hands in the air the whole time. That’s what I want to bring here.” 2010-02-13T16:35:24+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/dj_spotlight_ana_paula/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/dj_spotlight_ana_paula/ Like a fireworks display during Carnaval in her native Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian Ana Paula has exploded on the U.S. gay party scene. In this, her first English-language profile, the gorgeous groovemistress gives it up for noiZe. Usually, DJs work their way slowly, ever so slowly, up the greasy pole, from local bars to small parties, to larger parties. Eventually, if they’re ambitious, creative and talented enough, they attract a following. Once in a while, however, a DJ seems to burst on the scene like a supernova. Two years ago, if you told someone Ana Paula was spinning a party, you’d get a blank stare. No more. From her gigs with Brett Henrichsen in Los Angeles and Peter Rauhofer, to stints at New York’s Splash, Paula has become a regular fixture on the Circuit. To crown her success stateside, she’ll be headlining the 2010 Winter Party’s main event on the beach. The Carioca (native-born Rio resident) began her passion for music as a child. Growing up in Rio means being happily surrounded by beats—samba, bossa nova, conga. “I’ve always been surrounded by music and groove,” she tells noiZe. “I was a different kind of kid because I used to listen to music 24/7. I had all kinds of tapes and records, like Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones, Madonna, Duran Duran, George Michael, Illusion-Imagination.” While still in her teens, she would run away to partake of the very active local club scene, which is where she first came in contact with the genre that would become her passion, House. Her career began in the way a lot of DJs did back in the day when radio playlists ruled the recording industry here in the States—and still do in other parts of the world. A producer named Meme discovered her and she was invited to have her own radio show. It didn’t take long for her to become the radio station’s most popular on-air DJ. From Brazil to Beyond Building on that fan base, she received her initiation into the gay party world with X-Demente, which she calls “a watershed event in Brazilian gay Circuit party history. Being there made me work at always being prepared for all kinds of crowds,” she adds, “and that made me go to all the sides and tastes of House music.” The X-Demente parties proved to be a nurturing environment where she could work out her own sound and where she learned how to connect to a crowd. From there, she moved over to the West Side Club, a Rio mainstay, where she was a resident DJ for five years. From there, she began spinning throughout Brazil and then began her conquest of the rest of Latin America. Her first gigs outside of that part of the globe were in the newly hot club scene in Israel’s port city. “Steffen Schappert and Offer Nissim invited me to play in Tel Aviv,” she recalls. After playing the Middle East and Europe, she was ready for America. Her first North American gig was, not surprisingly, in Montreal, at the 2007 DiversCité celebration. House, Cariocan Style Along the way, she constructed the distinctive style that has propelled her to stardom here. Her samba-inflected House mixes sounds for an infectious upbeat rhythm-dominated set. In the last decade, she has managed to work with DJs who each, in his or her own way, has influenced her own playlist and style. “I listen to them and they inspire me to work hard and to connect more and more with people,” she says. She resists labels like “straight” and “gay.” Her music, she says, is for everyone. Although she approaches every gig on its own terms, she also doesn’t arrive with any preconceived notions. It’s that sense of fun that has enabled her to spin, all within a few weeks, Peter Rauhofer’s hard-driving “Work” one night after Parking in Montreal and two weeks before “Rapido” in Amsterdam. She remains close with family members, who have always encouraged her chosen field. Her mom, in fact, gave her her first set of DJ equipment. When she’s not traveling the world, she likes to spend time at home, where she relaxes with her friends just watching TV and—this is Rio we’re talking about—going to the beach, a pastime that has given her that amazing tan. She also plays sports—not surprising if you look at that bodacious build—and videogames. Paula has signed with Rauhofer’s *69 label and plans to begin some remixing projects. In the meantime, fans can keep up with her on her Myspace page and DJAnaPaula.com, which lists her upcoming gigs and her compilation CDs. 2009-11-01T01:14:10+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/mark_anthony/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/dj_profiles/mark_anthony/ He’s best known as the DJ who helped build up Black & Blue from a tiny gathering of friends into the super-event that it is today. But Mark Anthony has long been a mover and shaker on the Montreal club scene. There’s no irony in a straight DJ being the impresario who has helped make this Canadian city the gay nightlife capital of North America: He readily and happily confesses to enjoying playing to a gay crowd. “It’s the gay crowd that made me who I am today,” he says. “That is the crowd I prefer to play. I prefer gay because I get to be more me. In a straight venue, they want it a little harder. It’s a whole different vibe. I’ve always been more comfortable in the gay scene. “When you’re playing a gay venue, it’s more vocals,” he adds. “They love their divas, and so do I. I’m a song kind of guy. I have a preference for vocals. In a gay venue, I play vocals, whether I’m in Provincetown, New York or Miami.” In a way, Anthony came to his signature sound of “big room” vocals from a journey that’s the opposite of many of today’s signature-name DJs, who moved from vocals to a tribal, drum-and-bass percussion-oriented playlist. He began in his teens scratching as the DJ for a rap group. From there, he developed an interest in House music. He worked with a handful of promoters to transform Montreal from a sleepy city in a once-conservative Catholic province to the powerhouse it is today. He began making trips to New York to absorb the hip hop scene. It was there that he discovered the old Sound Factory and Sound Factory Bar, where Frankie Knuckles, the godfather of House, ruled the turntables. For the young up-and-comer, it was a revelation. He returned to Montreal and, with local gay club pioneer Pierre Viens, proceeded to help remake the clubs along Saint-Laurent Boulevard. He started at a club called Mekano and moved on to places sprouting up and down the Ste.-Catherine corridor in the gay Le Village-legendary venues like Garage (later Mars l’Alternathéque), the Bronx, Joy, and Sex Garage. Then, in 1991, he was invited to headline Black & Blue, which is what brought him to a larger North American audience. “I was in the right place at the right time,” he reflects. “I was producing a lot of events myself, several warehouse parties so that I could play the music I liked, get the music out there.” Right after Black & Blue, he established a residency at Playground, Montreal’s first legal afterhours club. Not long after that came Stereo, and the rest, as they say, is history. Playing the Circuit The U.S. beckoned, and Anthony answered. He has played many of the major Circuit events, from Miami to Los Angeles and points in between. These days, as the father of two young children (he has a daughter, Cozette, and a son, Massimo), he finds himself less inclined to travel, although some gigs still do manage to tempt him out of town, such as the Provincetown Airport during the huge Fourth of July weekend earlier this summer. Along with his wife and business partner, Sandra Jean-Bart, he’s been working on several fronts. He has established himself for innovative remixes. Unlike many DJs who content themselves with tinkering with other people’s songs, Anthony is that rare breed who actually makes original music. With his wife, the two have their own band, Lectroluxe (along with some session musicians). They have been busy in Anthony’s Montreal studio creating ambient music-not the Brian Eno “music for airports” stuff; downtempo, yes, but very, very danceable. He favors original music to compilation CDs, although his discography includes well-received compilations under the Circuit Sessions, Global Groove, Circuit Party and, of course, Black & Blue monikers. Original productions date back to the early ‘90s. He’s now putting out a slew of Lectroluxe songs on the local Dark Panties label, which also has produced DJ Oren Nizri and local chanteur, Derick H. Regardless of where he’s spinning, Anthony sees the DJ’s responsibility to get people dancing over making an artistic statement. That’s one reason why he favors vocals over tribal beats. “A beat all night long gets boring,” he says. “I understand what those DJs are trying to do, but today, the accessibility of different genres from the Internet has made it possible to play so many sounds. Why play one when you can blend them together?” Playing the Big Events As someone who’s most closely associated with Black & Blue, Anthony is one DJ who knows the difference between an intimate club setting and a stadium-sized crowd. “When you play a large venue, you have to please a larger audience,” he says. “That forces you to look at the big picture.” Black & Blue actually allows him to be more experimental. The length of the party, the near 50-50 crowd mix of gay-straight, and the mammoth size all mean that he has to do more for more within the timeframe of a limited set. “That’s where I can introduce both crowds to new sounds,” he says. “For the straight crowd, that means more vocals; for the gay crowd, techier stuff. B&B is where I can really have fun. When people come to B&B, they want to hear a different sound; they know they’re not going to hear the typical Circuit stuff.” For this year’s Black & Blue, Anthony has ceded the main event to others. Instead, he’ll be playing the Military Ball the night before. It’s an upbeat party that perfectly suits his style of music. This summer also sees him returning to another of his favorite events, Montreal Pride. For the past few years, he’s been headlining a giant party in a city park. Although the crowd can expect vocals, he always throws in a few sounds to the mix to keep people’s ears perked. “It’s always hard when people ask me my style,” he says. “I push the envelope. There are a lot of DJs out there, and they are known for a sound. I just try to be different.” Today, he says, there are so many different kinds of music available. Just as the recording industry imploded, the explosion of the Internet allowed niche artists to get their work out there. He cites some of the “amazing” techno that’s being released right now as indicating a renaissance for a genre that was in danger of going stale. At the same time, the Circuit itself has been changing, evolving into … what? No one knows yet, but Anthony will undoubtedly be there. “The younger crowd is always into newer music,” he notes. “Maybe there are less big parties, but the scene is doing well. People will always be dancing.”  2009-07-29T16:00:00+00:00 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. 2009-04-30T10:12:00+00:00 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. 2009-04-22T04:21:00+00:00 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.  2009-01-31T16:00:00+00:00 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. 2008-10-08T07:09:00+00:00 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. 2008-10-08T07:05:01+00:00 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. 2008-08-05T06:31:00+00:00 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." 2008-04-29T03:28:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-15T05:30:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-15T05:28:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-15T05:27:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/benefit_spotlight/life_ball/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/benefit_spotlight/life_ball/ Over 40,000 people participate. The highlight is a spectacular, Vienna-style ball inside the historic City Hall. Elton John, Scissor Sisters, Grace Jones, and Kylie Minogue have all performed at this event. The finale is a glittering fashion show — Donatella Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood, and many other A-list designers have presented their creations. Best of all, this mega-event has raised over $16 million for AIDS groups in Europe and Africa. I have had the privilege of attending dance events all over the world, from Sydney to Amsterdam and all points in between, and I can say with confidence that Life Ball is in a league entirely unto itself. It’s elegance meets sexy, Old World tradition meets Circuit party revelry. Above all, it’s spectacle. Last year’s theme was Water, which meant an entire lake was built around the stage leading out from Vienna’s gothic City Hall, the site of the dance party. Rhine nymphs in glittery mermaid costumes cavorted with Neptunes as fantasy gondolas drifted by. Watching this was a crowd of several thousand that included everyone from Fran Drescher and Eva Longeria to Ivana Trump and Bill Clinton. The evening included a special song written and performed by Dave Stewart (of Eurythmics); Roisin Murphy; a fashion show by the Blonds, with Pamela Anderson leading the pack in a golden bikini, Patricia Field the presenter, and a small army of runway models and New York voguers; three opera tenors performing Handel, each emerging from a giant scallop shell raised onto the stage; and the night’s showstopper, Katy Perry. Oh, did I mention 25 couples dressed in matching Viennese ball gowns and tuxedos entering in a glittering procession? The effect is so dazzling that after a while I literally had to rub my eyes in disbelief. This is to Circuit parties what Champagne is to Coca-Cola. They both taste good, but one is vintage, the other not so much. And there is dancing. Oh, is there ever! The 2009 Life Ball had at least three dance spaces on various levels of the City Hall, with Susanne Bartsch, the avant-garde New York party promoter, presenting a show of that city’s premier nightlife denizens like transsexual sex bomb Amanda Lapore — among several other acts. As for the crowd, it’s an unusual mix of straight couples, gay men, and just about everyone else who is able to score a ticket. (The party traditionally sells out very early.) People dress for this in the most fanciful costumes imaginable. I painted my entire body silver, and — trust me — I didn’t stand out. The costumes and body paint tops Mardi Gras in New Orleans or Sydney. It seemed as though every male model in Eastern Europe was on one of the dance floors. The effect is not unlike dancing in the middle of a Bel Ami movie. The party begins after the incredible presentation, usually around 11 p.m., and goes until about sunrise. I admit that by 4 a.m., this grizzled Circuit veteran was so overwhelmed by it all, I had to retreat to my hotel room. This year, the 18th Life Ball, normally held in May, has been moved to July 17 to coincide with the 18th International AIDS Conference, also being held in Vienna. The theme is Earth. I can’t even imagine how the creative army behind this incredible event will interpret this theme. This year also marks the first time that the Austrian Parliament opens its doors to an amfAR gala, which will mirror similar events in Cannes, Milan, and New York (and very likely surpass them). As if that weren’t enough, the former Imperial Court Theatre will host the Red Ribbon Cotillion, a formal ball in the strict Viennese style. Discovering Vienna One of the best things about Life Ball is that it gives you the perfect excuse to visit Vienna. The former capital of the vast Austro-Hungarian Empire, which lasted to the end of World War I, contains more palaces and churches per capita than any other major European city. Many of these have been turned into museums or government buildings, and a few into hotels and private apartments. Together, the many art, design, and history museums house one of the world’s premier collections of Old Masters and the best collection anywhere of the edgy style of early 20th century art known as the Vienna Secession. Schönbrunn, the Habsburg’s summer residence, is worth a special trip, but right in the heart of town is the Hofburg, the largest urban palace in Europe. Get there when the Lipizzaner stallions are out for a trot. There’s also amazing shopping (forget Bruno; the Austrians are known for their stylishness and good taste). Composers like Mozart, Haydn, Strauss, and Mahler made Vienna the music capital of Europe, and the music still suffuses the streets and cafes. The Vienna Philharmonic is generally considered the best in the world, and the Vienna Boys’ Choir by far the most famous such group anywhere. Austrian food has a reputation for being heavy on meats and the ubiquitous schlag, that dollop of fresh whipped cream served with the justly famous local coffee concoctions (drunk everywhere at all times) and all those fabulous desserts. But alongside the traditional (and delicious) schnitzel, boiled beef and spaetzle dumplings, lighter fare has made inroads. The difference between the chic and trendy restaurants here and in the States is that everything has a distinctly Austrian accent, with full use of local produce. I was able to sample the incomparable early-spring white asparagus. At night, this world capital offers an array of temptations for a gay visitor. There are bars and dance clubs catering to leather, fetishes, yuppies, young and old. There are also several saunas and back rooms. Many (if not most) gay men live in and around the center of town, so the nightlife is in a concentrated area, which makes for easy bar hopping. The metro is easy to navigate, and taxis aren’t too expensive, which is good because, like most ancient cities, Vienna haphazardly grew outward and can be confusing on foot. Getting into Life Ball Because of its reputation as Europe’s most spectacular AIDS fund-raising event, getting into Life Ball is not easy. Prices starting at only €150 go very quickly (it helps to know someone who knows someone). The best way to get in is to buy a more expensive ticket. Boxes for six people are €1,000 for each person, but it’s worth it for the VIP viewing of the spectacle on City Hall Square, the service and the Champagne, as well as other amenities. Go to http://www.oeticket.com/redribboncotillion for tickets; or email curt.shertzer@lifeball.org for box reservations. And don’t wait too long! WHERE TO STAY The three hotels owned by Starwood, one of the world’s most prestigious hotel chains, are as much a part of Vienna’s center as the Danube River, and are annually selected as the official host hotels of the Life Ball. The Bristol If you’ve drunk Pilsen Lager, you’ve already sampled a bit of the Bristol history. In the late 1800s, the brewer turned it into the residence of choice for High Society and visiting royalty. Korso, the restaurant headed by Reinhard Gerer, has been awarded three “chef’s hats” by the Gault Milleau — the foodie equivalent to a Pulitzer or Oscar. After the war, the American Embassy took over the hotel, which is located across the street from the gorgeous state opera house. The film Princess Marie, starring Catherine Deneuve, was filmed there. Karntner Ring 1 http://www.bristolwien.at Hotel Imperial The Imperial was built in 1863 as the former palace of a senior member of the Habsburg dynasty, but it was so large it was quickly converted into a hotel. It is an imposing structure, with rooms spacious and beautifully appointed. This is the one where Bill Clinton stays, along with every head of state from Adolph Hitler to the queen of England. But the atmosphere is surprisingly unstuffy. It’s also home to the Imperial Torte, a death-by-chocolate confection made with marzipan and cocoa crème. Kaerntner Ring 16 http://www.hotelimperialwien.at Le Méridien The bratty younger sibling to the above two hotels is housed in another historic building, but inside, an attractive young staff beckons you into Vienna’s answer to all of those boutique-style hip hotels. Up-to-date furnishings in the large rooms belie the shoebox aesthetic of those boutiques, however. During Life Ball, the gargantuan bar space and restaurants become a genuine scene, with celebrities trailed by local paparazzi and models voguing down the breakfast buffet table (not that they’d eat anything). The shower comfortably fits five, just in case you make some new friends at the Ball. Opernring 13-15 http://www.lemeridien.com/vienna 2010-04-27T03:54:25+00:00 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. 2008-04-15T05:17:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/break_my_world/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/break_my_world/ Rising German DJ Micha Moor teams up with one of Offer Nissim’s favorite female voices to create a progressive House track that gets you on first listen and has you turning it up just a little louder each time you hear it. The track is built around the conceit of falling in love as someone’s world being broken: The routine is shattered after letting someone penetrate walls of protection. All that’s punctuated by arch-like chord progressions and a thundering bass line that drops out at key moments to underscore the drama. Additionally, an incredible ensemble produced remixes, including Inpetto, Itay Kalderon & Mr. Black, and Nissim himself. 2011-10-28T16:54:48+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/collide/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/collide/ This song really was a collision. Originally an instrumental track by Avicii called “Penguin,” and later made into a vocal track called “Fade Into Darkness,” Leona Lewis recorded her own vocals to the track, claiming that the instrumental had been sent to her to “work on.”  Avicii claimed no knowledge of this and sued Leona and her label but eventually settled after Leona’s camp conceded to credit both artists on the track as a “collaboration.” The result of this debacle is actually rather nice. Leona’s first real dance single shows she can do more than just power ballads and can move a dance floor as well. Remixes provided by Afrojack, Alex Gaudino & Jason Rooney, Cahill and Nay Ray … not surprisingly no mix by Avicii. 2011-10-28T16:53:48+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/a_million_stars/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/a_million_stars/ Anything Kirsty Hawkshaw vocalizes is a thing of beauty. She could sing the Starbucks menu and make baristas cry. While this is the third time BT and Kirsty have teamed up to create art together, the starkness of its sublime beauty is all the more standout against the backdrop of all the jagged electro and acidic sounds that have become their musical zeitgeist. “A Million Stars” is a healing song about letting go of pain, tapping into the energy around you, and the promise that “You will feel love again/After the rain” — all delivered in delicate silk thread-like high notes atop BT’s beautiful guitar strums and rounded beats. Remixes by Myon & Shane 54, Sultan & Ned Shepard, Airwave, Digital Stories, et al. 2011-10-28T16:52:48+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/disaster/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/disaster/ She’s finally back. After two years of battling her record label in a suit over distribution, JoJo has signed on Interscope Records. The voice we fell in love with five years ago is finally gracing the airwaves again. “Disaster,” the lead single from forthcoming album Jumping Trains, has JoJo blowing over a pop rock power ballad backdrop about the demise of a relationship and underscores a vocal prowess frankly absent from pop for years. No remixes have shown up, and I’m not entirely certain this is the type of track that will get that kind of treatment. No matter; in its original format, the track has me hitting repeat. 2011-10-28T16:51:48+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/moves_like_jagger/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/moves_like_jagger/ So maybe this is only a promotional tool for The Voice, but that doesn’t stop it from being a brilliant piece of pop. The track combines Maroon 5’s radio rock sound with a clubby dance beat. Christina sings the hell out of her lines as if reminding the world,“ I can still do this!” Adam Levine’s delivery is taut and effortless and sounds as carelessly beautiful as he is himself. Highly remix friendly, the track has been given official — Cutmore, Michael Carrera and Soul Seekerz — and bootlegged treatments in myriad styles, including Sex Ray Vision and Funk3d. 2011-10-28T16:49:48+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/cryin_over_you/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/cryin_over_you/ This combination seemed to come completely out of left field, but the union of these two forces is pretty heavenly. The Nightcrawlers, whom clubbers will remember from their dubby 1995 un-singalongable yet ubiquitous “Push the Feeling On,” team up with Taio Cruz, the Euro Soul-cum-American electro-pop crossover breakout, to create “Cryin’ Over You.” “Cryin’” sounds exactly like the arrangements John Reid sang as The Nightcrawlers, but with the exponentially stronger pipes of Taio pushing the product into the realm of epic. And when you add in the contributing remixers, including Freemasons, Cahill, LMC, Kenny Hayes and Jorg Schmid, this is a top contender for 2011 late-summer anthem. Taio’s had a long road to American pop relevance from Euro obscurity, but it’s nice to see someone like him unafraid to pay a little homage to the sound of his townspeople. 2011-08-01T13:00:57+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/in_the_air/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/in_the_air/ Everyone knows that good things happen when stars align: love; opportunity; a black president. So when five align at once, you better hold onto something heavy and anchored and brace yourself for what’s coming your way. In the Air is a new collaboration between three super-producers — Morgan Page, progressive House’s darling of the moment; Sultan & Ned Shepard, clubland’s rapidly rising royalty; and BT, the Godfather of modern electronica — and one unique vocalist, Scottish crooner Angela McCluskey, best known for her hypnotic contribution to Telepopmusik’s “Breathe.” Lyrically, Angela proclaims the change she feels coming, the looming fear that love is going to become heartbreak, and the feeling of desperation over how to respond to what she cannot stop from happening (read: pain made pretty). No remixes as of yet, but this one’s ripe for additional interpretations. 2011-08-01T13:00:57+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/black_white/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/black_white/ This song is one of the reasons progressive House is the amazing amalgamation that it is: the combination of beat-driven inertia, sweeping trance-like melodies and stark sublime vocals. Recently employed as the opening track for a Morgan Page podcast mixshow, “Black & White” leaves an instant impression and sets an otherworldly atmosphere in place without all the pesky smoke machines and freaky fantasy rave imagery. Amba Shepherd’s breathy vocals delicately proclaim, “Every day it’s like I’m dreaming in black and white/You are all of the colors missing in my life.” How can you not get at least a little tripped up in those words and bits of imagery? The four-track digital single includes the original and Joan Reyes’ “Closing Mix.” While not extensive, between those two variations you’ve got all you need. 2011-08-01T13:00:57+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/put_your_hands_up/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/put_your_hands_up/ If ever there was a tailor-made summer jam, this is it. Half of the Top 40 at the moment are songs about dancing, drinking, clubbing or stripping. The other half are about love. As simple as it sounds, “Put Your Hands Up” is a standout from all of those because it combines the two intentions to make conditional upon the other: “Put your hands up if you feel love.” Blam! Gold. Any DJ who plays this not only has the crowd jumping to the beat, but also has them drunkenly thinking about who they love that’s justifying the action. Over thinking it? Come on, you know it’s true. To top it off, “Hands Up” has been served with a full remix package, including mixes by Basto, Bimbo Jones, Nervo, and (applause, applause) Pete Hammond. Kylie’s in the middle of a world tour, so put your hands up if you’re willing to sleep with someone for tickets. 2011-08-01T13:00:57+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/mirrors/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/mirrors/ Everyone loves a dirty girl. Natalia Kills is a British singer/songwriter who describes her style as “dark sounding pop music.” It sounds a lot like Gaga’s “Just Dance,” complete with Akon tagging Konvict Music in the first seven seconds. Having garnered recognition as a No. 1 unsigned artist on MySpace Music, “Mirrors” is her breakout release following 2009’s “Zombie” video. It’s also the first official single from her forthcoming debut album Perfectionist on Interscope. A fun song to ruin good sheets to, “Mirrors” is about spirited sex: “Turning the lights out/Tighten the handcuffs/And the mirror’s gonna fog tonight!” It even includes a promise to make your “love grenade” explode. Bless her. Remixes by Moto Blanco, Tonka, Doctor Rosen Rosen, Frankmusik and Chris Moody. 2011-04-29T04:39:04+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/push_it/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/push_it/ A promotion company sent this one to me, and my jaded self expected it to be lame. But, dammit, this rocks. Apparently, Jessie’s quite the little prodigy and has been working towards this level of exposure for years. She even traveled to Europe to get away from her rock roots and adopted a more eclectic electronica style that felt more organic to her. If songs like this are what you get from a European sabbatical, American pop starlets should cross the pond immediately. It’s the chorus that really makes me lose it. The long half-notes are intoxicating: “I’ve…. been… try… ing… to…” The track is delivered as a full remix package, including mixes by Dirty Freqs, Richard Vission, Skeet Skeet, Ron Reeser & Dan Saenz and Junior Sanchez. 2011-04-29T04:38:04+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/army_of_love/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/army_of_love/ I had no idea who this chick was but apparently she’s one of Estonia’s major exports? Now positioned to make a splash here after being signed to Island Def Jam, she intends to bring a new style of music to the world she calls “Bubble Goth.” In the video for “Army of Love,” she looks like a hybrid of Ani Difranco, Björk and Lady Gaga. I can’t wait to see what she does. The song is amazingly catchy in its original form, and Chew Fu does a brilliant job of upping the energy for the dance floor. Additional mixes by Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda, Cherry Cherry Boom Boom, Sultan & Ned Shepard and WaWa. Total feel-good stuff; the happiest Goth you’ll ever hear. 2011-04-29T04:36:04+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/good_girl/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/good_girl/ The Freemasons can do no wrong.The tracks they choose to remix are always stellar and completely worthy of attention, both in their Freemasons-ized and original formats. Alexis Jordan blew everyone away last summer with “Happiness,” and when I saw she had a new single with a Freemasons’ rub, I squealed like a pre-teen girl. Essentially about a girl with a past who’s falling in love and trying to prove she’s got good in her beyond the ill repute, the song’s hooks are inescapable and the Freemasons’ production works so well with her voice it’s frightening. Just try not to get swept up in the midst of the chorus’ first line, “You might mistake me for a heeeeeaaaaart breaker.” 2011-04-29T04:35:04+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/you_havent_seen_the_last_of_me/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/you_havent_seen_the_last_of_me/ When we found out that Cher was going to sing in a movie, there was a collective gay gasp that swept the globe.  And when I found out they were going to remix the hell out of it, my gay heart leapt from my chest and curtsied to the gay goddess.  In the true tradition of Cher, this is yet another sad song-cum-empowerment power ballad. While it might specifically relate to a stubborn club owner in Burlesque, it also couldn’t be more appropriate for where Cher is in her own career right now.  One thing’s for sure: It puts to bed any doubt that Cher’s past it. Girlfriend’s still got notes in her tonsils that those wannabe starlets can only dream about (or electronically alter). What’s also amazing is the song’s not-so-delicate placement in the movie: Cher’s on her way out the door, bags in hand after a long day of fighting for her club’s existence. The DJ asks if she wants to rehearse “that song.”  Despite the late hour and her obvious exhaustion, she drops the bags, straddles a chair, finds herself looking down the barrel of a soft spotlight and belts it out the park. What’s illogical about that? But hey, it’s Cher, we don’t need a reason for anything she does. Remixes include interpretations by Dave Aude, Almighty, Stonebridge, and a late add of several by Johnny Vicious. 2011-02-15T10:44:08+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/take_over_control/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/take_over_control/ If you listen closely you can hear the collective eye roll of the entire feminist movement — but for you lazy bottoms, you’ve finally got your own national anthem. “Take Over Control” is a salute to submission,  as she declares, “I want you to take over control/Plug it in and turn me on.”  Not a lot of confusion with that statement.  Beautifully voiced by Eva Simons, 2004 winner of the Dutch reality TV contest Popstars (like American Idol, another Pop Idol clone), “Take Over Control” is one of those songs you don’t need to think too hard about; just appreciate the dynamic hooks and catchy beats. The video is an equally guilty pleasure: Eva in thigh-high boots and a chain-mail top dancing with hot girls in cheerleader outfits in a beat-up yellow school bus. A wide range of remixes were commissioned for this one, including retouches by Adam F, Apster, Ian Carey, Spencer & Hill and Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano. 2011-02-15T10:44:08+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/tonight_im_fucking_you/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/tonight_im_fucking_you/ Call me puritanical, but this title threw me off guard. True, we’ve been heading in this direction for a while. We’ve had little blips of this in pop music — Willa Ford’s “Fuck the Men,” Lily Allen’s “Fuck You.” But it struck me as a revolution for a mainstream pop artist to use the F-bomb in the chorus of a radio single. Ten years ago, you’d never catch a vanilla pop artist like Enrique taking a chance like this. In 2000, Enrique was crooning how much he “just wants to be with you.” Ten years on, we’ve got the full disclosure of what he wants to do once he’s there. Following the Latin house sound that put him back on the map with “I Like It,” “Tonight” has a galloping beat and “we’re being naughty” keyboards, and sticks in your head like silicone lube on cotton sheets. Enrique’s simple voice continues its tasty love affair with Auto-Tune and is nicely punctuated by Ludacris’s breaky dub. In its edited version it becomes “Tonight I’m lovin’ you” so the teens and tweens can keep up the belief that Iglesias is just a doe-eyed Latin lover with nothing but the most romantic of intentions. Remixes, both official and bootleg, are trickling out, including club rubs by Dresden & Johnson, Chuckie, Bit Error and Richard Vission. 2011-02-15T10:42:08+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/stereo_love/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/stereo_love/ This one perplexes me. At press time, “Stereo Love” is #17 on the American Top 40, placing before Katy Perry, Chris Brown and  Enrique Iglesias, and the first Euro dance song on the chart in what feels like years. Now where I can’t help but get all over-analytical is asking, “Why this one?’  It’s not a bad song, it’s actually gorgeous and instantly recognizable for its unique use of the accordion alongside Vika’s melancholy voice, trance keyboards and a dancefloor beat. It’s just that …  this isn’t any better than any of the other beautiful Euro dance music out there. But for whatever reason, Edward Maya’s specific combination of elements has the power to appeal to a nation whose playlists are otherwise dominated by hip-hop, pop and dance music. I just wanna know what radio stations are playing this. “Stereo Love” currently holds the record for longest time spend on the European Hot 100 at 52 weeks since it was released in 2009. Remixes abound, the digital single including a total of 12 tracks, and a controversial cover version exists by Canadian artist Mia Martina. 2011-02-15T10:41:08+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/the_emergency/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/the_emergency/ A clear standout from the These Hopeful Machines album, “The Emergency,” featuring vocals by Andrew Bayer and BT himself, follows in the footsteps of previous heart-wrenching singles like “Break My Fall” and “Force of Gravity.” Never one to say something with anything less than embarrassing eloquence (just follow this guy on Twitter), the lyrical honesty is stunning. “The Emergency” refers to that destructive panic that overcomes you when you’ve extended yourself, made your desires known to another, and you’re left waiting to see if it’s going to be given back to you. “I’d wait in line/For something I knew that I would get to keep/Your ‘I love you,” is followed by the reassuring line, “Emergency has passed.” The song suffers from that Offer Nissim syndrome of being just too good to be effectively remixed. While none of the mixes across the 13-track EP are bad in any way, not even heavy hitters like Morgan Page and Dave Audé manage to reconstruct the track in a way that competes with the original. But they make a damn good effort. This was well worth the wait. 2010-11-02T07:39:46+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/million_stars/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/million_stars/ We haven’t heard much from Offer Nissim (officially anyway) for a while. Not certain of all the details, but it seems like right around the time Nissim got in that dispute with Peter Rauhofer over the official versus bootleg remix release ethics of Whitney Houston’s “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength,” Nissim disappeared from the U.S. scene. “Million Stars” appears to be the first new material we’ve heard from him stateside since the Remixed album dropped in late 2008, and it is so worth the wait. A gorgeous mix of trademark Middle Eastern-influenced beats, sensual guitars and ethereal vocals in English and Portuguese, “Million Stars” has yet to receive an official release but is circulating the Internet presently and with any luck will eventually get some proper label attention. 2010-11-02T07:37:08+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/believer/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/believer/ This one was released in August but still hasn’t gotten the DJ response it deserves. Probably my favorite track of the entire year, “Believer” is that track that represents the remedy to the lackluster music that’s been plaguing clubs for a while now. In the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, there were hundreds of quality club tracks that combined three necessities: beautiful vocals, enchanting melody, and thoughtful lyrics. Artists like Abigail, Amber and Erin Hamilton made a killing with that combo. But in the last few years, that magic mix has fallen apart, and we’re usually left with, at best, two out of three. When I first heard “Believer,” I thought, “This is what we’ve been missing, and why did it take so long for someone to bring it back?” Wynter Gordon made the crossover from urban to dance with her Guetta-produced “Dirty Talk” earlier in the year. Now, alongside dance royalty Freemasons, she’s found a true home. No remixes necessary, in its original format “Believer” is vocal, blissful perfection and makes all nine minutes feel like not nearly enough. Don’t miss this one. 2010-11-02T07:35:24+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/only_girl_in_the_world/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/only_girl_in_the_world/ After the completely up-and-down response to her Rated R album, along comes “Only Girl (In The World),” the next in the urban-pop-gone-gay-dance genre. What will doubtlessly be as huge a hit as “Disturbia” follows a similar format. Produced by Stargate, responsible for “Don’t Stop the Music” and Ne-Yo’s recent (and similar sounding) “Beautiful Monster,” as well as a long list of other urban-to-dance radio hits, “Only Girl” sounds like every club track from the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. It woke me up on the morning of its debut on Los Angeles’ KIIS FM with the thought of “what the hell is the sound of my college years doing coming out of my clock radio?” It’s completely addictive and essentially just fun Top 40. In comparison to the last lead single, “Russian Roulette,” this makes a clear statement that “we made a mistake trying to make Rihanna into an artist, and we’re never doing substance again.” Official remixes have yet to be released at press time, but rest assured, they’re coming. 2010-11-02T07:32:43+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/dancing_on_my_own/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/dancing_on_my_own/ This woman is one of the most endearing artists to come along, or reemerge rather, in years. Lifted from Body Talk Pt. 1, the first installment of her new trilogy album series, “Dancing On My Own” is the song that every gay man alive can relate to: “I’m in the corner, watching you kiss her/I’m right over here, why can’t you see me/I’m givin’ it my all, but I’m not the girl you’re takin’ home/I keep dancing on my own.” Pronouns aside, I can’t imagine anything else eliciting more instantaneous empathy than those lines. Culturally, the gay club is so much more than just a room of dancing sweaty men. It’s a safe space to live out loud. It’s a spigot tapping into what we’ve locked away from the outside world — and often ourselves. And it’s the perfect stage set for falling in lust, mistaking it for love and then having it all ripped away in a matter of minutes. It’s that delicious lovelorn state that is at the core of this track — as Robyn herself puts it, a song inspired by her love of inherently sad, gay disco anthems such as Ultravox’s “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes,” Sylvester, and Donna Summer. Between its industrial techno album version and the myriad remixes by Ch ew Fu, Michael Woods, Fred Falke, Jakwob, Rex the Dog and Buzz Junkies, this indisputably belongs alongside the aforementioned torch song royalty. 2010-07-29T14:20:29+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/dynamite/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/dynamite/ It’s been a long time coming, but Taio’s finally made it across the pond and arrived stateside. Though his debut album Departure was released in 2008 and the unstoppable first single “Movin’ On” included a perfect remix treatment by Spencer & Hill, it wasn’t until Ludacris was cast on “Break Your Heart” as the “American radio icon that makes the U.K. artist sell” that he got his chance to get some recognition. “Dynamite,” the second single off Rokstarr, is less a coherent statement than an addictive rhythm; that, and simple words proclaiming that he’s tired and ready to dance and that he’s going to be the last one on the floor. “’Cause we gon’ rock this club/We gon’ go all night/We gon’ light it up/Like it’s dynamite.” Look beyond the incoherence and you’ll find yourself amidst an unstoppable pile of hooky elements that more than make up for its lack of content. Unlike the first single, “Dynamite” was given a proper remix treatment and includes megaton mixes by Ralphi Rosario, Mixin Marc and Stonebridge. And while it’s unlikely to make much of an impact in the gay Circuit, make your way out to straight clubs on the Sunset Strip, where this will doubtlessly be the boom and the rhythm in the speakers that makes all the waifish girls teeter in their heels and spill their cosmos. 2010-07-29T14:18:29+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/commander/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/commander/ Beginning with Rihanna’s “Disturbia” in 2008, a niche genre of overly filtered, urban-turned-dance pop emerged, characterized by tight, digital sounding vocals without the typical Auto-Tune warble, and the same kind of watered-down club production that European dance artists adopted in the mid-‘00s to appeal to the pop market. After artists like Wynter Gordon, Heidi Montag and Luigi Masi made names for themselves with this sound, Kelly adopting it for her new David Guetta-produced single just seemed like a logical move. Kelly’s got the pipes to sing without any post-production modification, but the sound is such a novelty at this point, even decent vocalists are using it just to remain relevant. And with this move, Kelly’s truly found her new sound. She attempted doing Urban, but after the Freemasons’ mix of “Work” in 2008, any doubt over where she should be putting her efforts was thrown to the floor like a dirty condom. “Commander” is a party song, straight up, based on simple catchy lyrics, a power chorus and rubbery zigzag synth line; Kelly’s the commander, and she’s commanding you to dance. Wham! Supported with remixes by Ralphi Rosario, Chuckie & Neve, Max Sanna & Steve Pitron and Redlight, this one began making the rounds at Pride this year and will continue telling everyone what to do all throughout the summer. Listen to her. She’s got a point. 2010-07-29T14:17:29+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/alligator/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/alligator/ This is a single that could only exist in the digital age. Containing a total of 17 mixes, the packaging and repackaging of “Alligator” easily sets a record for sheer volume of mixes, while managing to contain not an ounce of crap. Ranging from short, poppy ‘80s mixes to full-on eight-minute peak-hour club mixes, the possibility for reinterpretation seems endless — due in no small way to the track’s simplicity in its album version. Originally based on simple percussion and minimal piano plunking with bare vocals insisting uncomplicated lyrics, “Alligator” plays like the raw elements provided to remix producers, and was begging to be played with. Highlights include a stellar New Wave synth mix by Passion Pit, a bright and twinkling mix by Four Tet, a progressive house mix by Morgan Page, an ambient-over-electro mix by Kevin St. Croix, and a gorgeous after-hours mix by Bill Hamel. Who knew a mere two-and-a-half minute song could be pushed in so many directions? 2010-04-27T05:17:25+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/licky_under_the_covers/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/licky_under_the_covers/ “L-I - licky C-K - licky Y, L-I - licky C, licky all night…”. How can you not fall prey to a song that starts out like that? Shontelle, responsible for 2008’s club hit “T-Shirt,” returns with the lead single to her forthcoming sophomore album No Gravity and definitely has the heads turned her way. “Licky” sounds like something Britney would have recorded if her team had found a way to clean it up for her watered-down demographic without sacrificing its gasp appeal. It’s kinda hard to clean up such a blatant reference to a blow job, though. Supported by remixes by Chew Fu, Saul Ruiz, Carnival of Souls and Ralphi Rosario, this one’s positioned just right to launch the album to clubgoers while the power ballad “Impossible” takes care of pop and rhythmic radio audiences, guaranteeing that Shontelle’s second full-length installment gets all the widespread recognition it deserves. 2010-04-27T05:16:25+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/the_family_jewels_ep/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/the_family_jewels_ep/ If you got the ‘80s drunk and let it throw up rainbows all over raverish Happy Hardcore, you’d have the Flex’d Rework of “I Am Not a Robot,” the lead single from the American debut of Brit artist Marina Diamandis, otherwise known as Marina & The Diamonds. Remixed by American electronic act Passion Pit, “Robot” is the perfect example of novelty pop conventions cleverly converted into intimate metaphoric devices, and proof that an artist can achieve mainstream appeal while maintaining artistic integrity. Marina’s voice is both frail and fearless, tiptoeing between twinkling notes while running forward at a furious pace, and works equally well in both included remixes of “Robot.” The Flex’d Rework by Passion Pit is the most immediately accessible, with exuberant, Soundboy Rock-era Groove Armada-style keyboards and endless video game-sounding crescendos and diminuendos. The Starsmith 24 Carat Remix is the more indie of the two, with a muffled beat and low bass gurgles supporting a continuous high-hat patter and more of the original version’s vocals than Passion Pit utilized. Also included is the Ocelot Remix of the album track “Obsessions.” If you’re looking for something delightfully different, swing this way. 2010-04-27T05:15:25+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/suddenly/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/suddenly/ Few have earned as far-reaching or diverse a fan base as producer, singer-songwriter, and audio guru Brian Transeau, or BT. When he releases new material, it’s like discovering religion all over again. It’s been four years since This Binary Universe was released; the first BT album that, while beautiful, didn’t have anything in the way of danceability. So in essence we’ve all been waiting to get back to the dance floor with him since 2003—if you don’t count the collaborations with Tiesto (“Love Comes Again” and “Break My Fall”).  “Suddenly” is the third single released from the forthcoming These Hopeful Machines, and the first to be full vocal and uptempo (“Rose of Jericho” was instrumental and “Every Other Way” feat. Jes was mid-tempo in its original version). This is exactly what we’ve all been panting for. BT adds his own voice to guest main vocals by Christian Burns, former member of the hugely popular Brit pop band BBMak, and features remixes by Celldweller, Cicada, Ferry Corsten, JJ and Dave Darrell.  Kind of amazing. 2010-02-13T16:51:24+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/keep_it_goin_louder_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/keep_it_goin_louder_remixes/ Major Lazer is the project name for a joint music venture by Diplo (best known as the producer of M.I.A.), and Switch (responsible for remixing artists like Kelis, Mika, Nine Inch Nails, Basement Jaxx, P. Diddy and Bjork, among others). The native sound of the resulting album, “Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do,” is a progressive take on Jamaican dancehall, but it’s the duo’s roots in club music that makes the singles so delicious; namely, in the vast scope of remix producers they have utilized. “Keep It Goin’ Louder” is a clear standout from the album, relying heavily on the novelty of Auto-Tuned vocals and featuring pop urban singer Nina Sky. It stands on its own in its original format, but it’s the ten-track remix promo that takes it to an entirely new level via reinterpretations by names like Mixin’ Marc, Tommie Sunshine, Superchumbo (Tom Stephan), Il Diablo Brooklyn Fire and Diplo himself. It’s an unexpected contender for your next Circuit party, but trust me, it gets ya moving. 2010-02-13T16:50:24+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/remedymixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/remedymixes/ This is one of those songs that gets in your head on first listen and has you humming it at every pause throughout the day for the next week. “Remedy” is a bouncy, sing-a-long dance single that utilizes the cuteness of Britney’s best material with an intelligence that frowns on the idea that dance music has to be vapid. Supported with power remixes by Kaskade, Avicii and Stonemasons (knockoff of Freemasons?), the track has already been included in myriad club compilations and blogs have been buzzing in anticipation of more. After the first single “New in Town” vamped the crowd, the RedOne-produced “Remedy” is a sure-fire hit for the ascending artist, and has set the stage for her American debut when the Hands album is released domestically. While it’s not common that a dance artist—especially one from across the pond—makes the crossover to mainstream American radio, Little Boots just might have the appeal to make that happen. 2010-02-13T16:48:24+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/heartbreak/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/heartbreak/ This one popped up on Promo Only Mainstream Club and had me scrambling across the apartment to read the artist credit within the first few moments of those gorgeous, rounded notes cascading out of my speakers. It should come as no surprise that the M’black moniker is an alias for a better-known name, Deepest Blue, and specifically the producer of the group, Matt Schwartz. Those who remember the group that dominated radio dance back in 2003, with songs like “Give It Away” and “Deepest Blue,” will immediately recognize the similar watery sound punctuated by textured guitars. The sensual rasp of vocals belong to Nicol, whose delivery on the wrenching chorus lyrics “This is how my heart breaks, together” sounds like something from an old ATB track, but whose other music credits I’m unable to find. The EP was released on iTunes as a ten-track maxi-single on Robbins, and features mixes by Felix Baumgartner, Ron May, Inner Smile and Caged Baby. This one is huge. 2010-02-13T16:46:24+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/cry_me_out/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/cry_me_out/ Next in the now-endless parade of blue-eyed soul marching out of Britain and into the American market, Pixie Lott secures a place in the spectrum all her own, combining the ‘50s styling of Amy Winehouse (and her penchant for crazy eye makeup) and the vocal agility of Adele, with a cheeky presence that’s all her. “Cry Me Out” is the third single lifted from the Turn It Up album, and the first ballad following the dancier “Mama Do” and “Boys and Girls,” but is by far my favorite of the bunch. Because as every club addict knows, nothing works a remix quite like the contrast of a fast beat against half-tempo, power vocals—and this one is tailor-made for belting along with on a crowded main room floor. Bimbo Jones and Desert Eagle provide remixes, with the blue ribbon going to Jones for wedding a progressive house composition to a fun disco bounce. The result: a breakup song-cum-peak hour crowd pleaser. There’s just something about her, you can’t help but press that back button. 2010-02-13T16:42:24+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/million_dollar_bill/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/million_dollar_bill/ After exhaling a mushroom cloud and calming her weave, Whitney staggered to the studio and recorded her new single.  Every gay loves Whitney, it’s in our blood, but few out there aren’t at least a little disappointed that their favorite power diva is back and delivering her ballads like a spoken word performance and center stage sweating like a pregnant woman in July.  It’s not easy to see someone fall like that.  She’s getting it back slowly, a performance of “I Look To You” in Germany was starting to sound a bit more like the old Whitney, hopefully we’ll see her reclaim the throne.  If nothing else, in studio, even in her depreciated state, she sounds better than 95% of the current roster of artists out there.  “Million Dollar Bill” has all the charm of a radio dance hit, and all the class of a trademark ballad, so if this gets radio play, she’s got it made.  And with its disco core, this one was ready for a power remix right out the gates.  The first round of remixes came from the Freemasons, and a collective squeal from the gay boys could be heard across the globe.  A second round is trickling out currently and includes multiple treatments by Frankie Knuckles, a dark after hours mix by Peter Rauhofer, and a peak circuit mix by Tony Moran’s DJ partner Warren Rigg. 2009-10-30T06:44:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/she_wolf_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/she_wolf_remixes/ Everybody’s going “dance” right now and not to be outdone, here comes Shakira rockin’ a clubby sound filtered through her Latinness.  “She Wolf” features the kind of organic electronic production that made Basement Jaxx popular — synth gurgles and a relentless beat blended with bare guitar strums and ecstatic violins — and an arpeggio chorus similar to the trademark melodies of trance music.  It took Shakira only ten minutes to write the music and lyrics, “‘She Wolf’ came to me very mysteriously. The image of the she wolf just came to my head, and when I least expected it I was howling and panting.”  Apparently that last part stuck as you can hear her doing just that throughout the track. The video for She Wolf shows her sneaking out of bed, donning an asymmetrical leotard and then emerging from what looks like a glitter-drenched birth canal into a club setting, while the cutaways have her dancing in an enormous cage in a flesh colored one-piece.  The she wolf is out indeed.  Remixes by Moto Blanco, Calvin Harris, Deeplick (best of the bunch), Villains, and a bootleg floating around by Peter Rauhofer. 2009-10-30T06:41:01+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/now_im_that_bitch_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/now_im_that_bitch_remixes/ Certain songs should be packaged as gay anthems from the very beginning without worrying about how to market it to a straight crowd and getting it on the radio.  The title alone is enough to knock the wig off most drag queens, and the chorus hook is something every ‘mo should be singing to themselves forever, “Now I’m that bitch/ You’ll never get to (ugh)/ Can’t get what you want/ So you’re acting like a punk/ You were too fly then/ So fly away now/ Now I’m that bitch/ And you’re just a clown.”  I so want there to be an unedited version.  Any guy who’s ever yearned for another, but didn’t get the attention they wanted, and then had them come around too late, needs this.  It’s the perfect “Look who got hot and doesn’t want your shit.  Now go get a cold sore, and while you’re at it, get me another drink” song.  Remixes by Kaskade (the best mix), Sam Sparro (second best), Mike Rizzo, Jason Nevins, Discotech and Serafin.  Also available in a radio version, “Now I’m That Chick.” 2009-10-30T06:38:01+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/fight_for_you/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/fight_for_you/ The first single from Morgan’s forthcoming album, “Fight For You” is everything we’ve loved about his pensive, dramatic progressive house style, but taken up a notch through the vocals.  The pipes are provided by Lissie, the vocalist on the first single from the last album, “The Longest Road,” this time replacing the beautiful, dull-eyed melancholy with a more dynamic delivery, including a belted bridge that essentially makes the entire song.  On first listen I thought he’d employed the talents of Astrid Suryanto as that kind of delivery seems more native to her, but Lissie’s taken her voice to another level and the effort pays off stunnigly.  Remixes by the new popular kids of re-rub Sultan & Ned Shephard, Beltek, Bass Kleph and our own big gay DJ Dan. 2009-10-30T06:37:01+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/release_me/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/release_me/ The first thing I thought when I saw this release was, “Oh my God, someone is covering Angelina’s ‘Release Me’.”  Angelina was a Latin house artists who hit it big for a hot minute in the SF Bay Area in the mid-90s with a couple radio friendly dance tracks like the aforementioned, “I Don’t Need Your Love” and a cheesy cover of “The Tide is High.”  So when I played Agnes’ track of the same name, I was cringing before I even put the disc in and wondered how it was justifiable to cover someone who was “discovered” at the Great America theme park and hope to not have a cinderblock thrown at you.  And with the very first note of Agnes’ confident, gorgeous voice all that fear is put to rest immediately.  Now we know why Agnes was the youngest contestant ever to win Pop Idol (Sweden’s American Idol counterpart). NOT a cover of Angelina, this song of the same name is exactly the kind of dance pop that could usher in another era of dance artists finding their way onto mainstream hit radio.  Similar to former dance radio crossover hits like “Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)” (feat. Sophie Ellis Bextor) and “Burn For You” by Kreo, “Release Me” is simple, fun, beautifully vocalized and sticks in your head immediately.  Taking it then from the radio to the dancefloor, the track has been fully serviced by Cahill, Moto Blanco and a zillion bootleg mixes.  Get at this one. 2009-09-22T09:08:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/i_think_of_you/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/i_think_of_you/ Made By Monkeys is exactly what I’ve been missing on the dancefloor lately — full vocals and emotion laden lyrics.  Not that the category has disappeared, but it seems that since about 2005, there was a fundamental switch from sing-a-long anthems to dubbed out tribal monotony, I prefer the former.  Made By Monkeys released their first single “I Try” in 2003, with vocals by Maria Matton, remixes by Peter Rauhofer and Gabriel & Dresden and DJ support by hard hitters like Oakenfold, Sasha & Digweed, Pete Tong and Steve Lawler.  “I Try” was the group’s first jump into dance music and the unique sound of it was the clearest evidence of that — a fresh take on an established genre, the product being best described as progressive house with a moody, poetic color.  6 years later the group is dropping their second single “I Think of You,” and picking up right where they left off.  With vocals by Darcy Conroy, the track has a similar longing atmosphere — a lovelorn woman holding onto elongated notes and describing a world crumbling around her, all the while being able to think of nothing but the one she loves.  It’s romantic to some, horribly depressing and melodramatic to others, but whichever way you take it, the sound is piercing and is sure to be one of the songs you remember from a marathon session on the dirty, sticky floor.  The single currently includes 10 mixes total, and includes such notable names as DJ Paulo, Timothy Allan and the return of Rui Da Silva. 2009-09-09T01:41:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/poker_face_the_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/poker_face_the_remixes/ At this point Lady Gaga has gone from underground NY club kid to international pop music phenomena, and is so heavily covered that talking about her further seems like overkill.  But here at Noize we believe we’re the center of everything, so just think of this as seminal text.  So Gaga achieved what seemed impossible and overcame the sophomore single slump, following the enormous “Just Dance” with yet another Billboard #1 single and securing herself as an artist force instead just a flash in the pan.  What struck me most was stark change in production value of the videos for “Dance” and this release.  The former was kitschy, clever, hyper stylized in its low-budget-ness, and looked like it was shot on a HandiCam in 1984.  The “Poker Face” video follows with smoke machines, flood lights, outdoor stages, pools and two horse-sized Great Danes.  Just goes to show what record labels are willing to invest when they’re convinced an artist is going to be a cash cow.  Club mixes are provided by Dave Audé and Jody Den Broeder. 2009-07-29T16:41:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/be_alright/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/be_alright/ Two years in the making, Kristine’s newest release began its life as one of the exclusive tracks on 2007’s most coveted compilation release, “Forever Tel Aviv” mixed by Offer Nissim.  The track was remixed by Nissim, and consequently had his signature dark, excessively dramatic sweeping sound engulfing the vocals.  So despite the uplifting, positive lyrical content, the result sounded like translucent words soaring through a beautiful storm at sea, which makes it all the more jarring to hear the subsequent mixes sounding like sunshine and rainbows and presented with a cover photo drenched in purest yellow and magenta.  In it’s newly bleached and blow-dryed incarnation, “Be Alright” is a clap-along, crowd bouncing pop rock piece with new mixes by Bass Mekanik, Boris, Hex Hector, Joe Carrano, Neil Case, The Perry Twins and Tom Stephan (Superchumbo), as well as the original Offer Nissim mix.  The single was released alongside Kristine’s new full length album “The Power of Music.” 2009-07-29T16:39:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/drop_a_house/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/drop_a_house/ This one’s got such a great story.  Everyone who was clubbing in the late 90s remembers The Tamperer’s “Feel It” feat Maya (“WHAT… she gonna look like with a chimney on her?!), but what no one knew til recently was the Milli Vanilli situation that was going on with it.  The actual vocalist of the track, Heather Leigh West, had recorded the vocals with a group called Urban Discharge in 1995 and had elected to credit herself only as “She” because of the conflict between the track’s severe message and her softer image.  The track didn’t chart effectively because of its explicit lyrics, but then emerged again in 1998, edited and re-produced by The Tamperer, but this time crediting the vocals to Maya Days.  The song became an international club hit, being placed on every dance compilation and DJ playlist for years to come, all the while visualizing a slightly built Black woman as the origin of this huge, raging voice, that came three years earlier from a little blonde White girl.  To set the record straight, in 2007 Heather re-recorded the song as a promo with DJ Liza, and is now re-releasing it with DJ Demarko! as a two-part maxi single, and letting the sound speak for itself: how could anyone but the original vocalist sound identical to the original recording.  Side note: Maya Days recorded her own 2007 version of the song, perhaps in her own defense, and it sounds like unplugged jam session in a Valley strip mall bar. 2009-07-29T16:37:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/sugar_the_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/sugar_the_remixes/ Candy is bad for you.  This is something we’ve been told by parents, dentists and fashion advertising for years, but despite that, or maybe because of it, we love it.  Flo Rida is kind of a hack, having gone from hard and thuggish on the monster urban hit “Low” to goofy dance rap with “Right Round” (sampling Dead or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)”).  But no matter what our better judgement tells us, ear candy is still delicious, and the equally goofy “Sugar,” featuring a completely random usage of the scatted hook from Eiffel 65’s “Blue (Da Ba Dee), ” is too fun to condemn.  Completed by its offering as a remix package, the song is all but nauseatingly commercial and the true definition of a guilty pleasure, including nicely executed treatments by Mondotek and Disco Fries, and a horrifying NRG mix by Mickey Modelle. 2009-07-29T16:34:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/day_n_night_the_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/day_n_night_the_remixes/ “Day ‘N’ Night” is the next in a recent lineage of electronic-influenced hip hop making a huge impact on hit radio.  Hip hop has been courting electronica and club music for several years now, but unlike people like Pitbull and Kanye West who just blatantly sample club hits [presumably because the genre is less familiar to the general public and they assume no one’s going to notice their highway robbery], Kid Cudi makes the music his own, using the genre’s legacy as inspiration instead of a gimmick, and creates a hybrid sound that is innovation not imitation.  And unlike a lot of hip hop, Cudi isn’t the least bit afraid of a club mix, employing the talents of Bimbo Jones, Crookers, D.O.N.S., Agent X, TC and Mobin Master, all with incredible effect. 2009-07-29T16:32:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/patron_tequila_the_remixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/patron_tequila_the_remixes/ This is THE sloppy drunk summer anthem!  The Paradiso Girls’ press release aligns them with The Supremes and Destinys Child in their prolificness, but that positioning feels slightly inappropriate after hearing the lyrics of their debut — I doubt Diana Ross or Beyonce would ever blow, “Hey girl, where’s your drink?/ We gon’ all get drink drunk tonight/ Hey girl, I got bud we can all get fucked up/ And by the end of the night I’mma have you drunk and throwing up/ And by the end of the night I’mma have you so fucked up!”  So I’m not sure they get a high mark in the Fancy Ladies of Society category, but the song is pure party fun and they spared no expense in their desire for a club crossover, with remixes from DJ Dan, Dave Audé, Bimbo Jones, Stonebridge and The Wideboys. 2009-07-29T16:30:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/when_love_takes_over/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/zingles/when_love_takes_over/ Sometimes lightning does strike twice.  Having already been part of one of the most successful contemporary girl groups, Kelly seemed doomed to perpetual underdoggedness in the huge shadow of the thighs of the only member to come out of that situation successfully.  But Kelly may just have found her new calling, in the vein of Sheryl Lee Ralph and Hannah Jones, as guest vocalist on dance tracks, and When Love Takes over is proving how successful that move can be.  Having already climbed the dance charts on iTunes, the track is proving to make some serious waves despite the lack of exposure dance music receives in this country.  This is definitely one of the summer staples of 2009. 2009-07-29T16:23:00+00:00 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. 2009-04-10T14:51:00+00:00 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.  2009-04-10T14:49:00+00:00 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. 2009-04-10T14:46:00+00:00 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. 2009-04-10T14:42:00+00:00 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. 2009-04-10T14:39:00+00:00 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. 2009-03-30T14:58:00+00:00 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. 2009-03-30T14:44:00+00:00 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. 2009-01-31T16:00:00+00:00 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. 2009-01-31T16:00:00+00:00 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. 2009-01-31T16:00:00+00:00 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. 2009-01-31T16:00:00+00:00 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. 2009-01-31T16:00:00+00:00 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. 2008-12-18T16:26:01+00:00 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. 2008-11-17T17:05:00+00:00 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. 2008-10-08T07:29:01+00:00 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. 2008-10-08T07:27:01+00:00 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. 2008-10-08T07:26:01+00:00 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. 2008-10-08T07:24:01+00:00 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. 2008-10-08T07:22:01+00:00 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. 2008-08-05T06:04:00+00:00 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. 2008-08-05T06:00:00+00:00 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. 2008-08-05T05:59:00+00:00 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. 2008-08-05T05:58:00+00:00 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. 2008-08-05T05:48:00+00:00 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. 2008-06-13T07:17:00+00:00 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. 2008-05-13T07:00:48+00:00 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” 2008-05-13T06:59:00+00:00 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." 2008-05-13T06:42:00+00:00 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. 2008-05-13T06:36:00+00:00 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. 2008-05-13T04:09:00+00:00 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. 2008-05-13T04:01:00+00:00 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. 2008-05-13T03:57:00+00:00 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. 2008-05-13T03:50:00+00:00 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. 2008-05-13T03:45:00+00:00 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. 2008-05-02T07:10:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_night_the_sun_came_up/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_night_the_sun_came_up/ Dev’s flying as high as a G6. Originally discovered on MySpace by production team The Cataracs, Dev’s first introduction to the mainstream was on Far East Movement’s Billboard #1 single “Like A G6,” the chorus of which was lifted from a verse in Dev’s self-made single “Booty Bounce.”  Her first solo single, “Bass Down Low,” hit the radio late last year and paved the way for the present single “In the Dark,” an addictive blend of Latin house, ambient keyboards and a catchy-as-hell saxophone hook. The Night the Sun Came Up is a disparate sizzurp-like concoction of street aesthetics and booty bass revival with Euro dance and electro pop — a testament to Dev’s integrity as an artist as more than a pop mannequin. The probability of future singles includes “In My Trunk,” “Kiss My Lips” and “Breathe.”  At the forefront of the progression of U.S. radio’s new obsession with dance music, she’s gonna stay right where she is: on top. 2011-10-28T16:45:48+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/perfectionist/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/perfectionist/ Natalia Kills wants you to know that she’s a badass with a heart. She’s Gaga style without the dead Kermits, Lil’ Kim brutality without the incarceration, and an urban pop sound without the commercial sellout. Perfectionist might be her debut album, but she’s been in the public eye since age 9. She was featured in a long-running British radio drama and even auditioned in front of George Lucas for the role of Queen Amidala in the Star Wars prequels. After signing to Interscope’s Cherrytree Records, the British singer-songwriter released “Mirrors” in August of 2010, and everyone — the gays especially — sat up and took notice. Now on its third single, Perfectionist is an interesting mixture of sounds, including aggressive electro pop (“Mirrors,” “Zombie,”” Love Is a Suicide”), sweet radio jams (“Wonderland,” “Free,” “Kill My Boyfriend”), jagged rock (“Break You Hard,” “Acid Annie,” “Not In Love”), and aching ballads (“Broke,” “Heaven,” “If I Was God”). It’s a hodgepodge, but a good one. 2011-10-28T16:45:48+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/welcome_to_medina/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/welcome_to_medina/ Medina is the Danish Britney Spears, but without all the batshit crazy. The combination of her synthy dance pop sound and sultry vocals is one of those organic combinations that instantaneously elicits a response of “Who is this?”  Medina’s sophomore album (in its original Danish incarnation Velkommen Til Medina) has been out overseas since summer 2009, when its triple-platinum lead single “Kun for Mig” spent over a year on the Danish charts. Shortly thereafter, an English translation of the lead single, now “You and I,” was released with a Deadmau5 remix that made the rounds of DJ playlists worldwide. Alongside three subsequent English singles — “Lonely,” “Addiction” and “Gutter” — it had everyone wet in anticipation for whatever was coming. Now three years on, Medina drops the English version as Welcome to Medina, with a reworked tracklist that includes all the English singles and their original Danish versions, and a bonus remix disc. 2011-10-28T16:43:48+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/nothing_but_the_beat/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/nothing_but_the_beat/ Sometimes hard work does, in fact, pay off. At the age of 43, Guetta is just now reaching the height of his career; I’ve no doubt he can ride the wave right into the next decade. Four years ago, everyone and his mother had to have Timbaland produce a track. Now, with the American adoption of the European dance sound, that torch has been passed to Guetta. Nothing But the Beat hops on the train all superstar DJs have been jumping on in the last 10 years: ditching the niche club market and amalgamating pop artist stardom with an addictive dance sensibility — not to mention a nicer paycheck. Beat employs pop royalty of the moment, including Nicki Minaj, Flo Rida, Taio Cruz, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Usher, will.i.am, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Akon, Timbaland, Dev, Jennifer Hudson, Jessie J and Sia, and could easily sweep the Grammys. Nothing but the beat?  More like nothing but sweet candy. Get a taste. 2011-10-28T16:42:48+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_ultimate_collection/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_ultimate_collection/ Sade is one of those artists whose musical expression is one of such beauty that it’s become as synonymous with sensuality and lovemaking as rose petals and satin sheets. Despite her melancholic delivery and her focus on loves lost, her voice sounds so sexy that you can’t help wanting to get naked while listening. The Ultimate Collection is the next chapter of Sade’s hits, following The Best Of from 1994, while adding in the hits from Lovers Rock and Soldier of Love. It includ es four new songs, one of them a new remix of “The Moon and The Sky” featuring Jay-Z. The second single off the album, “Love Is Found” has been released with remixes by Gareth Wyn and Alex Metric. Also look for some recently surfacing bootleg remix albums titled Think Sade and Think Sade 2. 2011-08-01T13:00:57+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/exit_110/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/exit_110/ The follow-up album six years in the making, Exit 110 is the continuation of iiO’s debut album Poetica, comprised of songs recorded during the original sessions for the first album and before Nadia Ali’s professional separation from Markus Moser to focus on her solo career. All the charm of iiO is here, with elements of ‘80s synth pop, unique melodies and Nadia’s endlessly lovable words and vocals. The stark contrast was present on Poetica and is even more noticeable on Exit 110: One of iiO’s bigger hallmarks is their ability to sound completely different from everyone else out there and not come across as remotely self-conscious. Between Moser’s penchant for nostalgic production elements and Ali’s melancholic and Eastern-influenced delivery of autobiographical lyrics, iiO has always stood out as one of the most personal dance music groups. 2011-08-01T13:00:57+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/beach_house_2011/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/beach_house_2011/ Last year Beach House 2010 was nominated for Best Compilation at the International Dance Music Awards, and ended up being Hed Kandi’s biggest-selling title. So all eyes were on this year’s installment to see if they could top it. In a series that has, at certain points over the last few years, become more of a brand than a collection of individual and standout tracks, 2011’s chapter of Beach House holds up to the original installments championed by Hed Kandi founder Mark Doyle. A blend of new tracks in the trademark “sundrenched” deep, beachy House sound and fresh remixes of classics, BH 2011 is guaranteed to brighten any pool party or day at the beach. The CD release is in a traditional triple-disc, unmixed format; the digital release also includes all three discs as continuous mixed sets. 2011-08-01T13:00:57+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/mix_magic_music/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/mix_magic_music/ Yep, it’s true, after what felt like the longest drought ever, we finally get served a proper superstar DJ mix album — and it doubles as an artist album to boot: Tony produced every track, all the while maintaining variety with different featured vocalists and collaborators, including Judy Torres, Zhana Saunders, Frenchie Davis, Ultra Nate and Deborah Cox. Very much the companion to, and logical next step following, his 2008 release The Event, Mix Magic Music combines his expertise in what makes the dance floor move, a clear pop sensibility and a new direction away from the tribal of the last few years toward progressive House. Not to be missed, especially standouts “Can I Love You More” with Trey Lorenz, “Magic” with Jennifer Holliday, and “Sensation” with Orion. 2011-08-01T13:00:57+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/twentyone/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/twentyone/ It’s not the most common occurrence that an artist comes along who is liked by everyone, regardless of geography, age, or genre preference. The sound of pop music today is so produced, so commercial, so aimed at an audience and manufactured to appeal specifically to it, it seems only logical that the only way to get beyond all that would be to strip it all away to a piano, a drum, a guitar and a husky limitless voice shaped into powerful words and earnest sentiments. Adele’s 2008 debut 19 was a gentle, bluesy opus of acoustic ballads; 21 still stays true to that foundation, but amplifies the energy a bit, brightens the sound and, on many of the tracks, adds elements of funk and disco by way of percussion and tempo. The album’s lead single, “Rolling in the Deep,” has been remixed extensively including mixes by Paul Oakenfold, Oliver Watts, Claude, and Benny Royal. 2011-04-29T04:33:04+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/i_am_the_dance_commander_i_command_you_to_dance/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/i_am_the_dance_commander_i_command_you_to_dance/ It feels like forever since an American pop artist has honored the dance genre with a proper remix album — but who else but Ke$ha, with her belligerent 1 a.m. sound and sloppy party girl image? Composed of nine remixed tracks from the Animal and Cannibal albums and the new track “Fuck Him He’s A DJ,” Commander takes everything we’ve loved about the princess and Jack and glitter and either augments or completely reinvents it. “Tik Tok” gets an aggressive dubstep facelift, “Your Love Is My Drug” is given the now-ubiquitous Dave Audé treatment, “We R Who We R” is Fred Falke-ized, and dance ballad “Animal” is made over into a stretched out, dubby electro love song. Ke$ha ushered in a new brand of carefree fun and frivolity in 2009, and Commander cements it as a party mainstay in the caliber of the keg and the line for the bathroom. 2011-04-29T04:32:04+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/killer_love/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/killer_love/ This one’s been leaning up against the wall alongside the dance floor for a while now.  After her first solo album, Her Name Is Nicole, was delayed in 2007 and then canceled at the last second in 2008 due to several unsuccessful singles and half its tracks were absorbed into the forthcoming Pussycat Dolls Doll Domination album. Coming right after all the press and promotion finished so as to maximize on embarrassment, the big question was, “Can Nicole separate from the Dolls and float on her own?” Now started and restarted more times than Family Guy, Moroccan super-producer RedOne was called in to give the album some consistency, not to mention the most popular sound of the moment. The end product is well worth the wait. Mostly aggressive dance with a rock and soul edge, all the party girls are gonna love this. And when they’re coming down from their extracurriculars, the ballads provide a nice backdrop, two of which feature guest vocals by Sting and Enrique Iglesias. 2011-04-29T04:31:04+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/lights/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/lights/ I can’t say enough good things about this album. Named the number one breakout act of the year by BBC’s Sound of 2010 poll and awarded the Critics’ Choice Award at the 2010 BRIT Awards (following Adele’s win of both in 2008), Ellie is a prodigious powerhouse and people are taking notice. A singer and songwriter from a very young age, Ellie was first exposed to electronic music while attending the University of Kent and developed her sound with the help of producer Frankmusik. Chiefly produced by Starsmith, Lights is decidedly electronic at heart but instrumentally eclectic and a sound that is her own in every way. Mostly mid-tempo but with a few ballads and uptempo scattered throughout, the heavy percussion (regardless of tempo) and tasteful electronic elements combine hypnotically with Ellie’s pixie-like voice and its endless acrobatics. The album was re-released as Bright Lights with six additional tracks — all amazing — and was finally released here in March in its original format. 2011-04-29T04:17:04+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/tron_legacy/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/tron_legacy/ In the last decade, filmmakers have come to view electronic artists as the perfect go-to for unique soundtracks that punctuate and sonically explain their narratives in a way that straight orchestral and instrumental music could never touch. Electronic music in itself is an alternative expression that departs from the acoustic world that surrounds it and creates moods and metaphors that have always felt more akin to a modern urban reality. For a movie like TRON: Legacy, anything less would have been a violation of the film’s intention.  Mixing the band’s robotic persona with the 85-piece London Orchestra and guided by music supervisor Jason Bentley (Los Angeles’ KCRW), the TRON score creates a digital soundscape that translates the film’s dynamics into pixelated emotions accented by taunt strings and cold brass. Notably, the film was actually cut to the French duo’s score — the complete opposite of the way soundtracks and films usually inform each other during production. After two whole years DP spent creating the sound of Legacy, there couldn’t have been a better nod to them.  Perfect mood music for late nights spent intimately with machinery. 2011-02-15T10:39:08+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_beach_side_of_life/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_beach_side_of_life/ Despite the Mai Tai cocktail not changing much since its creation, its continued formulaic composition has never affected its reputation as “the” tropical drink. Like that umbrella-clad libation, so too has Roger Shah’s rock-steady reverence to beachy ambience over pounding big room beats made his Sunlounger moniker a staple of the Ibiza-style sound. The third album is the same dune bike we’ve been riding the last three years, just a different color and with new spokes. What defines the Sunlounger brand is Shah’s ability to create an atmosphere that feels so recognizably summer: the watery synth textures, the whining guitars, the soft-edged bass pulse. Close your eyes, and it’s impossible not to picture gently pawing waves, the sensual flicker of torch light, and the taste of sea air on your lips. Already on its fourth single release, the album maintains the double-disc Sunlounger trademark of dual presentation of all songs. One is an ambient chill breakdown and the other a bangin’ club track; both offer unique ways to appreciate the instrumentation and ethereal vocals. Head straight for “Beautiful Night,” “Found,” and “Breaking Waves.” 2011-02-15T10:38:08+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/body_talk/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/body_talk/ In this third and final installment of the “Body Talk” series, Robyn has successfully relaunched herself yet again after her staggering resurfacing with the 2007 album and solidified her title as Swedish pop royalty.  When she first stormed onto the scene back in 1997, Robyn was a finely crafted product made specifically to appeal and sell. After battles with labels and a determination for creative control, Robyn has left the commercial machine behind and reemerged as a seasoned artist with a sound and style that have earned her a rabidly loyal following. Concluding the two previous EP installments, Body Talk is an LP collection of new tracks as well as a compilation of the previous singles from parts 1 and 2, amounting to 15 tracks of candy pop bliss. New tracks include the lead single “Indestructible,” new fan favorite “Call Your Girlfriend,” the radio-perfect “Time Machine,” plus “Get Myself Together” and “Stars 4-Ever.”  Also included is the Diplo remix of the previously released “Dancehall Queen.” 2011-02-15T10:33:08+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/cannibal/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/cannibal/ Ke$ha’s one of those artists who steps out and is instantly loved or hated, or loved and hated, by everyone. Her suicide soda combination of hyper-studioed, over-produced, electro-pop, slut-wave styling, “just been fucked” hair, and unashamed love of glitter and Jack Daniel’s demands a response. Regardless of your feelings about her and her music, at least she evokes a reaction as strong as a bottle of bourbon. Cannibal is the 9-track follow-up EP to her debut LP of endless Top 10 hits, Animal, and it guarantees that she’s anything but a flash in the pan. The lead single “We R Who We R” is her take on the current personal empowerment craze in pop (see also Pink’s “Raise Your Glass,” Katy Perry’s “Fireworks,” Gaga’s forthcoming “Born This Way”), and is her perfect slant on the topic: “I’ve got that glitter on my eyes/Stockings ripped all up the side… /You know we’re superstars/We are who we are!”  Expect another wave of undeniable hits, including “Cannibal,” “Blow,” and maybe even “Crazy Beautiful Life.” The party started in 2009, and it’s still going strong. 2011-02-15T10:31:50+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/beach_angel_iv/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/beach_angel_iv/ Another release that was supposed to drop when more seasonally appropriate, but for whatever reason hung out behind the bar until late September instead of getting naked and in the water when people were actually paying attention. This installment of Beach Angel starts out a bit more chill than beat-driven. The beachy melodies are there, but the first disc inspires non-movement more than anything else. It’s not until the end of the first disc that the trademark sensual, sun-drenched House quality of the series shows up, Mai Tai in hand and barely there in a Speedo sparing no details. But like the sloppy party girl who shows up late to her own birthday, she makes good of the time she’s got. Rest assured that by track 10, the party picks up and steadily builds all the way through track 34, concluding with Syke ‘N’ Sugarstarr featuring Alexandra Prince’s “So Alive” that sends you off feeling exactly that: so alive. 2010-11-02T07:47:15+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/queen_of_clubs/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/queen_of_clubs/ In case there was any confusion, this album title confirms what people have been saying for a while. Nadia has been a staple of club music since she was introduced to producer Mark Moser while working at Versace. The two became iiO, one of the most successful dance groups of the last decade, with global hits like “Rapture.” Since going solo in 2005, Nadia has released a string of singles and a solo album and has guested on endless tracks for top-name producers. Now in 2010, Queen of Clubs serves as a benchmark of what she’s accomplished, a collection of remixes from the Embers album, a few of her collaborations and even an iiO track from the Poetica album. Queen of Clubs is amazing from start to finish and underscores her ability as a singer/songwriter as well as a dance floor diva. Not to be missed. 2010-11-02T07:46:46+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/all_this_love/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/all_this_love/ The guest vocalist finally gets her name up top and a release all her own. Longtime a favorite of Kaskade, Haley Gibby has appeared on a number of Kaskade’s biggest singles across the last two albums, including “Move For Me,” “Step One Two,” “I Remember” with Deadmau5, “Dynasty,” “Don’t Stop Dancing” and the collaboration with Tiësto, “Only You.” Additionally she was the vocals behind the group Summer of Space, an alternate moniker for her work with Kaskade. Now four years later, her time has finally come to stand on her own, and the product is nothing short of amazing: perfect, breathy, hooky dance music with a pop sensibility and a voice far beyond the typical dance artist. Not one bad track on the album, but go straight for “Falling In Love,” “This Is How It Goes,” “What Do You Say” and “The Chance.” Addictive. 2010-11-02T07:44:01+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/a_year_without_rain/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/a_year_without_rain/ That this wasn’t released during the summer is a crime against humanity. But at least now, fall and early winter will be more than cold days and earlier nights. Consisting entirely of simple, silly lyrics and auto-tuned sentimentality, A Day Without Rain is exactly what being a dance pop princess is all about — keeping it light, accessible and instantly catchy. And the huge hair doesn’t hurt. Selena’s breaking free of the Disney machine, but she definitely hasn’t forgotten how to remain a marketable product while doing what she really wants. Expect to hear a bunch of these on the radio for the next couple months, including the already huge “Round & Round,” and what are likely to be future hits: “A Year Without Rain,” “Off The Chain” and “Rock God.” A day without rain, indeed; slide this one in anytime to warm even the coldest of moments. 2010-11-02T07:42:02+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/love_and_its_opposite/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/love_and_its_opposite/ This is the record that all great singer/songwriters should make when they’ve stopped trying to be stars and just want to make art that expresses what goes on in their heads. Described by Thorn as “a record about the person I am now and the people around me ... about real life after 40,” Love and its Opposite plays as an album created not to get radio plays, not to rock the next party, but for the simplest reason that music exists — for the listener to empathetically connect with the person singing. On first listen, you’ll notice the lack of beat-driven intention that 2007’s Out of the Woods had as its foundation. But it’s on the second and third listens that the gentle melodies and painfully specific lyrics become the exclusive draw to press play again upon the disc’s completion, and underscores what made Tracey and Everything But The Girl such an enduring force: their ability to maintain an unparalleled level of lyrical intimacy across any musical platform. Essentially the album is a snapshot of her own mind — how she perceives her children, her marriage, the people around her and close to her — all while conveying it through her unrivaled voice and hooky vocal dynamics. She addresses love not as a lovesick girl, but as a woman who’s experienced the dynamic realities of it and understands it, not idealizes it. This album should come with a leather couch, a timer — and an inflated mental health practitioner’s invoice. 2010-07-29T14:13:29+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/night_work/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/night_work/ The first thing to grab you will be the cover art: a black-and-white photo of a man’s taut, flexed butt in stretch pants enthusiastically framed by the owner’s strong hands. The image, via Robert Mapplethorpe, is intended to pay homage to the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers album, but what makes this cover truly wonderful (aside from making all the tops hot and bothered) is that it instantly and publicly brands the band as gay in the same mainstream context that usually prompts others to tone it down. They’re the new Pet Shop Boys. What’s interesting is that this was the album that almost didn’t happen. After working 18 months on the follow-up to 2005’s Ta-Dah, the band scrapped the original version of Night Work as something they couldn’t fully get behind. Only after running away to Berlin for several months did lead singer Jake Shears get the inspiration to re-conceive the album alongside a new executive producer, Stuart Price. Known for his hugely successful work with Madonna (Confessions on a Dance Floor), the Killers (Hot Fuss), and Kylie (Aphrodite), Stuart Price (whose remixes are often credited as Jacques Lu Cont and Thin White Duke) was clearly brought in to give the band the dance-oriented sound that now dominates American pop while still allowing the band’s disco/glam-rock essence to remain at the core of the music. The result is a successful labyrinth of sound. The lead single is a ballady number, “Fire with Fire,” that’s been given the Peter Rauhofer-remix treatment. But for something perfect in its original form, go straight to the last track, “Invisible Light.” Pure magic. 2010-07-29T14:09:29+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/flesh_tone/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/flesh_tone/ The girl whose milkshake brought the boys to their feet has since wiped up the spilt dairy, and put in a lighted dance floor. Gone is her Neptunes-produced, lollipop-licking hip-hop sound — what she has (allegedly) since referred to as being an unnatural but profitable business move. Replacing it has come a club-lovers’ format and a Grace Jones-style personal presentation. The move to dance may also be a business-minded one. Whatever; the union of the electronic sound and her voice is so organic — you’d be hard-pressed to prove that this was anything but an intentional progression. Prior to Flesh Tone, Kelis courted the club sound through collaborations with and guest vocals for artists like Benny Benassi and the Crookers — as well as myriad remix treatments her singles have received over the years from producers, including X-Press 2, the Scumfrog, Linus Loves, Dave Audé, E-Smoove and Junior Vasquez. Containing collaborations with producers like David Guetta, Will.i.am, Boys Noize, Diplo, DJ Ammo and Benny Benassi, Flesh Tone is a 9-track album (10 in its bonus track digital form), that contains not a single ballad while still managing to cover the same spectrum of emotions and intentions that a typical pop album does. The craze began with the release of the Guetta-produced initial teaser “Acapella,” and has now moved to its second single, “4th of July” with a standout remix treatment by Richard X. 2010-07-29T14:01:29+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/aphrodite/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/aphrodite/ Kylie, now 42 and a survivor of breast cancer, left all the weight of the last few years at the door and gives us one of the most effervescent installments of Kyliedom to date. “We didn’t want to try to reinvent the wheel, we just wanted to make really good songs,” she has said — and Kylie is a commercial artist to the core. Through her 22-year career, the Aussie has acquired a fundamental instinct for both the cold consumer aspect and inimitable magic of pop. While some of her contemporaries have become “serious artists” with age, Kylie sticks to the guns that made her what she is and never fails to reinvent herself with each album, all while maintaining a brand consistency. Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears, co-writer on “Too Much,” boldly states, “When we were writing lyrics together, sometimes she’d put something down and I’d think, ‘Oh, my God, that is the lamest thing I’ve ever heard!’ And then it comes out of her mouth and it’s absolutely brilliant.” Therein lies the alchemy that is Kylie: to make unforgettable what would otherwise be forgettable. Track for track, Aphrodite is composed of total simplicity of songwriting and statement. But in her delivery, the tried and true becomes tremendous. Standouts include “Get Outta My Way,” “Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love),” “Too Much,” “Cupid Boy,” and the lead single, “All the Lovers.” 2010-07-29T13:59:29+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/tiesto_-_in_search_of_sunrise/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/tiesto_-_in_search_of_sunrise/ This is a bit of a flashback, but the unmixed versions have just been released and they’re so worthy of mention, I couldn’t resist. The first volume of In Search of Sunrise was released in May 2000, and the sequel followed quickly in December. What began as just another mixed-set series became a worldwide phenomena and one of the most successful compilation series ever. Now on its eighth installment and handed off to Richard Durand, the In Search of Sunrise series flawlessly captured in 2000 a snapshot of the best in trance and progressive. It brought to light so many artists and producers that defined the genre; it also provided first light to tracks that later became classics and dancefloor staples. The first two volumes were recently re-released as unmixed digital packages, all tracks separate and in their full length glory, and it just serves to remind of how successful Tiesto was at selecting standout tracks amongst all the uninspired and nearly identical club releases that flood the bins. Volume 1 set the tone of the series with tracks like “Anomaly (Calling Your Name),” famously used as the backdrop for Jason Biggs and Shannon Elizabeth’s shaved beaver scene in the film American Pie. Billie Ray Martin’s Honey was remixed by Chicane, which went on to be included in a zillion compilations and was given a update remix treatment in 2003. BT’s “Mercury & Solace” comes from when he was still more of an indie artist and hadn’t yet achieved his mainstream crossover appeal. Volume 2 followed the initial release’s success with a deeper sound, with tracks like Rui Da Silva’s “Touch Me” featuring vocals by Cassandra Fox (or Cass now), which even today remains a staple and has been remade and remixed endlessly. Salt Tank’s beautifully lush “Eugina” was remixed by Michael Woods — another track that has been included on a zillion compilations. And the new vocal mix of Cass & Slide’s “Perception” turned the intricate, nearly 11-minute instrumental original into a haunting poem by Naimee Coleman. 2010-06-22T11:32:28+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/soldier_of_love/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/soldier_of_love/ Sade, the band, is one of those acts that does it the way I think it should be done — artists, not revenue-generating stars. The band had not produced an album since 2000’s Lovers Rock. What motivated the creation of Soldier of Love wasn’t any kind of obligation; it was because they had something to say. Isn’t that the way art is supposed to be? Sade Adu is one of those vocalists who could sing the phone book, and people would sit and listen, so the band will always have that going for them. And despite a decade separating the release of this and the last album, theirs is a sound and an atmosphere that no one forgets once they’ve experienced them. So no matter how much time they put between releases, there will always be an audience. Soldier of Love was touted as the band’s new direction in sound, but to be honest, it sounds like good-old tried-and-true Sade. Not a bad thing, mind you. The album’s first single, also titled “Soldier of Love,” has an incredible chunky beat and extremely minimal instrumentation, which frames Sade’s voice gorgeously. The 9-track remix package is less mainstream and more creative, incorporating chilled electronic beats, deep house, and several guest raps. 2010-04-27T05:13:25+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/believe/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/believe/ Morgan Page is a withholder. Over the last eight years he’s built an immense fan base for his particular brand of foggy, moody progressive House by applying it to a zillion remixes for disparate artists like Jason Mraz, Madonna, Alanis Morissette, Jeffree Star, Jody Watley, Yoko Ono, Nelly Furtado and Stevie Nicks. To name a few. But with all that demand, his own artist work gets perpetually pushed to the side and we’re left panting at the mere mention of something native with  his name on it. Believe began with the tease of the initial singles “Fight for You” and “Strange Condition” (awesome cover of Pete Yorn), and fulfilled its promise with the album’s full release in all its murky glory, and does not disappoint. Now staple vocalist Elisabeth Morris or “Lissie” appears on several of the album’s vocal tracks, but she’s also joined by a group of impressive guests, including Télépopmusik’s Angela McCluskey, deep House darling Samantha James, trip-hop crooner Natalie Walker, and the dynamic Matt Alber. Standout tracks include “Believe,” “Back to Life,” “Only Human,” and “Tell Me Why.” 2010-04-27T05:10:25+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/once_upon_a_night/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/once_upon_a_night/ Holland’s got it goin’ on. Between Ferry, Tiesto, van Buuren, and those wooden shoes, I don’t know what’s not to love. Oh, and the legalized drugs, prostitution and gay marriage. Bless the Dutch. And Corsten continues to represent his country in the best way possible with this gorgeous two-disc set highlighting the sound that dominates Europeans and their weekends. What marks this particular release as noteworthy is not how sparing the vocals are, but how much you don’t miss them. This is why we love trance. Unlike House, which positions the beat and percussion as the focal point, trance focuses on the melodies and uses the beat almost like a metronome to give the ambience structure. Vocals exist throughout both discs — but aside from a handful of full vocal tracks, they are used as textures or repeating elements. A hooked exhale, a stuttered hum … it all lends itself to creating this breathtakingly intimate atmosphere where you feel that the music is enveloping you, touching your skin with amorphous melodies and an angel’s voice. It’s magic. 2010-04-27T05:08:25+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_hopeful_machines/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_hopeful_machines/ BT is like Sade, he puts out albums when he’s got something to say. Constantly striving to reinvent and innovate, BT is a producer/artist/programmer whose name alone turns heads. I remember reading about the reaction Tori Amos had to her manager when she first heard his treatment of her vocals on their 1996 collaboration, “Blue Skies.” It was something like, “Holy shit, you have to hear this…” His sound has been imitated endlessly since his mainstream recognition — which I’m sure in no small way motivates his perpetual progress in sound and audio engineering. Following This Binary Universe, on which he played with very extended track times and purely instrumental soundscapes, These Hopeful Machines feels like a merger of that intention with the pop sensibilities of 2003’s Emotional Technology. The double-disc album contains 12 songs total, most of which clock in at over 10 minutes, and blend his passions for gorgeous ambience atop complex beats, and the dance-rock hybrid that will always be his hallmark. BT does his own vocals amidst guest performances by Christian Burns, Andrew Bayer, Jes, Kirsty Hawkshaw, Ulrich Schnauss, Rob Dickinson, and The Psychedelic Furs. 2010-04-27T05:06:25+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_elements_of_freedom/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_elements_of_freedom/ I’m not implying anything when I say this, but no one can write a love song like a gay person, and if Alicia is not gay, it’s a disservice to our community. There is a total self-abandonment that seems a hallmark of gay love, a starkness to the emotion that comes with finally finding love amidst the feelings of fear and secrecy—a trait most clearly exemplified by the severe pathos of Morrissey—that is very present in Keys’ music. This is Alicia’s third album since 2001, and not one album has ever failed to provide me with at least one, if not several, songs to lament, long and love so pointedly that I feel a deeper understanding of myself for the song’s addition in my “life playlist.” The influence of the Grammy for “No One” is evident on several tracks, most notably “Doesn’t Mean Anything”: The usually syncopated R&B bass line has been simplified to the 4-4 beat used on the award-winning song. The album’s character is mid-tempo and contains ballad tracks perfect for those late-night moments with another (or just yourself). Be sure to pay special attention to “Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down,” the sans-rap, all-vocal alternate of the radio version featuring Jay-Z, which fully deserves a radio presence of its own. 2010-02-13T16:41:24+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/animal/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/animal/ This girl is going to own 2010. Ke$ha is all the fun of Lady Gaga but without the pomp, theatrics and feigned profundity. She’s the girl who danced on a table at the frat party; the girl who crawled the length of the bar while downing everyone’s shots; the girl who rode in the trunk from one party to the next because at least there she could keep drinking. Ke$ha’s Animal brings to the new decade all the careless fun danceability of the ‘80s, but with the heart and soul to back it up.  The album harnesses pop’s new obsession with electro sounds, along with its teen-strength love affair with Auto-Tune and severe vocal editing, and creates the soundtrack to 2010 nightlife. She does the sloppy drunk fun thing with “Tik Tok,” “Take It Off,” “Blah Blah Blah,” and “Party at a Rich Dude’s House” (about a party at Paris Hilton’s in which she threw up in the closet). But she also shows that the party girl does have some specifics in mind after the lights come on with songs like “Your Love Is My Drug,” “Stephen,” “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes,” and “Blind.”  All in all, you can expect this album to be the go-to at every pool party this summer. 2010-02-13T16:40:24+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/rated_r/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/rated_r/ A therapist once told me after a break-up, “Don’t let go of your anger. Your anger will give shape to all the emotions you’re feeling right now. It will give you strength when you feel weak and broken.” Clearly someone said these words to Rihanna after having had the crap kicked out of her. Though thus far not nearly as commercially successful as her previous releases, “Rated R” manages in 13 tracks to be her most coherent, impacting and resonating piece of work to date. From start to finish, the album approaches the myriad emotional responses Rihanna experienced during and following her tumultuous relationship with Chris (“Why the hell am I not incarcerated?”) Brown, from every possible angle.  She proclaims her resilience in “Hard” and “G4L,” reaffirms who she was before the media frenzy in “Wait Your Turn” and “Rockstar,” and reminds us that through the abuse she also loved in “Stupid in Love,” “Cold Case Love” and “The Last Song.” She even flirts with the idea of the temptation of another woman on “Te Amo.” The disc’s incredible lead single “Russian Roulette” equates being with Brown to holding a loaded gun to her head. Don’t believe the lack of hype. This album is gold. 2010-02-13T16:38:24+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_fame_monster/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_fame_monster/ GaGa’s ear-popping rise to legend status continues with The Fame Monster. This EP was originally intended as a “tide you over addendum” to her original release, The Fame. But it has already managed to outshine all former radio singles with the career-defining “Bad Romance.” The remainder of the album sounds like perfect permutations of album tracks from The Fame, including “Monster” (sounds like “Poker Face”), “Speechless” (sounds like “Brown Eyes”), “Dance in the Dark” (sounds like “I Like It Rough”), and “Alejandro” (sounds like an updated version of Ace. Also included is “Telephone,” a duet with Beyoncé. Produced by Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, it presents a more urban radio version of GaGa and a viable next incarnation of the Lady. All in all, no one could have asked for a better follow-up to one of the biggest albums of 2009. From this point forward, all top albums should be followed up with an EP of similar material just to keep the ball rolling. 2010-02-13T16:36:24+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/space_cowboy/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/space_cowboy/ One of the genius producers behind Lady Gaga’s ear-popping sheer vertical rise to fame, Space Cowboy re-releases and revamps his initial Japan-only release “Digital Rock” with reworked production and an expanded tracklisting.  The sound is largely homogenous, a blend of Euro pop, rock-inspired elements and severely auto-tuned vocals, but broken up by different guest vocalists, samples and hooks.  At a run time of just under 38 minutes, the album plays like a continuous party soundtrack and could probably be played on repeat without anyone being the wiser.  Guest vocalists include Natlia Kills, Chelsea of the Paradiso Girls, Cinema Bizarre, Chentelle Paige, Cherry Cherry Boom Boom, Kee, Vistoso Bosses, Nadia Oh and LMFAO.  “Falling Down” and “I Came 2 Party” have already been released as the lead singles with remixes by FrankMusic, Robot to Mars, DJ Dan, Starkillers, Jump Smokers, Discotech and David Garcia. 2009-12-29T13:37:51+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/memoirs_of_an_imperfect_angel/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/memoirs_of_an_imperfect_angel/ On first listen the response to this is disappointment, as everything is either slow or mid-tempo.  And it’s this very reason that it took me 2 months to appreciate this album following putting the promo in the first time, and missing out on those two months of loving it.  Mariah is an undisputed master of the ballad, having the ability to change the emphasis of the genre, which tends to be on the lyrical storytelling, to the pop instrumentation and the radio hook quality she’s capable of creating.  All of these songs, if you let them, pull you in immediately and have some form of pop quality that has you hitting the back step button by track’s end because you want to hear that catchy thing she did on it again.  They’re slow jamz that don’t put you to sleep.  But to satisfy the radio crowd, and to make up for the somewhat lackluster sales in comparison to many of Mariah’s other albums, it has already been announced that the disc will be re-released as a remix package, every track getting a treatment, and judging by the mixes that have already been leaked, it’s gonna be freaking hot.  And for a quick fix, a two disc version of the present version of the album is available featuring the remixes of “Obsessed,” radio edited, and includes productions by Seamus & Emanuel, Cahill, Jump Smokers and Friscia & Lamboy. 2009-10-30T07:43:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/wait_for_me/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/wait_for_me/ So if Moby went back to the club on the Last Night album, he’s gone back to the hipster coffee house on this one.  Perhaps the stylistic sibling of the “Hotel” album, “Wait For Me” is an endlessly mellow, thoughtful, and sometimes melancholy set of 3- and 4-minute passing thoughts that would do well alongside William Orbit’s “Pieces in a Modern Style” album as mood-setting atmosphere treatments best served sometime between the sunset and sunrise, and preferably beneath conversation dipped in dancefloor exhaustion.  The first single, “Mistake,” was of course released as a remix package, as will all subsequent singles most certainly.  But in its native format, this album really feels like an antithetical response to the former album, reminding us of all that Moby is capable of communicating. 2009-10-30T07:41:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/blacksummersnight/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/blacksummersnight/ Not exactly the sound we normally include in this column, but vastly too good to be overlooked for that.  Maxwell’s new “first of three chapters” album “BLACKsummer’snight” is short, with a total running time of about 37 and a half minutes, but creates in those minutes an atmosphere of intense masculine intimacy and sensuality.  Now I know when a lot of you come home from the party with your flavor of the night, you’re looking to pound hard, pound fast and pass out fifteen minutes or less, but I encourage you to let this album’s duration outline an extended session, and maybe, just maybe, take your time and make it last.  I’m never one to use the term “love making,” I prefer “porking” far more, but dare I say that the former best describes the activity that goes best with this concentrated 9-track set.  2009-10-30T07:40:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/a_state_of_trance_2009/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/a_state_of_trance_2009/ Yet another perfect installment in the ASOT series piloted by Armin Van Buuren, this 2009 chapter is no different than any of the previous.  And for a fun change, that statement’s not a downer.  This time pulling almost exclusively from his Armada label, 2009 serves as something of a resume for what the label’s been up to since the last ASOT release, and frames some of the music luscious vocal and instrumental trance heard since, well… the last one.  Longtime fans of the genre will recognize several update mixes of trance classics, including the phenomenal reconstruction of “Come To Me” by Phuture Sound feat. Angie, a few new classics are established, such as “Man On The Run” by Dash Berlin and “Change Your Mind” by Sunlounger. 2009-10-30T07:37:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/anjunabeats_volume_7/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/anjunabeats_volume_7/ At this point Anjunabeats has established itself as one of the most reliable things in existence alongside the toaster and the condom.  Now on it’s seventh volume since 2001, the Anjunabeats label has become synonymous with the pulse of trance and progressive and, with every semi-annual release, presents us with an accurate cross section of the tracks and artists that are or will be dominating the genre.  Staple powerhouses like Mike Koglin, Mike Shiver and Super8 & Tab with newcomers to the series like Aruna, Dirty Vegas and rising star Mat Zo.  Music nerds like myself will also note that this is the first time the album cover art design has changed, from the left justified all-Helvetica Neue title, to the centered Helvetica Neue and serif type treatment.  Go team go. 2009-10-30T07:21:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/for_lack_of_a_better_name/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/for_lack_of_a_better_name/ The man who performs with an enormous mouse head helmet behind DJ decks releases another set of trance and progressive to blow your socks off.  Following “Random Album Title,” what else would make sense to call your sophomore release other than “For Lack Of A Better Name?”  Clearly Joel Zimmerman isn’t gimmicking with cute titles and intentions, he just wants you to listen to his music for what it is.  The majority of the album is instrumental, but between the cheeky track names, intense production and David Morales-style variation in atmospheres, anything this man puts out is the perfect combination of banging and thought provoking.  The disc’s first single “Ghosts ‘n Stuff” is amazing and the final tracks “The 16th Hour” and “Strobe” are reasons enough by themselves to buy the album. 2009-10-30T07:18:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/kaleidoscope/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/kaleidoscope/ Like Guetta, Tiesto made his big crossover to pop via collaboration — few people on earth are left who’ve never heard Tiesto’s sweeping remix of Sarah McLachlan collaboration track “Silence” with electronica act Delirium.  After that, Tiesto gained a huge new fanbase and over the years his sound morphed a bit from the dramatic, melodic trance that made him famous, to a more aggressive, electro progressive sound that has been applied to a number of pop remixes in the last few years.  That sound now takes full shape across Kaleidoscope’s seventeen tracks, and features collaborations with many of the artists he’d previously remixed, including Nelly Furtado, Tegan & Sara, Calvin Harris, and includes the runaway summer single “I Will Be Here” featuring Priscilla Ahn and the future hit “Who Wants To Be Alone” featuring Furtado. 2009-10-30T07:10:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/one_love/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/one_love/ David’s been a huge star in the dance world for years, starring in his own “Fuck Me I’m Famous” parties around the world, releasing a never ending string of singles and remixes, and crafting his own special brand of house music.  But after his collaboration with The Black Eyed Peas on their The End album, David’s made the jump from underground to street level and has solidified his success as a crossover artist.  Doing what’s clearly a trend of dance producers at the moment and securing a pop music market appeal by collaborating with hit radio artists, Guetta employs pop talent on every tracks, including Kelly Rowland of Destiny’s Child, Chris Willis, Akon, Kid Cudi, Ne-Yo, Estelle, Will.i.am, and of course The Peas.  This one’s got more singles than a church social. 2009-10-30T07:09:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/celebration/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/celebration/ I criticized this one when I first heard about it, accusing Madonna of simply trying to complete her contract with the final album in the easiest way possible with a greatest hits.  But I take it all back, this record really is what we’ve been needing.  The Immaculate Collection was a near perfect compilation, collecting onto a single disc everything that was wonderful about 80s Madonna.  All that really needed to be done was an addendum to that with the huge hits from the albums since to create the definitive Madonna.  And here it is.  Ignore entirely the dismally constructed GHV2, Celebration does 19 years later what Immaculate did in 1990 — everything you loved about Madonna, presented in the same version you originally loved it as, but with a remastering that ups the pleasure level just a touch.  2009-10-30T07:08:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/paint_your_face/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/paint_your_face/ One thing internet exposure of music has done is open peoples’ eyes and ears to the more creative, crazy, experimental sounds of indie artists, and Sliimy is a prime example of that.  Fans of Junior Senior, Mika, and Hellogoodbye will rejoice at the quirky, poppy, playful sound of Sliimy.  Hailing from Saint-Etienne, France, the 20-year old musician first made a name for himself on YouTube with his acoustic cover of Britney Spears’ “Womanizer.”  Quickly gaining the attention of celebrity notables like Katy Perry, Lady GaGa, Miley Cyrus, Paris and Perez, Ms. Perez Hilton signed Sliimy as the first artist on his Perezcious Music label and was asked to join Britney and Katy on the European leg of their tour.  The debut album “Paint Your Face” is nothing but pop fun and frivolity across dance, ballad and funk tracks.  2009-10-30T07:06:01+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/just_one_day/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/just_one_day/ Kim’s one of the few girls who’ve fought the good fight in entertainment and actually emerged victorious.  “Just One Day” is the first solo album Kim’s crafted and actually seen released.  Most will remember her name from when she hooked up with production team Mynt for their “Still Not Sorry” album, which featured the runaway single “How Did You Know,” a cover of the Kurtis Mantronik original.  But what you probably didn’t hear about were the first two albums she crafted and then had deleted prior to release by the labels that signed her.  Clearly the girl’s determined.  Following 11 hit singles, numerous promotions tours and endless club dates, “Just One Day” is a dream fulfilled, ten years following the inception of her career, and perfect slice of pop dance that marks her as one of the lasting voices in dance.  Tracks you’ve probably heard and loved before include “Like A Star,” “Alone” (cover of Heart), “Break Up,” and her biggest single to date, “Feel Your Love.” 2009-10-30T07:03:01+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/scars/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/scars/ The seminal group drops their 5th full length and continue with more of the same crunchy, bassy, real instruments meets club beats, hippie, experimental vibe that’s set them apart from all others from the beginning.  The album’s introduction was the initial single, “Raindrops,” first circulated in late summer, which featured a pop perfect simplicity and the ecstatic vocals of Felix Buxton.  The album promises quite a few additional hits, and features collaborations on every track, including the one that seemed written in the stars, that with funky, white soul brother turned dance diva Sam Sparro.  2009-10-30T07:02:01+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/invasion_of_i_gotta_feeling_megamix_ep/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/invasion_of_i_gotta_feeling_megamix_ep/ This David Guetta produced and co-penned radio staple is going to be the song that every man, woman and child plays while getting ready to go out until the end of eternity.  Its sickly happy and optimistic is conveyed with equal intensity in the lyrics, the delivery, the guitar strums and the bouncy percussion, and rendering any in earshot bobbing and looking forward to something.  Aptly released on the Invasion of I Gotta Feeling Megamix EP, the remixes push the track through multiple environments courtesy of Laidback Luke, Zuper Blahq, Printz Board, David Guetta and even a Spanglish version from Taboo.  By now most are pretty sick of this, but ya know what, like “Single Ladies,” it’s a phenomenon.  You kinda have to just respect it for the effect it has on people. 2009-10-30T06:22:01+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/la_roux/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/la_roux/ So some will remember La Roux as, and even she’s been quoted saying this, the performer that everyone ignored at this year’s White Party in Palm Springs.  Apparently she took to the stage and no one had any idea who she was, so they all yelled something, turned back to each other, did a bump and then continued having oral sex in the sun.  Or something like that.  Regardless of how you do or don’t remember it, that introduction to the gay guys didn’t seem to go over so well.  Flash forward almost 6 months and you’re hearing her music remixed at all the gay clubs and the regard has been built so that guys are actually waiting for this album to drop.  Following extensive remix treatments of the first two singles, “Bulletproof” and “I’m Not Your Toy,” by names like Dave Audé, Razor N Guido, Morgan Page, Dean Coleman, Nima Nas and Manhattan Clique, the floor’s been abuzz with her manipulated vocals atop a rattling bass line. 2009-09-22T09:05:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/i_look_to_you/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/i_look_to_you/ Get ready ladies…  Whitney’s crazy ass is back to show you that, no matter what you’ve heard, she’s still got it in her to always love you and, according to the Wendy Williams interview, is still living at home with Jesus. I Look To You will be Whitney’s seventh studio album and her first release since 2002’s mediocre “Just Whitney,” which plainly “just sucked.”  With any luck this album truly will be her return to a [flattering] place in the spotlight and a public regard that outshines the drug allegations, spousal abuse and general bat shit craziness — a maneuver accomplished in no small part by a staggering ensemble of producers and collaborators enlisted for the task of creating an album that fit what’s left of her rusty pipes.  In true Whitney style, the initial single, “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength,” is a Diane Warren penned power ballad that’ll do equally well as a sappy radio staple as it will when remixed for the dance floor, with official remix treatments coming from Peter Rauhofer and Daddy’s Groove, a bootleg from Offer Nissim (which caused all KINDS of drama), and private mixes by Rafael Lelis and Edson Pride.  Remaining collaborators include Alicia Keys, R Kelly, Swizz Beats, David Foster, Akon, Stargate, Johnta Austin and of course Clive Davis.  Listening parties in London, New York and Los Angeles have garnered rave reviews and standing ovations from guests, so from the sound of things, they did something right.  Additionally the album’s release date was bumped forward a day, from September 1 to August 31, to make the album eligible for Grammy nomination in 2010.  Apparently the powers that be are ready for this one to not only make a comeback, but completely beat out.  At the time of this article, the Freemasons have just unveiled their staggering remix of the album’s second single, or I think they’re actually calling it the first “official single,” “Million Dollar Bill,” and without question puts Whitney back up alongside the standards she set “It’s Not Right, But It’s OK,” “I Learned From The Best,” and “Heartbreak Hotel.”  Our girl is back. 2009-09-09T01:33:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/i_feel_cream/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/i_feel_cream/ This is coitus music.  The rough, nasty kind.  Though her name might not ring an immediate bell, chances are you’ve heard of Peaches over the years.  Because despite being more of an underground artist, her lyrics and song titles tend to stand out a bit, like “Fuck The Pain Away,” “Diddle My Skittle,” “Stuff Me Up,” and “Rock The Shocker.”  They just tend to stick in your mind.  Her electroclash synth punk style and sexual frankness have always given her a hybrid appeal, making her equally accessible to gay dance crowds, straight urban clubs and rowdy punk settings.  “I Feel Cream” continues with similar subject territory as her previous three albums, but also seems to show a bit more vulnerability, a softer Peaches than most are used to.  This isn’t to say that she’s not still talking about the joys of taking a big dick atop a gurgling bassline, but alongside that you’ve also got her lamenting about not wanting to lose a lover and demanding that an object of desire talk to her.  So it’s an emotional mixed bag, but beneath it all is still the same strap-on dildo adorned, goat horn wearing girl with adhesive facial hair that we all love. 2009-07-29T16:47:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/future_memories/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/future_memories/ This man made such a huge name for himself with his very first single in 1999, I’m always amazed that he’s able to continually create and innovate with material that rivals all that came before.  Most remember “9 PM (Till I Come)” as “that wobbly guitar song with the chick whispering, ‘Till I Come” that was played in every gay club, straight club, frat party and radio station mix show well into the early 2000s.  And while nothing he’s done since that has had the same American pop crossover behind it, ATB remains in a category alongside artists like Benny Benassi, Cascada and Darude to anyone who appreciates pop-accessible dance music.  “Future Memories” continues with the format he established with 2000’s “Two Worlds”: a double disc release composed of a dance disc and a chill disc.  ATB branches out with his vocalist usage on the album, deviating from the affair he’s had for years with Wild Strawberries singer Roberta Carter Harrison by also employing trance darlings like Betsie Larkin, Tiff Lacey, Aruna, Jan Löchel and Kaskade’s discovery Haley.  The majority of the dance disc is vocal while the chill disc is entirely instrumental save for a downtempo cover of Everything But The Girl’s “Missing, which could have been disastrous without the beauty of Tiff’s vocals.  That’s kind of a song you can’t cover without raising some heckles, but he gets away with it.  Other gems on the first disc are “What About Us,” “Swept Away,” “A New Day,” “Gravity,” and “My Saving Grace.” 2009-07-29T16:45:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/shakedown_2/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/shakedown_2/ A successful sequel is a feat not easily accomplished, especially not one that actually rivals the original.  The initial release punctuated 2006, and despite a December street date it managed to be one on of the bestselling compilations of the year.  The release underscored a shift in remix trends—labels steering away from heavier, circuit house mixes of their artists’ material, toward a brighter, disco funk influenced sound that still achieves profundity instead of careless frivolity.  The album’s two discs are composed of both artist tracks (“Heartbreak” feat. Sophie Ellis Bextor, “Uninvited” feat. Bailey Tzuke) and pop remixes (Solange Knowles, Jamiroquai, Peyton, Moby, Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, Kylie Minogue), as well as a handful of exclusives including several bootlegs that had cropped up over the last few years (Eurythmics’ “Here Comes The Rain Again,” New Order’s “Blue Monday,” Lisa Stansfield’s “People Hold On”).  All in all, this is the soundtrack of Summer 2009. 2009-07-29T16:44:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/above_beyonce_dance_mixes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/above_beyonce_dance_mixes/ You gotta give Beyoncé and her thighs some props for this, she’s shown some serious commitment to her gay fans and her crossover appeal to the clubs.  Generally speaking remixes are just a marketing tool used to record labels to promote their artists’ material in another context through an altered format, so it’s nice to see an artist of her stature acknowledging the remixes as material worth celebrating for its own merit.  And even though their name is absent from this particular collection, you can bet that some of the fuel for this release was how thrilled she was with all the remix treatments the Freemasons did for her previous album.  All the big singles from the “I Am Sasha Fierce” album are present, “If I Were A Boy,” “Single Ladies,” “Diva,” “Halo,” and “Ego,” along with “Broken-Hearted Girl” and “Sweet Dreams,” and have been reconstructed by Maurice Joshua, DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio, Karmatronic, Dave Audé, Catalyst, OK DAC and Harlan Pepper & AG III.  2009-07-29T16:43:01+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/sirens_of_the_sea_remixed/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/sirens_of_the_sea_remixed/ Destined to be remixed from the moment it hit shelves, Sirens of the Sea, Oceanlab’s debut release last summer was the full length release 7 years in the making.  After dropping their first single in 2002, Oceanlab became the little artist side project to follow, officially combining the freshly A-listed trance trio Above & Beyond with the other worldly liquid voice of Justine Suissa.  So when the website announced the impending release of the remix album back in early Spring, the desk chairs of a million trance fanatics could be heard being wet ‘round the world.  All 12 tracks of the initial release have been given the re-rub treatment across the remix album’s two discs, the majority receiving dual reconstructions, and all are dance floor-ready right out of the box.  Remixing credits include Jaytech, Michael Cassette, Andy Duguid, Gareth Emery, Lange, Oliver Smith, 16 Bit Lolitas, Andrew Bayer, Myon & Shane 54, Sonorous, Duderstadt and of course Above & Beyond.  In addition to the revamping of Sirens’ tracks, the Remixed edition also includes the group’s first three singles (not included on the original album), “Satellite (Above & Beyond Mix),” “Sky Falls Down (Armin Van Buuren Remix),” and “Clear Blue Water (Ferry Corsten Remix).”  The iTunes release also included 5 additional remixes by Ronski Speed, Daniel Kandi, Jaytech vs. James Grant, Martin Roth and Cosmic Gate. 2009-07-11T11:25:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_end/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/music_reviews/the_end/ So The Peas are back and from the sound of the album are going to be riding this one long enough to be played at California’s next legal gay marriage.  The End has been lounging atop the Billboard charts since its release, alongside its first two singles, “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Got A Feelin’,” and prompts the question, “What’s wrong with selling out when it generates this kind of success?”  To hear songs like “Rock That Body” or “Missing You” composed entirely of electronic beats and simple dancey hooks, you can almost forget their 1998 debut “Behind The Front,” when they looked and sounded like they were separated at birth from A Tribe Called Quest and used unique, independent vocalists like Esthero and Les Nubians to sing the occasional chorus against their otherwise sans-melody beats.  But that’s progress, and while the purist would say that the purpose of music is to communicate and express what people are feeling, the music industry will always counter and say the purpose is to make money.  And that’s what they’re doing, and very aptly.  Collaborating this time with House Music legend David Guetta instead of the latest Urban influences, The Peas create a purely dance pop album with just enough Hip Hop edge to remind you they’re not Eiffel 65, but not by much.  The cover art is a clear homage to the unfeeling, mechanized imagery of Kraftwerk’s 1986 Electric Cafe album, and functions as the telling face of what lies beneath—futuristic, auto-tuned and more processed than a Twinkie.  But it’s perfect in every way, the slick hooks are memorizable after one listen, the beats and samples are delicious and the lyrics are written in such a way as to feel relatable to everyone and alienate no one.  Expect these tracks to be dominating your public social life. 2009-07-11T10:35:00+00:00 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. 2009-05-01T13:48:00+00:00 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. 2009-04-10T15:13:00+00:00 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. 2009-04-10T15:08:00+00:00 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). 2009-04-10T14:57:00+00:00 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.” 2009-04-07T16:39:00+00:00 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.” 2009-04-07T16:35:00+00:00 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 2009-01-31T16:00:00+00:00 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 2009-01-31T16:00:00+00:00 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) 2009-01-31T16:00:00+00:00 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) 2009-01-31T16:00:00+00:00 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) 2008-12-18T16:14:00+00:00 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 2008-11-17T17:12:00+00:00 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. 2008-10-08T07:21:00+00:00 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 2008-10-08T07:18:01+00:00 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 2008-10-08T07:16:01+00:00 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 2008-10-08T07:13:01+00:00 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. 2008-08-05T05:33:00+00:00 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. 2008-08-05T05:23:00+00:00 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. 2008-08-05T04:58:00+00:00 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. 2008-08-05T03:34:00+00:00 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. 2008-06-13T06:45:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-29T04:28:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-29T04:22:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-29T04:20:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-29T04:14:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-29T04:09:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-29T04:01:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-29T04:00:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-29T03:46:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-15T08:40:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-15T08:39:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-15T08:39:00+00:00 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.” 2008-04-15T08:38:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-15T08:37:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-15T08:37:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-15T08:36:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-15T08:35:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-15T08:34:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-15T08:31:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-15T08:30:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-15T08:30:00+00:00 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. 2008-04-15T08:27:00+00:00 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.” 2008-04-15T08:26:00+00:00 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.” 2008-04-15T08:25:00+00:00 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.” 2008-04-15T06:51:00+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/where_are_all_the_gay_men_in_offices_these_days/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/where_are_all_the_gay_men_in_offices_these_days/ You know, gay co-workers who are clearly gay? Flamboyant. Fun. Flirty. Fashionable. Fabulous! Now that we are all part of the conversation, do we miss the secret updates, contorted facial gestures, and rosy-red cheeks of embarrassment when there was a line that could be crossed? Does being fully out to our co-workers mean that we can now regale them with stories about our fabulous private lives? Or should we tone it down? Just recently, the Center for Work-Life Policy published a landmark study in the respected Harvard Business Review that is the first such academically rigorous analysis of gays in the workforce. The good news? Based on nearly 3,000 respondents, the researchers found that we’re ambitious (just ask our personal trainer), committed to our jobs (too committed, if you ask the boyfriend), “willing to go the extra mile for employers” (willing to go down for some employers who look like Ben Cohen), and better educated (duh!). More good news: 52 percent of us are out at work. Now the bad news: 48 percent aren’t. And in way too many states and local jurisdictions, we don’t have any protections against discrimination. That’s a sobering thought. But I’m old enough to remember when even the ones you could spot with a pince-nez halfway down your nose — you know, the flamboyant gay-as-a-goose, the Just-Jack screamer, the Liberace flamer, the sulky James Dean bad boy, the sexy nerd — never publicly revealed their sexuality and certainly didn’t discuss it during office hours, except for maybe a shared cigarette with another Friend of Dorothy well outside corporate headquarters. (I can make that assumption because, in those days, everyone smoked. Another big difference from then and now.) The recent end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” not only means that gay men and lesbians can serve openly in our armed forces: It’s the most potent symbol possible in a democracy that we have arrived as citizens equal in every way to our heterosexual counterparts. All this gooey goodness, however, comes with a few caveats. First of all, let’s look back on the bad old days when we were at least nominally closeted. We would have to suffer the forced bonhomie of the dreaded water cooler. Gay men had to express an interest in team sports (when the only baskets most of us cared about were the ones inside the uniforms). Lesbians had to profess interest in recipes, child rearing, schools and sex-reluctant spouses. Well now, we love team sports. We’re having kids. And lesbians can finally dish with their straight girlfriends about sex-reluctant spouses. Does this mean that we have graduated to the point where we are given the same God-given rights to pull out endless snapshots of Little Prince and Madonna taking their first steps? That the gals can share their recipe for no-cook vegan faux meatloaf? That we’re given carte blanche to complain about how crowded the ferry to Fire Island was, how horrible the music at Tea and how ghastly the housemate’s attempt at a clam frittata? Let us keep in mind that full equality does not have to include the right to be boring. On the other hand, there’s the question of Too Much Information. Where straight, married, parenting co-workers live lives somewhere between Leave It to Beaver and Desperate Housewives, some of us have more sex partners in one weekend than these people will have had in their entire lives. If you think I’m exaggerating, try this experiment: Imagine it’s the Tuesday (‘cuz you took Monday off) after the Saint-at-Large Black Party and Alegria XXXtreme. Now imagine that a co-worker innocently asks you what you did last weekend. It’s probably easier to imagine what you didn’t do. Now describe to Mabel in Accounts Payable the sexual mosh pit of the dance floor, the omnipresent “back room,” the outfit that told everyone you were Jewish at 20 paces. The key word here is “discretion.” That doesn’t mean you have to be an Uncle Tom (OK, Auntie Tomasina). You can talk about your life, because much of your life really is every bit as quotidian as theirs. It’s just that you’re so busy thinking about the next party, the next sex date or the next Atlantis cruise to step back and realize that, yes, you too did the laundry. You took the dog for a walk. You saw Mom in the ‘burbs. You defrosted the refrigerator. See, our lives are just like theirs — only with added spice. Oh, and don’t get suckered in by the conspiratorial employee who puts her (traditionally a “her,” but the advent of the metrosexual and stag hag has changed that) arm around you and gets you to confide in her. You feel you really have a friend at last — someone to explain that you’re wearing sunglasses not because you ran into a subway door but because your pupils are still dilated; that that “date” was really a hand-job in the club restroom; that you don’t mention the last name of your latest “boyfriend” because your fuck buddy never gave it to you. Girlfriend, you won’t even have to open her Twitter account or Facebook page. Before you get back to your desk, everyone in the office will know that that “fungal infection” you were treated for last spring was the clap, and that you don’t really have an aunt named Gina whom you visit periodically. This is a brave new world — on both sides. Don’t make it any harder for well-meaning straight co-workers by pushing your world on them. Flaunt the shirt, recent Botox treatment and photos from your trip to Belize. But if they ask how the Atlantis Cruise or the early spring trip to Palm Springs went, just smile sweetly and tell them you accidentally deleted all your photos. 2011-10-28T16:26:50+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/the_incredible_shrinking_circuit_body/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/the_incredible_shrinking_circuit_body/ Circuit party boys could be likened to almost anything; from “crystal queens” to “roid users” to just-plain “average Joes,” the accuracy of who does what and when is left up to interpretation. Still, Circuit parties — whether in Miami, Dallas or San Francisco — have always had one constant: the guys with the incredible Adonis physiques. He’s the man on the poster, muscles bulging, package stuffed. A real-life demigod — like the mythical Adonis, loved by Venus. We would watch him dance, lusted after him, idolized him, and maybe were inspired to work out and diet even harder by him. The Adonis look was at the top of the food chain. It meant you were masculine. Using their bodies like currency, these beautifully sculpted men danced in our dreams, went to the head of the velvet-rope line, and made us somehow feel prettier just by dancing next to them. “The Adonis ideal epitomizes everything masculine,” Roberto Olivardia, a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School, told noiZe. “Big biceps, strong chest, chiseled pecs, powerful legs. What is really being idealized is not the body, per se, but the expression of masculinity. To achieve an attractive, fit body is to be the envy of other men, and the object of desire at the same time.” A fit, muscular body is also subtle communication of one’s sexual prowess. “However,” Olivardia added, “these days there is less emphasis on the ‘roided’ look, but that doesn’t mean that looking fit has faded away.” Even the emo guy with the skinny jeans is still supposed to look lean and fit. There is a more androgynous look acceptable these days.” Others have also noticed the incredible shrinking gay men — in terms of muscle, but maybe not so much in girth. But are the number of twinks and cubs really increasing on the dance floor? Collin Kwan, 31, a graphic designer and self-professed Circuit boy living in San Francisco, says that he believes the perceptions of the Circuit body changed along with the aging of the generation that objectified them. “Ten years ago I attended my first Circuit party and the definition of what was ‘ideal’ has changed dramatically,” he said. “Back then everyone wanted a tall, young, white muscular guy. Now it seems that the standard of beauty has changed, because the same people are still going to these events and they have gotten older. As we’ve aged, so have our tastes for what we used to like.” More of All Kinds of Bodies & Ethnicities Kwan, who is Chinese-American, says that there are now many more nationalities attending the big events and that lusting after the white male Adonis has begun to fade along with the homogeneity of the dance floor. Like Kwan, Skyver Sagun, 28, is a Circuit veteran of recent vintage (seven years) who has also noticed a change in what and who is considered hot: “We used to follow around the big muscle jocks; but now it seems like young twinks are more prevalent on the Circuit, and they are the hot commodity.” Robert J. Vezina, founding president and executive director of the BBCM Foundation, which produces Montreal’s mammoth Black & Blue Festival, said he has witnessed what he calls a “nice evolution of the clientele attending our festival over the years. Of course, there are many buff and muscular guys from all over the world who attend and enjoy not only our main event, but also our popular specialized activities such as the Jock Ball, the Leather Ball and the Military Ball.” These other partygoers include younger people who may be less into bodybuilding; beautiful bisexual French-Canadian men who have a European look; and gay-friendly straight men (who are often more into big muscles than we are). He welcomes the diversity. “It makes for a very interesting, hip and exciting crowd,” he said. “We believe that this special mix has ensured the major continued success of the event over the years.” Add to that the increasing number of dance events that cater to bears, such as Blowoff in New York and Washington, D.C., and the many bear parties in San Francisco. At these parties, being lean and buff may not exactly be a detriment, but it certainly isn’t the accepted norm, either. Waning of the Buff Obsession? New Yorker Shawn Flanningan, 42, who has been attending events like Black Party for more than 20 years, noted that “being on the scene for so long, you expect many things to change, such as which is the hottest party drug of the moment.” But there was one change he says he never expected to change — the worship of the Adonis types. “Obsessing about body image, whether you want to shrink or bulk up, can get unhealthy quickly,” Olivardia said. “Eating disorders, body dysmorphic disorder, steroid use, cosmetic surgeries all start with an obsession about body image.” Obsessing about your physicality is often not a good thing because it means “that you are too preoccupied with your body image, to the exclusion of other important things in your life.” Olivardia believes that literally millions of men are adversely affected by problems of body image. For a while, Flanningan says he “was one of those guys. But in the past five years, I’ve noticed that the waif-twink had made its return to the top of the pedestal. Don’t get me wrong, the buff guy will always be admired for his rippling muscles. But there are just more and more skinny young dudes at these events.” He believes the younger generation’s dream guy doesn’t look like what he remembers wanting when he was their age. The shift in attitude may very well be the outcome of the barrage of marketing thrown at gay teens of images of super-skinny boys in tight jeans. If you look at current trends of style, big is out while tiny is in. All in all, the openness to different body types and even idealizing them is probably a healthy sign that the Circuit is entering a more inclusive phase. In the 1990s, the biggest guys dominated the dance floor. Not a bad thing necessarily, but some of them (or many, depending on your point of view) gave off attitude toward those who didn’t meet their standards. Today, regardless of body image — whether you’re an Adonis, a twink or a Goldilocks (not too big, not too small) — you’ll find the dance floor open and fun loving. An overall feeling of inclusion and acceptance for all body types, ethnicities and ages is good for all of us. Even the Adonises.   2011-10-28T16:24:48+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/exposing_yourself/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/exposing_yourself/ Twitter, Facebook and Grindr give new definition to “Where’s the beef?” Have you noticed that too many of life’s moments are now permanently captured in cyberspace?  Digital cameras and iPhones have taken our most treasured, private moments, and digitized them for the entire world to see.  This works fine for birthdays and bar mitzvahs, car crashes and passed-out-drunk evenings, but when did genitalia and titillating body parts come into the equation? I know we have Xtube, and collegetube, and blondetube (instead of just boob-tube), as well as Grindr, Facebook, Twitter and MeetMeInTheJohn.com – but when did taking a quick shot of yourself in the bathroom or office become part of the workday — not just for the gays, but for, well, members of Congress?  Hey, Chris Lee and Anthony Weiner, welcome to the party!  I guess taking internet photos of any body part that is normally covered by clothing is the new pick-up line.  Instead of “Hello, you’re cute,” or “Hi, I like your shirt,” we can now say absolutely nothing and send off a photo of our limp dick or shaved pussy.  I’m sorry, our soft penis and groomed vagina.  Why bother saying something interesting or forming a whole sentence? Isn’t a picture worth a thousand words? So what 3,000+ words did Anthony Weiner say with his photos? “Look at the small bulge in my crotch and the cheesy light blue underwear I have on. Don’t I look like a high school sophomore wishing someone could get me hard?” “Isn’t my chest chiseled? I’m a stud. I work out. I am hot. I am tan. I am a stud.  Do you want my lean, ripped body to come over?” “See, it gets hard.  Want it?” Let’s face it. Using any of these lines in person would definitely work, even for the unimaginative that you might hit on. Of course, Weiner just sent parts, whereas Lee had his head attached. That is one way to be sure the torso goes with the head, and the blame as well. But headless torsos are the Adonises of this decade. Why ruin a perfectly good come-on torso shot by attaching your head? Talk about scaring the good ones away quick! Why can’t the straights learn from the gays when it comes to ruining your (political) career, or your future in general? If you are going to take a photo of your private parts, know that you have made a permanent donation to the Internet’s vast store of images. Someone has it, somewhere in the world. Probably someone is using it, pretending it is a photo of them. In general, stick to the most graphic, detailed, stomach churning photos you can produce, just like the gays. That means a closeup of your raging hard-on; a magnifying-glass photo of your anus, up so close that the rings can be counted and your last meal identified; a shot of just your nipple, either one; cum shots (of which there are a thousand variations, including dribble, spurt, soaked keyboard, drenched stomach, and drippy hand). You see, if you are going to produce even one public photo (including over your cell phone), you might as well make the best you can. An underwear shot, Mr. Weiner, was something an eighth grader would do when trying to flirt with Becky Beaverstone after school. Next time, stand in your bathroom mirror flexing both biceps while completely naked. Now that will get you re-elected! Flirting has become the “shirt lift hello.” Now that the entire world knows what really goes on in photo text messages, email, and online messaging services, we can only expect that there will be an increase in this type of behavior.  And as a result, some common actions will emerge. The first is already the revised hello. Basically, you remove the hello, lift your shirt up to just below your nipple so that your flat stomach is exposed, and send that as your introductory message. That is the qualifying opening line. Without it, everything else is premature and can be dismissed once you either don’t provide this photo, or prove your fat percentage to be over 10% through some other unflattering photo. You can find the “shirt lift hello” on every gay site, cell phone, email inbox and Grindr profile photo on all seven continents on planet Earth. Well, except for certain South Sea islands. Unfortunately, in New York, tattoos and bellybutton piercings tend to make you much less anonymous. Because the next time someone goes down on you and notices, they will realize they have a few photos of you on their phone and computer that match up…and you won’t be running for office anytime soon. 2011-08-01T13:00:57+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/lady_gaga/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/lady_gaga/ It wasn’t that long after a shy former New York University student named Stefani Germanotta had reinvented herself as Lady GaGa that she became noticed on the gay club scene. Her first big breakthrough came at the Sunday Pool Party at the annual mega-Circuit party, the Palm Springs White Party, where, on April 20, 2008, she performed “Just Dance” for the first time before a live audience. Shortly after that, she performed at the Size Sundays@Here Lounge party in West Hollywood. “The first time she performed at Size, she was a complete unknown,” recalls Promoter-Producer Tom Whitman. “But I thought she was so talented, as both a performer and as a songwriter, I asked her to perform at Wonderland,” the mammoth party that caps L.A.’s Gay Pride celebrations. She had 14 dancers on a huge stage. People were talking about her distinctive musical abilities and showbiz know-how — not all positively: “A couple of people would say to me, ‘Tom, what’s the deal? Why are you trying to make Lady GaGa happen?’ Well, I had the last laugh. By the time she performed at Cherry Pop [Aug. 23, 2008], she had blown up. Everyone knew her first single and she was on her way to becoming a megastar.” Another major L.A. figure on the gay scene, Jeffrey Sanker, meanwhile, was impressed enough with her performance at his White Party that he booked her for White Party Las Vegas. By the time she performed there, on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008, she had had chart-topping hits off her landmark album The Fame. Although she had become an international sensation, GaGa didn’t forget Sanker’s initial faith in her, and she performed again for him, at the White Party’s 20th year anniversary on Saturday, April 11, 2009. According to Sanker’s spokesperson, “One week before the event, Jeffrey was informed she might cancel because Saturday Night Live wanted her to host on April 11th; 24 hours later she turned down SNL, saying ‘They will ask me to host SNL again’ — then followed up with her entire 75-minute ‘The Fame Ball Tour’ performance at the Saturday White Party.” The last time she would play for Sanker would be later that year, when she made a special appearance at his Sundays at Voyeur party. This was the very first “official” release party of her follow-up album, The Fame Monster. She arrived with her mother and Paris Hilton, and sang “Speechless” a capella. Perhaps the most “Gagaesque” of her early performances occurred — where else? — on Fire Island, when she performed at Daniel Nardicio’s notorious Underwear Party at the Ice Palace in Cherry Grove. It was Nardicio’s birthday, August 8, 2008, and it may be the only gig where Lady GaGa was overdressed compared to her audience. 2011-08-01T13:00:57+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/noise_overdose/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/noise_overdose/ In 2004, a Canadian independent film was released about a DJ who lost his livelihood because he went completely deaf. It’s All Gone Pete Tong was a fictional tale, but a bevy of club world heavyweights, including the legendary Pete Tong himself, decided to join the project as talking heads in the mockumentary. Unfortunately, the movie’s depiction of rampant deafness among DJs was hardly fiction. Any DJ, sound technician, promoter or avid party person should recognize that hearing loss is a very real threat on the dancefloor. Superstar DJ Danny Tenaglia has been talking about dealing with tinnitus via white noise therapy on his Facebook page. Guy Smith, the Circuit’s premier lighting wizard, told noiZe, “There are a lot of DJs that we work with — I won’t name names — but you can call their name right behind them and they can’t hear you.” Smith himself suffers from tinnitus, which he describes as “a constant shrieking in my ears.” DJ Quentin Harris suffers from hearing loss, and told noiZe that if he leaves both monitors on all night he leaves the club with a headache. This problem isn’t exclusive to our community, of course. The list of people suffering from some form of hearing loss or tinnitus reads like a Kennedy Center Honors list: Barbra Streisand, Bill Clinton, Bono, Cher, Pete Townshend, William Shatner, Steve Martin. The U.S. National Institute on Deafness approximates that 28 million Americans are affected by noise-induced hearing loss, a number expected to climb to 78 million by 2030. Dr. Kent Collins, an audiologist, claims that the average age of patients who require hearing aids has gone down, from 64 to 48, in only 10 years. What exactly causes this damage? Our ears have an outer, a middle, and an inner section. “In the inner ear there are hair cells,” explained Maris Appelbaum, director of Hearing Aid Services at Montclair State University. “The conversion of sound into neural activity is believed to happen by the tips of the hair cells.” The inner ear houses the delicate hairs that allow us to process everyday sounds. When those hairs are exposed to frequencies and pressure, whether it’s a sudden explosion of sound or a prolonged exposure to very loud music, they become damaged. That damage can be temporary or permanent, and range from annoying to debilitating. “It’s never too late to wear ear protection,” Appelbaum added. OSHA, the federal agency that regulates workplace safety, has permissible noise levels for industrial noise. “There are no levels for music,” says Appelbaum, “because the levels vary greatly, and it is difficult to estimate a person’s true exposure over time.” OSHA caps industrial noise levels at 85 dB (decibels). Rock concerts and dance events clock in at 110 to 120 dB, just above a diesel train and right below a gunshot or a jet taking off. Guy Smith has been clocking sound pressure on the dance floor since the disco era, and says that his readings indicate a fourfold increase since then. Aural Fixation DJs are the centerpiece of the music we listen to, and love loud music just as much as we do, but the ones who have been around the longest know the score and realize that more sound doesn’t necessarily equal better sound. Is Michael Fierman a rare exception to the rule about DJs who suffer from hearing loss because he pioneered “Morning Music” sets and the peppy Fire Island sound? “I have perfect hearing after playing records for over 30 years,” he boasts. His secret is deceptively simple: “Turn the volume of your monitors down, and then you can turn down the level of your headphone.” David Knapp sees the link between headphones and monitors as crucial. “Based on my experience, the most common reason DJs have their monitors too high is that they have their headphones blasting really high in their ear. A secret I learned from a mentor DJ is to start out keeping the headphone level as low as possible,” he advises, “just enough to hear what you are mixing in.” If not, a DJ can begin to suffer “aural fatigue,” the term for continually turning up the volume to compensate for weaker and weaker hearing. As the DJ gets deafer, so does the crowd. Quentin Harris gives the age-old advice to read your crowd. “Watch your levels and watch your dancers,” he says. “They will let you know if you are playing too loud.” Chances are if you see people shouting at each other or holding their hands to their ears, they’re not really enjoying your set anyway. But does it have to be that loud? The Saint At Large hired sound engineer and DJ Alex Funk to fine-tune the sound for Black Party this year. Just renting an expensive system isn’t enough, warns Funk: “I’ve heard of people bringing in half-million-dollar sound systems that when they were set up, sounded like absolute dog shit.” He likens it to tuning an expensive and very fast car: If you don’t do it just right, you end up with smoke coming out of the hood. In this case, “the smoke isn’t coming from under the hood, it’s coming out of your ears.” Less Can Be More Guy Smith and Funk teamed up with the new owners of Fire Island’s Pavilion last year to improve sound quality. The key? Less is more. “One of the changes that we made was that we actually removed equipment, because there was so much equipment it was defeating itself.” They repositioned speakers and installed technology that allows them to modulate the sound for optimal performance. So how do you protect your ears? Earplugs, of course. It’s gotten to the point that event promoters should consider approaching earplug makers to sponsor their parties. And how do you know if it’s too loud? “If you have any urge to put your hand over your ears, that’s your body telling you that it doesn’t like it,” Funk says. As a musician who suffered from hearing-related problems, Kathy Peck formed Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers (H.E.A.R.) 23 years ago in San Francisco as a response to a lack of advocacy in the concert world for hearing-related issues. The Who’s Pete Townshend was an early financial backer of the group — one of many veteran rockers now suffering deafness. H.E.A.R. produces public service announcements and helped pass a local ordinance that requires music venues to distribute free earplugs. Peck recommends custom musician’s earplugs, Mack’s Hear Plugs, ER20 Earplugs — or foam earplugs in a pinch. Fierman, for one, believes that if a significant number of people on the dance floor are wearing earplugs, the DJ and sound engineer are doing something wrong. “The reality is that if someone is dropping 100,000 watts of sound system into a building or out on a beach, they have a huge responsibility for people’s health,” Funk says. Europe caps the sound level in clubs at 95 dB, but currently we have no such regulation. That may change as an entire generation becomes hard of hearing.   2011-08-01T13:00:01+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/crossover_appeal/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/crossover_appeal/ Today, music and DJs appeal alike to gay and straight listeners. As young Americans come to accept gay men as part of the scene, more and more of us feel comfortable at raves. Is it the “death” of Circuit parties — or have they assimilated into the mainstream? Peace, love, unity, and respect: together they form PLUR, an acronym that became the defining motto of the rave scene in the ‘90s. Sure, a lot has changed in the party world since the days when NYC club kids were rolling (often literally) out from under the shadows of the dance community and onto daytime talk shows. Even the word “rave” is used less often, as parties become bigger, more visible, and less underground. Call them whatever you want: huge dance festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) are clearly the next evolutionary step in rave culture. So it makes sense that the same progressive, PLUR-style philosophy has turned them into non-gay-specific events that are beginning to attract more and more gay partiers among the colorful crowd. “Real ravers are all about the peace and love thing. They’re like neon-colored hippies,” says David Bond, a gay Los Angeles college student and music writer for Soundbleed.com. The inclusive sense of community is a big part of why he’s partied at events like EDC and HARD, another huge, mixed electronic music fest where he remembers snapping photos of kissing gay couples (among other partiers) for the site. “It’s all about enjoying ourselves and being around people who love the same music. I wouldn’t say rave culture is outright embracing gays specifically, just everyone in general. It’s a lot different than going out to clubs in West Hollywood where it’s strictly gay men and women around. At a rave you deal with people of all walks, but it’s by no means uncomfortable to be out and proud.” Parties like these have become so large they’re bound to represent different diversities. Take EDC, which launched in 1997 and has grown exponentially. The 2010 installment drew 185,000 attendees to Los Angeles, making it the largest electronic music festival outside Europe. Major DJs like Deadmau5, Armand Van Helden and Sasha took to the stage over two days and five different stages. The sheer number of huge, mixed events is growing, too. Another hot ticket is Electric Zoo, a Labor Day weekend party that launched in 2009 and feels like an East Coast answer to EDC. This NYC massive is growing fast: it had around 26,000 attendees over the course of its inaugural weekend, but last year numbered nearly the same per day. In 2011, it will expand to three days. Rave Promoters Now Court Gay Partiers So expect that the gay crowd will continue to grow, too – and not just as some proportional accident. Refreshingly, many promoters of these events are actively inviting the gay community. “The dance music scene is first and foremost about people coming together to hear music that they love, and to dance to it. Acceptance and being yourself has been the cornerstone of dance music since its origin,” says Laura de Palma, cofounder of Made Event, which produces Zoo. She saw an organic growth in gay attendees between the first two years of the event, but with 2011, “We want to clearly get the word out in the gay community that Electric Zoo is the place to be on Labor Day Weekend!” Why are these huge mixed events becoming more popular with gay partiers? The obvious answer is that the gay community has become more embraced by the larger culture in general over the years. We’re no longer in a position where we need to feel relegated only to No Straights Allowed-style Circuit parties. Now, if the music’s good and loud, we’ll go. But look in the crowd at events like, say, EDC — where plenty of sweaty, half-naked torsos are covered in costumes, candy jewelry and glitter — and it’s obvious that the style of an old-school rave still shines through. So too, naturally, does that PLUR mentality that has always seemed to welcome gays to the proverbial party. “For me, being at a rave was almost as comfortable as being at a gay club in terms of dancing or kissing another guy on the dance floor,” says Terry Estok. The gay Bostonian has been going to raves and parties like Electric Zoo, Ultra in Miami and Love Parade in San Francisco since his teens. He’s in his early 30s now, and finds that, “for the most part the PLUR manifesto still stands true today. People went to raves to get out of the norm, be different and be yourself. For me, being gay in the rave scene was never an issue, and I know plenty of other queer men and women that feel the same way.” The scene looks just as mixed from the stage. DJs and performers we spoke to agree that massive, rave-style events are definitely drawing an increasing mix of gay and straight crowds. And again, they point to a mutual attraction to the music as the unifying force: “Maybe five or seven years ago, it was more separate. But as electronic music keeps slowly creeping into the mainstream, it brings more and more people together,” says JES (a/k/a Jes Brieden), a singer/songwriter who frequently collaborates with DJs like Tiësto and BT and regularly performs at huge global parties. But she’s also a popular Pride performer, and recently launched her “Awaken Campaign” to bring attention to the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, among other organizations. JES believes that there’s an inherent universality to the music that helps make these shows melting pots. “It’s a different kind of audience,” she says. “The crowds are all about peace, love, happiness and beats forever.” They seem even more mixed internationally than in the states, she adds. Gay DJ/producer Hector Fonseca agrees. And he thinks that seeing the gay and straight crowds embrace enhances the overall experience and leads to more “sophisticated” parties. “The crowd is educated more than ever, I think, because they go to both straight and gay events and are able to mix with different scenes,” he says. He’s been seeing more diverse crowds at Winter Party and Matinee events, for example. “I could tell it was a mixed crowd united there for an overall, well-produced event,” he says. “There is definitely a new appreciation and excitement.” Partying Responsibly — Or Not That’s not to say it’s a total utopia. As huge, rave-style festivals grow in number, so do the requisite douchebags. (“As the events get bigger, there’s always the obnoxious few who drop the F-bomb,” observes Bond.) And though some ravers have added a second “R” to PLURR over the years (for “responsibility”), other ravers, like Estok, wonder if drugs aren’t becoming even more prevalent. In fact, a controversy erupted last year when a teenage girl died after overdosing on ecstasy at EDC. It led to a temporary ban on raves at the event’s longtime L.A. venue, and seems to have contributed to the EDC’s migration to Las Vegas. (The bad publicity seems to have made EDC press shy as well: No one responded to repeated attempts by noiZe for an interview.) Fonseca hopes that these big festivals will start to incorporate more gay DJs, artists — and social issues — to the mix. Still, the crosscutting appeal of rave culture makes it an increasingly appealing choice for gay partiers. “These festivals have a huge potential to unite people from all backgrounds around the world,” says Fonseca. To unite, that is, in peace, love and respect. And, of course, the beat. Electric DAISY 2011 Orlando May 27-28 Denver June 11 Dallas June 18 Las Vegas June 24-26 Puerto Rico August 27 Electric Zoo 2011 New York September 2-4 2011-04-29T04:02:04+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/1st_the_march_then_the_dance/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/1st_the_march_then_the_dance/ In the ‘70s, the years after the Stonewall Riots, Pride celebrations were small-scale, highly politicized events of local interest only. In 1994, millions of people swarmed into New York for the 25th anniversary of Stonewall — and so did party promoters, who took over every venue in town, even the Intrepid, a retired U.S. Navy battleship. Today, Gay Pride in major cities has become an extended weekend of nonstop Circuit parties. Some observers are wondering if the tail (the parties) isn’t wagging the dog (Pride marches). In New York, the birthplace of the modern gay-rights movement and home to the first Pride march, the original “Christopher Street Liberation Day” was full of raw emotions and fresh memories of the clash between bar patrons and police. Today’s march is more of a parade and includes plenty of corporate sponsors and floats filled with go-go boys among the organizations representing religions, AIDS providers and every gay group imaginable. Far from being treated as a pariah, the march now attracts nearly every major local politician. The police turned their backs on the original marchers. Now the crowd greets gay officers and firemen with loud cheers. As managing director of New York’s Heritage of Pride, Chris Frederick oversees the largest party of the weekend, the Pier Dance. At least 7,000 people pack a Hudson River pier to dance and incidentally raise money for the organization that puts on the march. Rather than competing with the march, he sees the dance as an integral part of Pride celebrations. “This event was started as a way for LGBT people to come together and show that they can dance with one another out in the public view,” he says about the Pier Dance.  “I think this event, more than any other event, embodies what Pride is all about. The Dance on the Pier is one of the very few spaces left where that many LGBT people can dance together. All of the megaclubs in New York no longer exist, and you will find it hard to find another event that brings that many people in one space.”  One New Yorker, however, sees it differently. Jonathan lives with his husband on the Upper West Side and is a devotee of Ric Sena’s hugely popular Alegria Pride party, but attended the march only one year. “The concept of pride to me is not something I particularly understand all that well,” he says. “I’m not proud of who I am, I’m proud of what I do. Pride has become like my Christmas; it’s really a time to celebrate. No one really remembers what it’s about anymore.” Alegria, Wonderland, DISCO: Also Celebrating Pride Sena’s original Alegria Pride in 2000 became the template for his very successful brand of regularly scheduled Alegria parties. Alegria Pride, held Sunday night after the Pier Dance, remains the most popular Alegria of the year — it regularly sells out, although tickets are often available at various times of the evening at the door. Sena believes its success is at least partly attributable to all of the out-of-towners swarming into the city — many of whom, he adds, don’t typically go to a late-night dance party. Not only does Sena not believe that his party’s appeal eclipses the march, he sees a need for a variety of options to celebrate Pride. “Alegria Pride is also a celebration that brings the community together,” he says. “Friends fly in to see each other and to have a great time. People celebrate in different ways. It can be a free event, a march or a paid event. We’re just offering something else to do.”  On the other coast, the most anticipated event of Los Angeles’ Pride weekend is Tom Whitman’s giant Wonderland party. Whitman began throwing Wonderland in 2005 because he felt that “L.A. Pride should really have a huge event that is up to par with what Pride in the entertainment capital of the world should be.” Though it has all of the glamorous, sexy elements worthy of its Hollywood setting on a Paramount Studio lot, fête, Whitman sees his partnering with AIDS Project Los Angeles as making it part of the whole purpose of Pride. “It’s important for me personally that I tie into community organizations as much as possible,” says Whitman. Nor does he believe that the success of epic parties like Wonderland distracts people from the original reason for why these Pride weekends occur. “There are a lot of ways to celebrate Pride,” he insists. “Learning about our history is important. Continuing to fight for our rights is vital. Building up less fortunate segments of our community makes us better citizens. Supporting the youngest members of our community as they come out is crucial, as is taking care of the oldest members of our community, as is remembering that the fight against HIV/AIDS isn’t over. All of these things are important and are part of being proud. But so is the celebration element of Pride. And for myself, dancing with friends and celebrating that I found my place in the world is definitely an important part of my Pride.”   Up the coast, San Francisco’s Kyle Pickett and Billy Worthen have thrown “The DISCO” for the past four years. “Pride at The DISCO is a celebration of diversity and of gay pride,” Pickett says. “I have images from last year’s event with people holding up large signs in the midst of a crowd that includes ‘Got Pride?’ and ‘Celebrate Diversity.’ The DISCO is a celebration of who we are individually and collectively.” Perhaps emblematic of the way these big parties are being incorporated into the non-profits that put on the marches, The DISCO has been an “official” San Francisco Pride event since its inception. The promoters use hosts that help raise money for San Francisco charities and, according to Pickett, “help ensure that our vision includes giving back to our community by creating a safe and fun place for our attendees to enjoy Pride.” But whether or not these large parties continue to grow in size, in collaboration with their host cities’ official Pride celebrations or not, it appears the organizers behind them don’t want to see traditional Pride festivals or parades become extinct. It’s true that even the Pier Dance’s 7,000 attendees represent only a tiny fraction of the nearly 1.5 million people who participate in and watch the big march. “In the end, each subset will do what they do to celebrate,” observes New Yorker Jonathan. “Parades don’t go away — there’s still a Columbus Day Parade. I’ve always said New York never turns down an excuse for a parade; anything to stop traffic.”  The DISCO When: Saturday, June 25 How Many Years: 4 Originally inspired by: the 1970s NYC gay nightclub Crisco Disco, The Saint in NYC, Black Party, and DJ Cary Stringfellow Attendees: 500 to 1,000 depending on venue Tickets: $50 & the event hosts listed on http://www.friscodisco.net starting April 15 Dance on the Pier When: Sunday, June 26 How Many Years: 25 Location: Pier 54 off the West Side Highway Attendees: 7,000-8,000 Flaggers: 30 Bars: 8 Minutes of Fireworks: 20 People setting up the event: 250 Security: 200 Some Past Performers: Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Hudson, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Cyndi Lauper Tickets: May $55; June 1-26 $75; Door $100, VIP $200, at http://www.nycpride.org Wonderland When: Saturday, June 11 How Many: 6 Location: Paramount Studios, Gower & Melrose Attendees: 3,000+ Aerialists: 10 Ferris Wheel: 1 Bars: 12 People working there: 100 Some Past Performers: Lady Gaga, Kim English, Kelis Tickets: $70-$80; Door $90; VIP $150 at http://www.tomwhitmanpresents.com Alegria Pride When: Sunday, June 26 How Many Years: 11 Location: Best Buy Theater (Times Square) Attendees: 3,000+ Seriously Stunning Visuals: Roller coaster; elephant; carousel; Gold Rush frontier town; spaceship; swimming pool Some Past Performers: Deborah Cox, Frenchie Davis, Ultra Naté, Jeanie Tracy, Suzanne Palmer Tickets: $80-$90. Check http://www.alegriaevents.com and join mailing list for pre-sales. 2011-04-29T03:27:04+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/atlantis_events_turns_20/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/atlantis_events_turns_20/ Not too many 20-year-olds can say they have cruised on six of the seven continents, or that they have explored a range of destinations like the sun-kissed beaches of Mexico, the historic ruins in Egypt, the astonishing imperial architecture of St. Petersburg,  the endless party that is Rio’s Carnival and the most exotic ports of Asia. And all that with a couple thousand of one’s closest friends. But that is exactly what Atlantis Events has been doing for the past two decades. It all started with an idea to host a gay week at a Club Med. It sold out and the guest feedback was so positive they decided to do it again. For the next seven years that was the focus of the company. But Atlantis CEO Rich Campbell and his team have been and always will be open to new experiences. So after seven years of being on land they chartered a small cruise ship. Things, as they say, just took off from there. Today they charter some of the best ships available on the high seas to take revelers to a variety of outstanding and unusual destinations. One of the primary reasons Atlantis has been able to wow its guests over the years is that they consider themselves more of an event production company than just a cruise ship line. This focus shows in more ways than one. On any given cruise, their guests are treated to such a wide variety of activities many never bother to visit any of the the ports of call! Whether it is poolside “Project Runway,” Drag Queen Bingo, cabaret performances, comedy shows, theater productions, or headliners that have included Jennifer Hudson, Patti LuPone, Margaret Cho, and Joan Rivers, the Atlantis guest always has multiple entertainment options at any given moment. For many travelers, however, their favorite part of an Atlantis experience — as essential as salt water and seagulls — is the over-the-top, themed dance parties. The Atlantis team always brings some of the hottest DJs on the scene, including Manny Lehman, Abel, Wayne G, Brett Henrichsen, Warren Gluck and more. The production is better than most Circuit parties with mind-blowing lights and lasers run by the best in the business. Most of the events, especially the tea dances, are held outdoors on the pool deck creating a unique experience that has led one promoter to comment, “Well they took away some of my business, but I have to hand it to them, they earned it!” 5,500: The Allure of a Floating Mega-Party In honor of its 20th anniversary, Atlantis is now tackling their biggest challenge yet, chartering Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas. The Allure is the largest cruise ship in the business, holding 5,500 passengers. In what is a true testament to the fact that this is one Atlantis Event not to be missed, every last room was snatched up in less than a month.  The 1,000-person wait list was filled soon after. Rich Campbell and his team are working very hard to pull out all the stops and still match the right type of entertainment and parties to fit the logistics of a ship this size. The trip will be a truly unique experience even for the most jaded Atlantis guest. They have already reserved the ship for 2012. Check their website soon after the 2011 cruise. But don’t hesitate: It, too, will most likely sell out in a short period of time. Is Rich Campbell daunted by the challenge of entertaining 5,500 people? Nah! “We will be using all three of the ship’s venues with one or two shows each night,” he says. “You may not see the same show as all your friends, but there will always be an event that will appeal to you.” There will also be multiple dance parties each night, with different themes and musical styles to handle the crowds. Despite once again taking the gay vacation experience to a higher level, Atlantis has not forgotten their roots. After a hiatus from land-based excursions they started doing the Club Med events again a few years ago. This year they are bringing the Atlantis touch back to Cancun where it all began. A Sense of Community An Atlantis experience is more than the sum of its parts, however. Sure the parties need to be fabulous, the entertainers top notch and offer something for everyone, but there is also a connection and sense of community seldom found anywhere else. Despite the hot models on the website, the passenger list is as diverse as our gay culture. (Not that there aren’t plenty of model-handsome guys.) For some, this is one of the few times a year they get to commune with so many of their gay brothers and sisters. Even those coming from the most jaded gay ghettos find themselves spending time with a wider variety of people than they would in the local clubs, bars and community groups — and loving the interaction. This creates something we rarely see, an experience completely free of attitude where everyone gets to “do their thing” free of judgment.  Guys in their 70s rediscover the joy of dancing. Younger guys get to hear something other than Lady Gaga — even jazz standards. Most importantly, people connect. Countless lifelong friendships (and loves!) have found their start at an Atlantis event. Beyond the Allure of the Seas cruise and the Cancun and Puerto Vallarta events, there are three other cruises this year. In March they head to the Southern Caribbean. In August they cruise the blue waters of the Mediterranean. In October they will put on the last party of the summer on their Mexican Riviera Cruise. Atlantis promises to make all of these events stand out in honor of their 20th anniversary. They will sell out well in advance so sign up early so you don’t miss out on that fabulous Atlantis experience. 2011-02-15T10:49:08+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/i_want_to_get_to_know_you_first_not/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/i_want_to_get_to_know_you_first_not/ Too much free time can be a liability. Single guys tend to spend a lot of time mooning about how nice it would be to be in a relationship. They envy the married couples around them. They complain about how hard the dating scene is. They pine over not having his-and-his towels, a nice set of dishes, and cuddling up to watch a movie. Shopping at Bed Bath & Beyond depresses them. Yes, in their quest for true love, most of the dates go wrong or end up being unfulfilling. But what happens with these romantic hopefuls when the date goes really well? Say you’re one of these guys. Now, consider this scenario: Conversation flows well. You laugh, blush, and the flirting goes on all through dinner. You talk breezily about family, friends, work, politics (not religion), and hint at sex. And then he makes a move during dessert — asking you to come back to his place and seal the deal. You really like this guy. You make out. He (not unnaturally) wants to take it to its natural conclusion in the bedroom. So he makes a move, and that’s when you say, “I really like you. But I don’t believe in sleeping with a guy on the first date. Let’s wait until the second or third date when it will be really right.” Wrong! If this is you, you know from bitter experience what comes next. He hasn’t called you back. You email him. No response. You finally text him saying that you had a great time and would like to see him again. He responds with a . You never hear from him again. Now, Cattie knows that many people think that you shouldn’t put out on the first date. Only sluts do that. You are not a prude by wanting to wait, especially if you like the guy and want something more substantial than a one-night stand. It has to be true, because your mother told you that, right? Sorry, Mom, in the real world it doesn’t work that way. Maybe for single girls. Or, more precisely, maybe it worked that way for single girls in 1962. He was interested, and you turned him down. Who said there was going to be a second date? Who said you were going to cuddle up with your new china? Who said you should put pressure on someone to fulfill your fantasy and not give him more time to get to know you? You see, there is nothing to lose by having sex on the first date, and a lot to gain. First off, you will find out real quick if you are sexually compatible. Why have four dates, two movies, and invest time and energy into someone that you end up having bad sex with? True, a relationship is not all about sex. But it is part of a solid foundation — a crucial part. Second, having sex would give you time to talk afterwards. No conversation is as relaxing as post-coital pillow talk. If all went well, you’ll end up discussing that second date. And perhaps a third and fourth. And maybe even shopping for that china. But by saying no, everything is prematurely ended. All the Single Ladies: Learn From Your Married Friends Don’t believe me? Take a survey of your longtime married friends. Trust me, you’ll find that they met randomly. They had quickie sex. They discovered after that that they liked each other, that they had a lot in common. So they moved in together. They ended up in a relationship. And they kept having great sex. When I survey my perennially single friends, I find that they have gone on endless numbers of dates that lead nowhere. As a matter of fact, most of my best friends are people I had sex with first. I often say, most of my friends are former tricks. And I have so many friends. These are the ones who didn’t end up being boyfriends but girlfriends, usually because the sex didn’t work out, but the friendship did. Don’t we all want good sex and a good relationship? As for those who insist that if you have sex too early, you may find out that you are sexually incompatible … well, that argument confuses me. While the traditional definition of a gay relationship is one on top and one bottom, that recipe isn’t written in stone. I know plenty of top-top and bottom-bottom relationships that have lasted for over 10 years. I know plenty of top-top relationships that are really bottom-bottom, and even more where it is more like flip and flop. The point is, having sex on the first date doesn’t have to include every sexual position or action. Sometimes making out and getting blown after dinner or good old-fashioned frottage (bumping skin without penetration) is enough to get to a second date. Then there’s the other guy to consider. If he says he wants to get to know you first, forget it: He finds you physically repugnant. How do I know this? Because all men are horndogs. If you go out with a guy and he finds you hot, he is going to want to jump your bones. He’ll probably have his tongue halfway down your throat before you’re out of the restaurant and his hand down your pants before you hit the sidewalk. 2011-02-15T07:49:10+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/white_wedding_party/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/white_wedding_party/ A recent study by the Center for Research on Gender and Sexuality at San Francisco State University confirmed what many suspected, although it was never before officially quantified: Many gay men in committed relationships not only like to play around but also approve of their partners doing the same. Researcher Colleen Hoff, in comments that were widely circulated and commented on in the media, concluded this was not only widespread but even healthy: We tend to negotiate ground rules and open relationships as a way to build trust and longevity. Such thinking extends to same-sex marriage, now legal in several nations, throughout New England and in Iowa (as well as being recognized as legally binding in a few other jurisdictions, such as New York State). At bottom, marriage, whether same- or other-sexed, is two people who have committed their lives together in a mutually supportive relationship. But that doesn’t necessarily always mean mutually exclusive. Such an open attitude extends to at least some of the committed couples that have chosen to continue to attend Circuit parties. Just as partnered men have been going dancing for years, recently legally married couples are also traveling to cities to carouse. Yes, they’ve got that “piece of paper from the City Hall keeping us tied and true,” in Joni Mitchell’s memorable phrasing. But it doesn’t mean that they are doomed to spending their nights knitting in front of Golden Girls reruns. If anything, the same promises of a great Circuit weekend are at least as attractive to committed couples. They can enjoy a break from reality, surrounded by hot men. With all that in mind, I sought out couples officially married — or at least partnered in a long-term relationship — to pose the question: “What effect (if any) has the Circuit had on your relationship?” Look But Don’t Touch (Or Do!) Marco and Mike from Houston know another couple that doesn’t go to Circuit parties because “they think it’s all about extramarital sex and drugs. They question why we go to those parties,” Marco told me. He and Mike have spent some time hashing out these issues and agree that they can go to parties without feeling the need to pick up anyone. They have come to believe that bringing a third party into the wedding bed would cheapen the union of two people committed to each other. “Besides,” Marco added, “sex with a long-time partner can offer dimensions of exploration not advisable with anyone else. Mike and I agree the physical intimate bonding between two people, gay or straight, who love each other, should remain intimate and special between the two for it to have meaning and lasting depth.” That doesn’t mean there haven’t been some lively discussions of the issue, but “at the end of it all, we agree: my body is his, and his is mine,” Marco said. “I can honestly say after 10 years of fun, notwithstanding all those pretty boys I like to admire now and then, there is no man I’d rather share my body with than him.” Peter and Robert from Montreal recently celebrated their 12th anniversary. But their attitude is 180 degrees from Marco and Mike. “One day we’ll be six feet under, and we want to make damn sure we’ve tried everything at the buffet before our time is up,” Peter said. “I look forward to the treats appearing tomorrow. And if what I ate makes me puking sick, it doesn’t mean I will never have an appetite again and won’t be back at the buffet.” Parties provide an array of treats from which to choose. David and his partner Steve, from Palm Springs, also fall more closely into the couples typified by the San Francisco study. “As gay men in American society, we have had to re-arrange what straights consider normal and moral,” David said. “To be gay is to accept that you are different in ways many people find objectionable. I decided marriage did not have to be monogamous, nor could I find a reason for monogamy. Stephen held more traditional views but over time has learned to expand beyond what he was taught or originally believed. Our relationship has evolved over the years to include solo play, threesomes and foursomes.” Another study, privately funded by two men from Oakland, Calif., buttressed the notion that gay couples are navigating their own unique form of marriage. Blake Spears’ and Lanz Lowens’ study (http://www.thecouplesstudy.com) included 86 couples. The age skewed older than the San Francisco study, so there weren’t many Circuit boys, but some couples still liked to go clubbing. Although calling monogamy “a viable option” for gay couples, they concluded that “when partners find enough common ground in their inclinations and perspectives toward non-monogamy, sanctioned outside sex is a sustainable and satisfying possibility.” Sex outside marriage allows men to “follow their nature,” they said, “meet differing needs, and seek variety without jeopardizing their relationship.” The couples did not equate marriage with monogamy. The Circuit — Good for Marriage, Except When It’s Not As for the Circuit, Phillip from Dallas jokes that “gay marriage may actually increase participation! It’s practically a honeymoon getaway already.” The Circuit, he said, is merely an extension of the kind of life they have at home. “If the couple uses the Circuit as a vacation experience, then I don’t think marriage would affect it one way or another.” Several couples do just that and remain active on the Circuit as their own Club Med. Since Xavier and Jeff live in San Francisco, they cannot get married (as of this writing), but they consider themselves very much in a committed relationship — and still love to go to parties. Nearly seven years ago, Steve Weinstein, the editor of noiZe, interviewed a New York couple that had gotten married in Toronto. They spent their honeymoon at Montreal’s Black & Blue, where they picked up a third as a mutual wedding gift. The couple has stayed happily married — and just as happily attending parties and meeting other men for mutual play. “If a couple chooses to step out in their normal day-to-day lives, then their extracurricular entertainment may or may not be affected by a so-called ‘legal’ marriage,” Phillip notes. “It’s not unlike straight married couples who enjoy swinging, right?” The Circuit is what each couple makes of it. For some, it means bonding with friends; for others, it’s a sexual adventure. “If they step out when they go to local clubs, then they’ll do it at a Circuit party,” Phillip noted. On the negative side, it should be noted that some relationships couldn’t stand the strain of being open, bringing in a third or participating in group sex. Larry and Mark had partnered in Phoenix for several years, but they broke up because there was too much outside activity. Similarly, Mark and Marcus from Toronto were no longer a couple after seven years together. Others cite reasons similar to the ones single men might give for cutting back on Circuit events or giving them up altogether: aging, issues with drug use, expenses, work obligations, health or other lifestyle changes. Ultimately, married couples are approaching the Circuit the same way they are negotiating all of the other facets of their lives. Some will play; others will look; and still others will not even go that far. As gay marriage becomes more and more accepted and a part of the social landscape, the Circuit will be seeing more men with rings on their fingers. But that doesn’t mean their eyes might not be wandering. 2010-11-03T07:49:14+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/matinee_takes_manhattan/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/matinee_takes_manhattan/ Late in June 2010, an Iberian breeze blew across New York Harbor. The sounds and feeling of Spain’s fabled party island of Ibiza enveloped the beach at Governors Island, a pristine enclave off the coast of Lower Manhattan that formerly housed the U.S. Coast Guard and is now parkland. New Yorkers somehow managed to grab hold of that Spanish wind and claim it as their own. This refreshing tropical zephyr felt by thousands of partygoers was the work of Matinée Group, a collective based on the Iberian peninsula. Sweeping into New York during New York City’s massive Gay Pride weekend, the group’s Saturday evening début was a direct hit of gale force. More than 4,000 partygoers, straight and gay, caught the grooves of DJ-percussionist Theresa and DJ Taito Tikaro at a phenomenal event that was hailed for its professionalism and theatricality. Two months later, Matinée New York caught the tailwinds of Hurricane Earl and once again landed on the shores of Governors Island for a second spectacle. This time the party was called La Leche Festival. Coinciding with the start of New York Fashion Week, Matinée La Leche attracted thousands of people attired in white for a fashion and theatrical extravaganza that featured the sounds of DJ Theresa and DJ J. Louis. Along with the DJs, there was a cavalcade of talent — more than thirty live performers, including chanteuse Shawnee Taylor, who sang her No. 1 hit, “Live Your Life” with its insistent (and totally appropriate) refrain, “You know you can have it all.” “Matinée is all about good energy and a fun, sexy crowd,” says Tommy Marinelli, the founder of New York Crobar. Marinelli, working with local promoters Jake Resnicow and Rob Fernandez, is committed to “bringing something fresh” to the New York club scene via Matinée New York. Since 1997, Matinée Group has been producing parties in Ibiza and Sitges, while also helming some of Europe’s largest events, including Circuit Festival in Barcelona (the biggest gay and lesbian event in Europe) and the Matinée Summer and Winter Festivals. Attended by thousands of people (a healthy dose of whom seem to have stepped out of the pages of European fashion magazines), Matinée Group’s parties have a reputation for chic Iberian glamour and excessive theatricality. “We’re trying to go back to the roots of what made New York nightlife so great: new parties, new music, new venues, a new, fresh energy,” says Resnicow, the 26-year-old founder of Management 360. Broadway-Level Production Governors Island is the ice-cream-cone-shaped island just across the harbor from the base of Manhattan. Leaving from the historic Beaux-Arts Battery Maritime Building, the Governors Island ferry affords passengers one of Manhattan’s more striking vistas: the sun descending behind the Statue of Liberty as a kaleidoscope of lights from the offices of the Financial District flicker on, making the ferry ride the equivalent to a Broadway show overture. Postcard views of Downtown Manhattan and a purpose-built stage complete with soaring proscenium has made the Beach at Governors Island the perfect locale for events like the Saint-at-Large’s introduction of the Freemasons to America’s gay Circuit and Victor Calderone’s tribal danceathons. The setting is also just right for a party determined to marry New York’s theater scene with its throbbing nightlife. And there’s no question that Matinée New York’s first two events have been marked by stellar production values. Matinée Pride featured three-story scrims by corporate sponsor A/X, which flanked aerial performers, ballerinas, go-go boys, and an explosion of fireworks. Matinée La Leche showcased fashion, with the thirty-plus performers vogueing and strutting in outrageously outsized outfits, marked by mountains of white tulle and clouds of satin and chiffon. “I always hear stories about how NYC nightlife used to be,” says Matinée New York’s Assistant Artistic Director Patrick Crough. “I’m ready to be a part of something — something for our generation.” For years, Body & Soul defined Sundays in New York, just as Danny Tenaglia’s Be Yourself event was the Friday night New York party (produced by Rob Fernandez, the third industry heavy behind Matinée New York). Both of those legendary parties became highly regarded for their signature sound. The three DJs behind Body & Soul produced numerous CDs, spawning a musical category known simply as “Body and Soul,” a melding of deep House with R&B and a heavy dollop of old-style Motown soul. Ibiza Sound: Made for Dancing Similarly, the music of Matinée has its own signature: a cool, sexy, vibrant vibe that’s fresh and vocal, thanks in large part to DJ J. Louis, the all-star deejay most often associated with Matinée. One of Ibiza’s more prolific deejays, DJ J. Louis is the producer behind more than 100 chart-topping hits, including “Shine on Me,” “Real Things,” “Pray,” and “Today Is My Day.” As for Matinée’s New York resident, DJ Theresa, she’s the sinuous siren who plays the bongos as a complement to her insanely buoyant and booty-shaking sets. With her infectious energy behind the decks (as well as onstage), it’s often Theresa who kick-starts the party even before the first ferry has docked. “Matinée is far from your typical American ‘Circuit music,’” argues Resnicow. “The music is fresh. It’s vocal. Matinée tracks just make you want to dance.” The Matinée crowd is certainly a crowd that loves to move. Earlier in the summer, at the huge Ascension oceanfront party on Fire Island, a corps of Matinée Leche go-go boys and girls made a splashy entrance and kept the energy peaking wherever they landed on Ascension’s massive dance floor. Of course, “la leche” means “milk” in Spanish — a name that has become synonymous with Matinée’s famous White Party in Barcelona and Ibiza. Matinée La Leche at Governors Island followed in the tradition, with inflatable Holstein dairy cows that bobbed over the crowd while go-go boys in dairy cow briefs worked black-and-white Spanish fans. The resultant scene was a psychedelic amalgam of the Dairy Association’s annual convention and the White Party at Vizcaya. “Everyone – gay or straight – is at Matinée to have a ‘sick’ time,” says Marinelli. For his part, Resnicow contends that Matinée “isn’t about the DJ so much as it’s about the experience. We are bringing back the experience. New York used to be like that.” Based on the popularity of Matinée New York’s first two events, it would appear that New Yorkers have voted with their feet. The response to Matinée New York has been so positive that Matinée will be back for three more events in the city that never sleeps, before its triumphant return to Governors Island again next summer. 2010-11-03T07:44:22+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/the_circuit_hits_the_slopes/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/the_circuit_hits_the_slopes/ In 1993, the Circuit intersected with current politics. Over half of the voters in the state of Colorado had cast their vote in favor of Amendment 2. Sponsored by Colorado for Family Values, this forced the state to overturn an earlier law that banned anti-gay discrimination. Actually, it went even further, to forbid any new laws protecting the GLTB community against any type of threat, including hate crime violence. With the shock of the event still setting in, 3,000 gay partygoers from across the country and around the globe descended upon the town of Aspen for the 16th Annual Gay Ski Week. Would gay vacationers still be welcome, even in one of Colorado’s more liberal enclaves? Where could Gay Ski Week move if we became persona non grata in Colorado, of all places? Would we still be allowed to play The Pet Shop Boys? Wait, if all of us were chased out of the Centennial State, who would be left to plan weddings? In the end, no one had to worry. The villagers of Aspen didn’t greet visitors with pitchforks. (But if they did, they would have come from Gracious Home, of course.) Gay Ski Week turned out to be a resounding success. Over the years, the concept of gay men leaving the Speedos and donning L.L. Bean has branched out to include a number of celebrations throughout the country — and now, with the addition of Switzerland’s Arosa — the world. Not only does Aspen host such an event, but Vail, Colorado; Whistler, British Columbia; and Telluride and Park City, Utah — just to name a few — all sponsor a Gay Ski Week. These events run anywhere from mid-January to late February. They are all guaranteed to be a great experience for hardcore ski and snowboarding enthusiasts. However, if you are a skier or snowboarder, mark March 16 to 20, 2011, on your calendar as dates that must be cleared immediately. Because this is the weekend when over 2,000 of your brothers (and sisters) will descend upon Mammoth Mountain in Northeastern California for the Ninth Annual Elevation Mammoth Gay Ski Weekend. The weekend will be packed with après ski socials, great dining and entertainment, and of course plenty of opportunities to hit the slopes. The main event, which promises to be “the biggest dance party they’ve ever seen,” is aptly called Cliffhanger. That poor mountain may never be the same again. And since Mammoth is the closest range that offers good skiing to Los Angeles, expect lots of SoCal hotties. For the snowbunnies who feel more at home on packed powder than they do on warm sand, Elevation is a dream come true. Pure adrenalin-pumping snowboarding and skiing, mixed with high-powered hot tub hook-ups and a dance floor bound to cause an avalanche or two make Elevation 2011 the event against which all others will be judged. When you are 80 years old and rocking in your wheelchair to “Poker Face” at Stonewall Retirement Home, you’ll be able to reminisce about that weekend when you zoomed down the mountainside. Unfortunately, the stories about what happened once you got to the bottom probably won’t be appropriate for your grandnephews or nieces. If the idea of careening down the slopes on two french fries does not sound like the best thing for your physical or mental health, there are many relaxing and invigorating leisure options to keep you more than busy while your friends are dodging trees. There are a number of day spas, shopping opportunities, bars and alternative winter sports to occupy even the shortest attention span. In fact, a number of the attendees come for the nighttime activities only. One New Yorker who attended Elevation 2010 summed it up by saying, “Ski? Me? Hell no! I’m kind of addicted to breathing.  You don’t have to ski. I slept until 3 every day and got up for the après ski events and acted like I had been on the slopes all day. I didn’t want people think I was a bum. It is what you make of it — kind of like Fire Island.” Trust me: There are plenty of people who just like to soak in a hot tub surrounded by snow and plenty of ski-buffed bodies (ever felt a ski bum’s thighs?) to keep them warm. Tom Whitman’s Snowy World Anyone who knows anything about these seemingly unholy unions between tranquil, peaceful ski resorts and the animal roar of the Circuit recognizes the name Tom Whitman. He’s the one most responsible for such a diabolically delicious marriage of snow, dance-floor swirling and après ski hot tubbing. Known up and down the Pacific Rim as one of the most active and successful gay event producers and philanthropists on the Left Coast, Whitman began in a very different career path, as a producer/director/writer in television. After nine years, he had worn just about every hat in the entertainment industry (or, as they call it in L.A., “the Industry”). He took all that showbiz pizzazz and created Tom Whitman Presents. Since then, his eponymous production company’s name has become attached to some of the best and most popular nightclubs and social events in the Los Angeles area, including Cherry Pop, Smack and Wonderland, L.A. Gay Pride’s main dance event. He has since gone on to form the Gang of 100, a group of individuals who gather to identify needy organizations and execute fund-raisers for their benefit. The individuals in the group fund the entire event, so 100 percent of all proceeds go to the charities. Whitman is as well established in mountains that tower above the tree line as he is along the beaches of Southern California. How did a guy based in a land covered with palm trees come up with the idea of getting hot men to trek up to evergreens? How did they get from bathing suits into snowsuits? “We created Elevation to bring people together in a spirit of celebration and diversity and fun,” Whitman says. “It is also about sharing that celebration with the town of Mammoth, which has always welcomed us wholeheartedly.” And Now, Switzerland Gay ski events are certainly not confined to the United States. Arosa lies in the southeast of Switzerland, not far from St. Moritz. High in the Alps at 6,000 feet, it has plenty of snow. It also has Arosa Gay Ski Week. Since 2005, this has become one of the biggest events in Arosa. Guests from over 30 countries arrive from the international airport in Zurich, two-and-a-half hours away. The 2011 week includes cultural events such as classical pianist Michel Dalberto in the village church; and singer LaDiva Live. The organizers provide Champagne tastings and other get-togethers to give participants an easygoing atmosphere apart from the slopes and the dance floor. There’s also a Fondue Party right on the mountain, nighttime sledging and a horse-drawn sleigh ride to a nearby town for a drag queen race. This year, for the first time, a local bed-and-breakfast is offering women-only accommodations. The Seventh Annual Gay Ski Week in Arosa takes place Jan. 8 to 15, 2011, with more than 400 people expected. Prices range from a five-star hotel to mom-and-pop (or pop-and-pop) B&Bs. Groups of up to four can rent a chalet. For more information contact Hitsch Leu at hitsch@arosa-gayskiweek.com. And what do attendees say about all of these leg-intensive excursions? Lawrence, an Angelino and a Circuit party regular, has been to Whistler, Elevation and a now-defunct event near Salt Lake City. “My experience is that it is fun, but the skiing/boarding itself will basically be with your own group,” he said. “You really won’t see many others on the slopes, although one day at a planned lunch stop there was a small group who had fun having lunch together.” He enjoyed the après-ski events — and apparently so did others. “There were guys I met at the parties who said: ‘What skiing? We just came up for the party!’” For a complete list of all of this winter’s ski events, check out the Winter Calendar in the back of this issue or online at http://www.noizemag.com. If you are interested in taking other ski trips, consider joining Ski Bums, an organization of gay and lesbian ski bums that has organized trips in the Eastern and Western United States, as well as Europe and South America. Go to http://www.ski-bums.org for more information. 2010-11-02T07:19:28+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/looking_for_love_in_all_the_wrong_places/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/looking_for_love_in_all_the_wrong_places/ Talk about an inappropriate location. Online?!?  I’m not talking about bars and clubs, no, I’m talking about the World Wide Web. Yes, the place people seem to gravitate to after they’ve been out at the bars and clubs. I’m not talking about the ones who are looking for Mr. Right Now. That’s perfectly understandable, and they’ve come to the right place. No, I mean the ones who are desperately seeking Mr. Right. Or at least, the ones who claim they are. False advertising at its best. Take your pick of Grindr, Daddyhunt, Manhunt, Adam4Adam, SilverDaddies, Craigslist … Why do guys shop at the wrong store for permanent merchandise? Why are they at the takeout counter when they claim they want a table for two for a sit-down meal? Marketing and sales skills are required in plenty of places outside of the boardroom. One of them is in the world of romance. It’s truly amazing how many accomplished gay men, who can navigate their way around the cutthroat worlds of business, the lively and plastic arts, media, and fashion and style are so completely clueless when it comes to looking for love. I mean, how can you be online, with a photo of your perfectly fuzzy butt staring me in the face, and then have a subtitle that says “just here for friends, no hookups,” or that old stalwart “only looking for LTR.” Oh, really? You’re looking only for friends, but your introduction is your hunky hump? What’s worse is your implication that all of those other trickable wannabes giving the guys their money shots of manscaped chest, steeped abs and the inevitable happy trail leading to your happy ending — you know, the ones who are openly (if not always proudly) looking for a hook-up — are sex-crazed tina queens. What are you doing on these sites — which couldn’t be more open about their purpose — than taking up valuable real estate where someone serious could have been? You know something? You’re being downright rude — kind of like going to McDonald’s and yelling at the cashier for Kung Pao Chicken. “Hey, I’m in the mood for Chinese food, let’s go to McDonald’s and order some?” What would the fast-food addicts around you think? A crazy man! It’s no different online. Take Grindr, the highly popular iPhone app gives you instant notice and location of nearby guys who are ready to get down and dirty. Yet, even on this most upfront of hook-up sites, you can find “Taken,” “Not into hooking up” and “No quickies” headlines — all the while having a photo of something other than their faces. If you want friends, post your face photo (yes, your face — not your backside or your torso) on genuine family-friendly social-networking sites like Facebook, Freindster, Findfred or Gay.com. These provide the appropriate venues for the shameless self-promotion of your virtuosity and pursuit of Platonic relationships. Dude, your headless, naked, rock-hard photo on Adam4Adam — the one that leads with “Just moved here, only looking for friends and workout buddies” — is making my head hurt. Both of them. Maybe it’s an age thing. Although I can’t seem to get a definitive range, this dark-night-of-the-soul hypocrisy seems to be particularly endemic in the 20-to-31 crowd. Blame it on the inexperience of youth, but really: What did your parents teach you? If you are looking for friends to “hang” and “be cool” with, why do I need to know whether or not you shave your balls but not your last name or occupation? Take “btm4topnow” for example. Facelesss, hairless, plump and obviously hungry. His profile is a simple one, simply put: “Not into hookups. Stop asking. Just good people and friends.” Hmmm, I’d stop asking if you’d stop winking. And remember that I haven’t even seen your face yet. And then there is “Seriouslyperfect,” who states, “I am aiming for perfection in everything I do, and I expect the same.” A photo of his ripped, lean, cut-up torso testifies to that. And should you wonder, “What are your hobbies, interests, friends like?” Well, it’s hard to tell, because the second line dictates: “No old, uglies, fatties or gross wierdo’s [sic]. Not here for sex, just perfection.” What a lovely online resumé. I might just come right over and make you a perfect meal, a perfect drink, and have you as my perfect pet for all of eternity. Why, I couldn’t imagine living without you, except, that you are on a sex site. Since you don’t seem to know the difference between black and white, I’ll take your perfect little attitude and put it where it belongs — in my “blocked” file. Topping it all off is my personal favorite, the eponymous “Goldenboy,” who is wading through SilverDaddies, of all places, looking for love. That normally wouldn’t raise an eyebrow, since clearly there is high demand to match wealthy older gentlemen with needy twinks.  But in this case, his “crack shot” in three layers of underwear suggests something else. “No one over 27, I will block you” is his leading line. Maybe this chicken should Google “Where to find fast food that’s healthy” and see if Grindr comes up. Meanwhile, he and the rest will continue to stand in line at McDonald’s waiting patiently for that Kung Pao Chicken. 2010-07-29T13:50:34+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/how_abel_helped_engineer_a_neighborhoods_transformation/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/how_abel_helped_engineer_a_neighborhoods_transformation/ It’s the late fall of 1980. The streets are empty in South Beach. The quiet beachside community of retired residents closely resembles a gigantic old folks’ home — hardly the bustling world capital of music, modeling and muscle that it would morph into in just a few years. At the moment, however, there’s no nightlife and not much to see beyond the decaying Art Deco architecture. The Mariel boatlift, a recent mass exodus from Cuba, has flooded the area with newly arrived refugees. The few people who happen to visit South Beach can only find entertainment by crossing the bay and partying in Downtown Miami, Coconut Grove or Coral Gables. But like most diamonds in the rough, South Beach just needed a little polish. There was one person who was present at the creation and helped lay the groundwork for what would become one of the hottest dance destinations in the world. Abel Aguilera had just arrived from Brooklyn, but the world would soon know him by the name DJ Abel. “South Beach was a suburb,” Abel explains. “That’s the best way to describe it. Miami Beach was a retirement community. There was no young activity there whatsoever. It was a very limited scene at the time, but I could tell it was the beginning of something big.” That is exactly what happened when Phil Smith, the owner of New York’s legendary Twilo, decided to bring his gigantic club concept to the sandy shores of South Beach. He named it 1235, after the club’s address on then still-dicey Washington Avenue. As more and more New Yorkers moved to South Beach, the club industry began to blossom, and 1235 was definitely at the center of it all. Previously known as Club Z and currently as Mansion, 1235 was one of the first major developments that changed South Beach. “It was the biggest ‘Wow!’,” recalls Abel. “It was Miami’s Palladium of nightlife,” he says, referring to the New York megaclub of the ‘80s and ‘90s. “Imagine stars like Tina Turner performing for three to four thousand people.” While Smith was putting his final touches on 1235, Abel was working as a radio DJ on Q FM 107, where he was honing his spinning in a variety of different formats, ranging from disco to pop — including, of course, House. He became somewhat of a local celebrity when Phil hired him to be the official resident DJ of 1235. Throughout the week, DJ Abel would spin for a different crowd every night. “At that time, I was doing radio and gigs at 1235. I stayed at 1235 even after Phil Smith left,” says DJ Abel. “The owners of the building kept the name for years and ran it themselves. We had radio stations piped in, so every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday there were about 3,000 people. During the summer I would spin for the teens. Sundays we would do gay tea dances, and on Saturdays it would be more of a straight crowd. It was similar to what Space [in Downtown Miami] is today. The crowd was more educated when it came to music, and that really made a big difference in the club scene.” More Clubs: Nu, Warsaw, Salvation It wasn’t long before more clubs started to pop up in South Beach, and one in particular was changing the way people partied on the island. It was called Club Nu, and it was the place to see and be seen. Gianni Versace was a regular, along with his pal Madonna and their entourage of fabulosas. “Eventually Club Nu opened up,” Abel recounts. “It was located in the building where Miami Beach’s new public library is now located. It was one of the most chic clubs in Miami Beach. It was all about fashion and all about the music. It was the place to be seen. For a while, it was a battle between those two clubs.” As the nightlife began to grow, so did the number of trendy residents, who began crowding out the elderly Jews and Cuban immigrants. More and more New Yorkers flocked to South Beach to experience the “new thing,” and, like DJ Abel, made the decision never to leave. Many of them opened chic restaurants or restored the old Art Deco hotels to their original splendor. In this case of the “chicken and the egg” however, it was definitely the dance music that came before the people, and 1235 had a lot to do with that. “I first noticed the shift from South Beach being a retirement community to South Beach being the epicenter of nightlife in 1991,” explains DJ Abel. “There was a big rush of people coming in from New York, and they were buying properties, opening stores, and fixing up the neighborhoods. That really helped create the vibe that makes South Beach so great today. “I remember in ‘92 when Paragon held its opening night party at the 1235 space. There was something like 4,000 people crammed inside the space, listening to Frankie Knuckles. I just didn’t know where all those people came from, and there were probably another 2,000 people standing outside trying to get in. I knew at that moment that something big was happening.” SoBe Finds Salvation How right he was, as one of South Beach’s most legendary clubs opened its doors. The club — located almost around the corner from Paragon) — was the Warsaw Ballroom. It had taken over a cafeteria built in 1939 by Henry Hohauser, one of the architects who helped make the area the nation’s greatest repository of Art Deco buildings. Every Saturday night, it was packed with club kids, ravers, drag queens, trendoids, and everyone and everything in between. At the time, South Beach wasn’t just about glamour; it was about being over the top, accessorizing, and, of course, music. As South Beach became more and more famous, so did DJ Abel. “Paragon took me to a whole new level, because I was fresh and new to that crowd,” DJ Abel recalls. “In ‘92, there was the beach and there was the mainland. The beach crowd was a more musically educated crowd of people, who loved music and knew all the DJs. That was what brought me up to that A-list level that was more national.” As for Paragon, it would reach the heights of fabulousness when a certain one-named musician purchased the property in 1994. (At the time, he wasn’t going by the name “Prince,” but a weird symbol.) The songwriter-performer’s entry into the SoBe nightlife scene added to the celebrity of the island. Madonna (and her local gal pal Ingrid Casares), Sylvester Stallone and, of course, Italian designer Gianni Versace became some of the many bold-faced denizens of the neighborhood. The high point of SoBe’s era of the megaclub came in 1996 with the opening of Salvation, on the fringe of South Beach on West Avenue at 17th Street. “When Salvation opened, it only made things even better for me,” Abel says, “because it put me on a national level even more, which just gave me more power and edge in my hometown.” The End of the Megaclub Era With Salvation, Warsaw, and Paragon running at full speed, the South Beach club scene was definitely popping. But the seeds of change had been planted, and, once sprouted, they took root and altered the existing ecosystem. In the case of South Beach, it was a slow easing of the scene. The factors were typical of a once-marginal area that had become hip. The very people who had been attracted by its cachet didn’t want to put up with the late-night noise (which, ironically, gave the area the cachet that brought there in the first place). As the area became more and more expensive, rising real estate prices made it hard for a large club to prove itself more valuable than a retail or residential building. One by one, the megaclubs closed their doors. By the millennium, most of the large clubs had been replaced with smaller, more intimate dance venues. Bars that had some dancing, like Score on Lincoln Road and Twist on Washington Avenue, became the new gay hangouts. There, revelers could interact with the DJ, which marked a sea change. Today, more and more partiers don’t want to just see the DJ spinning records; they want to party with him.  According to DJ Abel, South Beach is going through another transition. But even as it has become an upscale enclave of the moneyed class, he believes that the beautiful Art Deco neighborhood is still one of the hottest places in the country to party. “There are still a lot of great places and lot of great clubs in South Beach,” says Abel. “All the clubs in South Beach are five-star clubs to me. There are just so many really great places, and there’s always going to be another new place opening up just around the corner.”       2010-07-29T13:44:41+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/burning_man/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/burning_man/ The collective dance experience takes on an entirely new meaning at Burning Man. The annual tribal event takes place in Northern Nevada’s Black Rock Desert 100 miles north of Reno in the days surrounding Labor Day. Despite the difficulty getting to, and staying in, the campsite, nearly 50,000 people participate. The easy way to typify Burning Man is as a vestige of the hippie era, a place for remnant Deadheads to get their groove on. That would be simplistic — and incorrect. It is indeed radical, and its roots hark back to the ‘60s. But it is as up to date as a Lady Gaga stadium concert. What makes Burning Man so unique is its circumstances, its guiding ethos, and the way the organizers have been able to keep true to the original vision. Anyone with a ticket is welcome. Instead of cash, participants “gift” each other to meet their needs, which can be great. Despite the emphasis on dancing, this is not a typical Circuit party weekend, nor for those who need their creature comforts — like running water, functional toilets or electricity. The environment is extremely harsh, the location about as remote as possible in the Lower 48. Clothes are optional and usually filthy anyway. Despite these obstacles, I’ve spoken to gay men from around the country who return every year. For them, this is the collective dance experience that transcends categories like gay-straight or young-old. The ritual burning of the giant wooden effigy on Saturday night symbolizes the transcendence of earthly things. This is the essence of Burning Man: an ecstatic embrace of the tribal roots of participatory dancing. Andy Pischalnikoff is a professional photographer who has been shooting Burning Man for five years, this year as a member of the official documentation team. Visit http://www.idesignpix.com for more of his work. 2010-07-29T13:24:29+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/two_decades_of_black_blues/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/two_decades_of_black_blues/ “People in Montreal are very open minded. People love being together — and they love meeting people from around the world.” So says Caroline Rousse, spokesperson for the BBCM Foundation. Certainly Montreal’s benevolent spirit has gone a long way toward the ongoing success of the Black & Blue Festival, now celebrating its 20th year of philanthropic revelry. The recipient of numerous international awards and prizes for its exemplary production values, technical innovation, and artistic direction, Black & Blue has been the benchmark against which other cultural festivals and dance events around the planet are measured. Black & Blue began as the brainchild of a group of altruistic and well-connected Québécoises who sought to create an event that would celebrate life even as it addressed the burgeoning global AIDS epidemic. Twenty years on, Black & Blue is the world’s largest event of its kind, a seven-day cultural festival attracting thousands of people from dozens of countries as well as the gargantuan central dance party. The first Black & Blue in 1991 was “a private event, by invitation only, in a beautiful former Bank of Montreal building never used for an event before, and the first ever all-night gay dance event approved by the authorities in Montreal,” according to Robert J. Vezina, who heads Festival Black & Blue and the parent BBCM Foundation. With the all-night template established, Black & Blue went “public” in 1992. In collaboration with New York’s Saint-at-Large, BBCM’s second event was held at Club Metropolis in Montreal’s central gayborhood, Le Village. “Over 3,500 showed up,” recalls Vezina. “The police closed the street in front of the club because too many people were trying to get in.” So successful was Black & Blue that for the first three years the event tripled its attendance. By 1994, it reached 20,000 people. But attendance at various events just kept growing until, by the year 2000, more than 75,000 people were participating in the Black & Blue Festival. By then, not only was BBCM a highly regarded, non-profit foundation, BBCM was also big news: Black & Blue was being reported on local newscasts. Some of Rousse’s students would tell her, “I just saw you on TV” or on the BBCM website. She would invariably ask them to work with her at the main event. “The best experience of their lives,” she says. “They got to be professional and to see the real world.” Not only that, but they were working for a good cause. During the course of its 20-year history, BBCM has donated more than $1.4 million to Montreal’s HIV and AIDS service organizations and LGBT community groups, all while generating more than $300 million in tourism revenues. “As a gay-based organization, BBCM has been a leader in generating funds to fight AIDS in Canada,” says Vezina. Perhaps equally important to the revenues raised, “We have raised the awareness on AIDS prevention and partying safely with our innovative programs. But the focus remains solidly on raising funds for direct care for people living with HIV/AIDS.” The entire city of Montreal has rallied around Black & Blue. Every year, Vezina says, “There’s always a really cute ‘straight’ guy who volunteers for the first time, and it’s really refreshing to see how people become excited about being a part of it.” One of the many hallmarks of Black & Blue’s main event has been the diversity of party people — in terms of age and sexual identity. “It’s funny to think that some people weren’t even born when the first Black and Blue happened,” says Rousse, “and other people I know have been coming since the very first Black & Blue. All these 18-year-olds—partying with all these people in their 40s, all at the same party. I know some people that come with their moms. And we have youngsters coming to Black & Blue with their parents.” The party is also unique as being a Circuit event that attracts a healthy number of straight partygoers. In recent years, the percentage has hovered near half — which still means many, many thousands of gay men. And the straight men who attend are at least as good looking as their gay counterparts. The Big-Big-Room Main Event The setting for the main event is perhaps the most spectacular for any Circuit party in the world. Built in 1976 for the Summer Olympics, the Stade Olympique (Olympic Stadium) had been a beloved setting for 10 Black & Blue main event. Unfortunately, the Stade, home of Quebec’s largest main room, has been undergoing reconstructive surgery, off and on, for the past decade. So BBCM decided to return to Palais des congrès, the city’s convention center — which had already hosted five main events — for its 20th anniversary celebration. “The main event would have been great at the Stade,” says Rousse. “But first, it is so expensive. Secondly, they changed the rules and regulations this year, so that everything needed to be paid in advance. Also the Stade wanted to make us sign a paper that says if the renovations occur during Black and Blue week, we have to cancel the event and take it elsewhere. And the question was, What if they pull the plug on us two weeks before Main Event? So we could not take the risk.” For now, there are only two events happening at le Stade: motocross and monster trucks. Few parties are as celebrated for their daring and innovative artistic conceptions as the main event of Black & Blue Festival—and each year has seen the complete realization of themes as varied as Humanité, Louis XIV, Nu, X-treme, Power Trip, and Supersonic. Who can forget the immense chocolate-flowing fountains at Louis XIV’s Palais des congrès? Or the massive Buddha floating overhead for Humanité? Or the full-scale jet airliner for Supersonic? The gargantuan mirror ball? The Michelangelo décor? The angels rising from Centre Field all the way to the roof of the Stade? The powder-wigged courtesans from Versailles? The acrobat on a pole parallel to the ground? The 9/11 memorial? Girlina landing into the crowd in a spaceship? The giant skateboard ramp? Performances by Human League and Seal? The red ribbon of AIDS formed by 25,000 candles glowing on the Stade’s center floor? All these theatrical effects and events, as well as so many others, have become indelibly stamped on the memory of participants, thereby insuring that Black & Blue lingers long after the party has ended. In celebration of the 20th anniversary this year, with the support of the Quebec Tourism Ministry, BCCM is planning special features, including a live concert during the main event. BBCM’s press office has confirmed the appearances of Australian singer Emma Hewitt, and Omar El Gamal of Montreal, as well as a blockbuster segment. For the past couple years, there’s been a renewed focus on the collaboration between artistic direction and lighting design. “We found that what people remembered was the lights,” says Rousse. “So now we start first with the lights.” Translation: lighting design expert François Roupinian of Lightemotion, one of the foremost innovators in lighting technology. Also returning are Sylvain Tessier in the role of technical director, and sound expert Éric Tourangeau, the man who has orchestrated nearly every Black & Blue for 20 years. Proof of how well a sound system can work at the Palais is evidenced by the fact that Bal en Blanc is also held at the Palais. As in years past, in order to better serve an increasingly diverse and international clientele of music aficionados, there will be two rooms at the Palais. “All the young people listen to trance,” Vezina says. “The main room will be House.” Having two rooms also means opening some of the toilets that were previously unavailable — a welcome change for partygoers who had to trudge a long, long distance through the massive Palais des congrès to get to the bathrooms. Apart from BBCM’s celebrated stage shows, special effects, and décor, there will be, according to Vezina, “a wide range of renowned deejays,” including, in the trance room, Aly & Fila from Egypt; and in the House room, much-beloved local superstar Mark Anthony. If there’s one name most associated with the music behind Black & Blue, that would have to be Anthony, the world-renowned DJ/producer and founder of the celebrated after-hours party Red Lite. Anthony has played 14 of the 19 Black & Blue main events, often as the party’s closer. This year’s edition marks Anthony’s fifteenth time manning the soundboards. Whoever is spinning, the focus of the party and the entire festival is on “the love of life and its diversity,” as Vezina puts it. Invariably, that spirit finds its way to the dance floor. From Oct. 6 through Oct. 12, come and experience for yourself the magnitude of Montreal’s generous heart as well as its beat. 2010-07-29T13:11:41+00:00 http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/alegria_at_ten/ http://www.noizemag.com/index.php/articles/explore_live/alegria_at_ten/ It was the last weekend of April 2000. In Washington, nearly a million LGBT people converged on the Capitol for the Millennium March. For many people, the highlight of that historic weekend in D.C. was the afterparty at the Post Office Pavilion. Produced by a visionary Brazilian with a background in theatrical production, the party was a major success and immediately became the template for what would become one of the most popular parties around the world. The man behind the magic that night was Ric Sena. “I was not thinking long-term,” he recalls. “But that first party in D.C. went really well.” Later that year, in June 2000, Susan Morabito’s legendary New York Sunday night party after the Pier Dance and the Pride March had been cancelled. “She was so disappointed,” Sena says. “I said, ‘Susan, if I find a venue in New York, would you spin for me?’” Sena got on a plane and talked to Beto Sutter and John Blair, who were still producing the fabulously successful Saturday nights at the Roxy. They talked him up to Richard Grant, the owner of Sound Factory (now Pacha). Sena knocked on the door of Sound Factory, talked to Grant, and signed a check to secure the space. The party sold out. Alegria was born — and gay nightlife has never been the same. That Alegria Pride also marked the inauguration of the Sound Factory as Alegria’s first New York home. It quickly established Alegria as the benchmark for marathon parties marked by superlative production values, the hottest go-go dancing musclemen, and sheer hedonistic joy. Starting in January 2001, Sena began holding Alegria Sunrises, morning parties that grew to 1,500 attendees in three months. With more than 12 years producing theater in Brazil, Sena had a background perfectly suited to creating an event that combined the spectacle of Cirque du Soleil, the energy of the Roxy, and the erotic frisson of a porn shoot. “The party had a look,” says Sena. “My boyfriend Mike and I would go out everywhere with flyers in our pockets. We invited everyone — the most interesting, the most fun, hot boys. People would always ask, ‘How do you get so many good-looking boys?’ We had a lot of friends. Those 400 couldn’t have been more fierce — and they would tell their friends. And that way, we met the right people who were really fun.” As soon as Sound Factory owner Richard Grant realized what Sena had accomplished with the sold-out Alegria Pride 2000, he gave Sena carte blanche: “Richard got all excited. He liked what I was able to create there. He loved Alegria. He was so proud. He offered me the club if I wanted to keep doing it.”  The Advent of Abel Those who know their New York nightclub history know that Sound Factory — the incarnation on 46th Street, not the one in the space that later held Twilo — had opened in 1997. Sena’s was the only gay event at the new Sound Factory, “so that made it even more special,” he adds. “If you wanted to go to a gay party at Sound Factory, you came to Alegria.” It was on Presidents’ Day Weekend in February 2001 that a DJ little known to the denizens of New York nightlife made his debut at Alegria at Sound Factory. After that night, it only took a New York minute before everyone was talking about Abel Aguilera, who has become the DJ most closely associated with Alegria. With the addition of Abel’s infectious cha-cha beat, all the elements were in place for a party to rival the legendary clubs of New York’s nocturnal history.  As Sena recalls, “The Sound Factory would almost explode. There was so much energy. It was the right crowd, and a lot of things came together. Ten different things all at once: the hot boys; the bartenders; the music; the club; the crowd; the décor. People were talking about it everywhere — all over the States and in Europe.” With a schedule averaging seven to nine parties a year, most of them on the Sundays of three-day weekends, Alegria turned into a major Circuit destination. Boys (and, yes, girls, and good-looking, hip straight couples, too) from around the globe flew into New York. When a brand-new mega-club opened in West Chelsea on West 28th Street, Alegria moved to its second home, the gorgeously appointed Crobar, in January 2004. “The timing was amazing,” Sena says. “Crobar was finally ready and they called me. So then I left Sound Factory. It was not a good ending.” (The Sound Factory has since been taken over by Pacha, but that’s another story. ) A purpose-built club with a capacity of 3,000-plus, Crobar was the first club since the demolition of the Palladium to rival the spacious grandeur and awe-inspiring technology that marked New York nightclubs such as Studio 54, Paradise Garage, and the Saint. According to Sena, “Sound Factory was about the energy — the energy on the dance floor, the heat and all that. But when Alegria went to Crobar, visually, it was something so different, something nobody had ever experienced in New York. Crobar was amazing. And I had the only gay event there, so if you were gay and you wanted to party at Crobar, you came to Alegria.”