Mixtape Sessions. Music for the People

Fantastic new documentary about house music (preview here)

2012-01-18T21:46:00.000-05:00

I couldn't be more proud of my friend, Muema, for taking up this incredible project. I've known Muema for over 10 years and have watched him become a curator and documentarian of house music culture. As a super talented photographer, Muema launched speedgarage.com and then bouncefm.com, both of which were/are incredible cultural resources for club culture in New York City and around the globe. This documentary isn't just another film about people dancing in clubs around the world. It's also a manifestitation of a long-time passion for curation and photography. Muema understands why we, in the community, are so drawn to it.

House Music Movie (working title) is a feature length independent documentary film about house music, dance and global pop culture. DJ’s, producers, remixers, dancers and fans discuss their careers and celebrity in this behind-the-scenes look at the house music industry. Along with footage of house music in action, the film also captures candid conversations about house (also called electronic dance music) with authors, artists, club owners and cultural experts.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Video Of The Day = Santigold - Big Mouth [HOT NEW SONG]

2012-01-18T15:59:00.002-05:00

Can You Eat? Then You Can Master Social Media!

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

During this Digital Audio Engineering Course I took at Bloomfield College, the professor referenced a really valuable piece of information from an article/tutorial published by Digital PR firm Ariel Publicity. They used the basic food pyramid as a guide for how best to conduct yourself through the maze of social networks.

I have to admit that I violate some of the rules Ariel points out and am trying to adjust because I agree with a lot of the points raised. I hope you can use some of this information to better dissemination your own information. Here's the article (below) and video (above):

----------------------------------------------------

Here’s Your Social Media Food Pyramid

It happens to me all of the time when I teach artists social media.The face goes blank, the frustration begins to settle in and then the artist says it:

“I just don’t have anything interesting to say.”

REALLY?

I’m shocked by this every time. You are an artist; you do things we mere mortals are totally enamored by: you PLAY MUSIC, you write songs, you perform them in public!

So PHLEEASE, do not tell me you have nothing interesting to say. I ain’t buying it.

All you are missing is a System for Social Media Success.

Luckily, unlike sheer god-given musical talent, social media is a learnable skill.

As I was teaching my system to a client in my kitchen a few weeks ago over coffee and bagels and it HIT me.

THE FOOD PYRAMID!

Remember that chart they brought out when we were in 2nd grade to show us how to eat well-rounded meals? I have re-tooled it for you so you can now participate on Social Media healthily! And you won’t even have to think about it – just follow along…

You wouldn’t eat only bagels all of the time. They are a treat once in awhile, but they are not healthy to eat every day – and a diet of only bagels would be boring!

Most artists are only serving their audiences bagels all of the time. Plain bagels. Over an over again.

Uninteresting.

We want a burger, or a giant green healthy salad, we want some candy,

Please give us protein! But you keep serving bagels, bagels, bagels!

These are five things that when used in concert with one another can help you ratchet up your social media effectively and manage it easily.

YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA FOOD PYRAMID
Use the following as a guide and mix and match them to suit your comfort level (just like your diet, eat what feels right for you.)

GROUP 1. DIRECT ENGAGEMENT
Like: BREAD, CEREAL, RICE & PASTA
Servings (Recommended Frequency): 3 – 4 out of every 10 posts

Make sure you’re in a two-way conversation with people consistently

Facebook: See something interesting something on their Facebook pages? Don’t just “like”, write a true comment about it and get more involved.

Twitter: Send messages to people or mention you are with them by using the @ sign and their username (For Example: I’m @CyberPR). Retweet (RT) comments you like by others.

Blog Reading: Create a Google profile and join communities of blog readers. Leave comments on blogs you like.

Video: Bonus! Make custom video comments or greetings with a Flip Camera; post them as comments or contributions. Subscribe to other people’s channels, and comment on their videos.

Location: Create fun spots that relate to your band/ music and check in, interact with others when you are out and about.

GROUP 2: SHINE A LIGHT ON OTHERS
Like: FRUITS & VEGETABLES
Servings (Recommended Frequency): 3 out of every 10 posts

All the best social media users know this and use it well. This takes all of the attention off of you and puts it onto others, and people will appreciate your kindness because you are recognizing them in front of new potential fans and followers and therefore helping them get known.

Quote people you like by sharing their profiles and videos on Facebook and re-post on your blog. Link to articles and interesting things that catch your attention such as videos, photos etc.

#FF (Follow Friday), #MM (Music Monday) and RT’ing on Twitter -
Reprint pieces of things that they’ve written, or link to music players. Review albums – talk about why and how those albums influenced you
by using http://www.bit.ly to track the effectiveness and to shorten your tweets.

GROUP 4. A PICTURE SAYS 1,000 WORDS
Like: MILK, CHEESE & YOGURT
Servings (Recommended Frequency): 2 out of every 10 posts

Visuals are extremely effective. And they mix up your strategy nicely.

Take photos using your mobile, post them directly to Facebook or to your Twitter stream.

Make a photomontage using Picasa [http://picasa.google.com], and post it on your blog.

I love Twitpic & YFrog because they are so easy to use and create instant Twitter integration.

Post videos on your custom Youtube channel, embed them on your blog and link them to your Twitter. They don’t even have to be videos that you necessarily make on your own. They can be videos of artists you sound like or play with, videos that make you laugh, or subjects that are thematic to your music and important to you like a charity.

GROUP 5. SHINING A LIGHT ON YOURSELF (AKA SELF PROMOTION)
Like: FATS OILS & SWEETS (Use Sparingly!)
Servings (Recommended Frequency): 1 out of every 10 posts

Of course these are OK to do once in a while, not in an over-hypey, annoying way. Just like treating yourself to a great pastry or some fries: its OK – but not too often!

It is after all, vital to tell people if you have an album coming out, a new track, a show, or anything that’s newsworthy, noteworthy, and important for your fans and followers to know about.

Don’t forget about your specific calls to actions or these won’t be fruitful.

So – Choose from Groups 1-5 and mix it up and soon you will be fully engaging people easily and naturally, without thinking. Just like eating!

SOURCE

The Music Business Is Not Dying

2012-01-17T23:11:00.000-05:00

As all the various research and trade organizations begin releasing their 2011 sales figures, a number of them have jumped out for perfectly defining the state of the music industry today. Check this out:

1) US album sales were up 1.3% last year, the first year since 2005 that's happened. 66% of these sales were CDs.

2) There were 249 million albums sold in the US last year. People will tell you that the music industry is dying, but 249 million of anything is still a huge number.

3) 75% of all CD sales were made offline. That means that people physically purchased the CD at a brick and mortar store or an event.

4) 40% of all CD buyers are over the age of 45, which means that the demo that mostly grew up with CDs are the ones still buying them.

5) Vinyl sales increased 37 percent in 2011, but only accounted for 1.2 percent of all physical sales. That doesn't mean that people who buy vinyl actually listen to it. Just like the old days, many still buy it for the cover and the artwork, and the trendiness (which is new).

6) Rock is the most popular genre of music, with 32 percent album share, while pop music represents 40 percent of all current digital tracks sold. Ninety-three of the 100 best selling vinyl albums in 2011 fall within the Rock or Alternative genres. I guess that means that the hip-hop and rap trend has run it's course.

7) People who live in New York or LA buy more country records than those who live in Nashville by almost 2 to 1. Having just come from a speaking tour in Nashville, I can tell you first-hand that it's a very cosmopolitan music town, with country no longer the major part of the industry as it once was. That said, country music represents 13% of the total album sales.

8) Digital country music sales are up 31% over last year. While it might have been true that country music lovers were slow to get into digital music, that's obviously no longer the case.

9) Acts that perform at halftime during the Superbowl get an average sales bump of 555%. Critics may pan them and you might hate them, but you still buy them.

All these numbers (which mostly come from Nielsen Soundscan and the IFPI) show that the music business is still huge, is still extremely diverse, and is still as quirky as ever. It is changing, morphing, shifting, and evolving, but it is not dying.

SOURCE

Emospiritual Travelin (tentative tracklist leaked)

2011-11-21T14:17:00.001-05:00

What an exciting time! My sophomore album tentatively entitled "Emospiritual Travelin," is ready to be mixed and I couldn't feel more proud! Can't wait or you guys to hear it.

In honor of this forthcoming project, I thought I'd share the album's tracklist!

Stay tuned!

Adam

LP TRACKLIST
01. Emospiritual (1:16)
02. Travelin (5:07)
03. Don't Even Know (4:04)
04. Look Above (4:48)
05. Irlanda En Xhosa (5:33)
06. Bomb (5:15)
07. Runaway (4:01)
08. Shirley (4:24)
09. Note to Self (1:12)
10. Nothing But Me (Travelin Mix) (4:54)

:)

I wrote this new song as a reminder to be myself entitled "Nothing But Me"

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

DESCRIPTION: HOT BASSLINE WITH A VULNERABLE VOCAL

“Nothing But Me” is a bad ass vocal with a bad ass groove! Adam Cruz continues his development as a super talented producer and vocalist. From his new “Life and Times” Deluxe Edition LP, “Nothing But Me” is the story of a musician who is trying to make it in music business and the honest sentiments that are told in this context. While this tune is certainly a declaration of passionate persistence, “Nothing But Me” is also the realization that self-actualization is the key to that desired success. This track’s fat and heavy bass line as its centerpiece adds a wonderful level of intrigue while the synth pads add vulnerability. Is the character in this song boldly confident about his prospects for becoming a star or is there uncertain within the meaning? Take a listen and let us know what you think @ http://mixtapesessions.com/comments. For more information about “Nothing But Me” and Adam’s “Life and Times” Deluxe Edition LP, visit @ http://mixtapesessions.com/adam.

AVAILABLE NOW ON TRAXSOURCE

Study: FM Radio Is Still the Biggest Source for Music Discovery...what do you think?

2011-11-14T09:23:00.001-05:00

One of the oldest platforms is still the biggest vehicle for new music discovery, even among more dedicated music fans. In a just-released joint study from NPD Group and NARM, FM (and AM) radio consistently emerged as the most important place for discovery, with word-of-mouth falling second.

You'd think platforms like Pandora and places like Pitchfork would beat out local stations and their repetitive playlists, at least among more dedicated music fans. But here's a look at the ranking for the most dialed-in, 'committed' music fans. This is a group spends an average of $267 per year, plus an additional $139 on live shows.

Streaming sources like Pandora, VEVO, and YouTube are definitely in the picture, and a continuing expansion into apps and smartphones will help. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Spotify and iTunes are nowhere to be found on this list.
The story gets even more traditional with another group, an older and more 'comfortable' segment often raised on radio. Here, it's all about broadcast and word-of-mouth, with a less tech-heavy top-ten.

Turns out radio is still a gigantic bullhorn, but also a fairly dumb one. Instead of stirring excited fans to action, most have no idea what they just listened to. Instead, they're listening to ads, a deejay, or the next song. "The lack of 'back announcing' is a pain point that inhibits consumers of all grades from shopping more," the researchers relayed. "They don't know exactly what to shop for."

SOURCE

How To Make Money Streaming Music: Charge, Partner & Sell Other Stuff

2011-11-10T09:58:00.000-05:00

Deezer is a free music streaming platform with over 10 million registered users, which is huge considering that it's mostly available in France.

After many years perpetually in the red, the company now seems on the cusp of profitability. That's unusual for music startups, to say the least, so we thought we'd take a closer look.

French blog OWNI has a long writeup on how Deezer came back from the edge and here's what we learned:

Deezer went freemium. Deezer was free for most of its life, trying to make money from advertising, but eventually caved to demands from the labels and put in a paid option, which at first wasn't popular at all.

Partnering with ISPs was the key. Deezer at first only got 15,000 paying accounts out of a hoped-for 100,000 until they partnered with Orange, the biggest ISP in France, which bundled Deezer Premium with its internet subscription packages (and took a big slug of equity for its troubles). This is also reportedly a big way that Spotify drives up premium subscriptions. It makes sense: you're already paying for your ISP, they already have your payment info, so it's a much more frictionless thing. Paying accounts surged, delivering tons of revenue. Of course, Orange takes a cut of each sale, but it still multiplied Deezer's revenue.

Diversifying also helps. Deezer started Deezer Media, an ad network. SoundDeezer, a service that does in-store music for big brands like McDonald's France. Apparently this is a 2-3 million euro revenue business for them, in a line of work where every penny counts. Deezer also has a pretty big online shop for merchandise, and is producing more and more of its own content so it has more royalty-free inventory to sell ads against.

These rules seem good for any business, but perhaps particularly for the digital music business: try to have paying customers, great downstream sales partners, and diversify.

Perhaps this is something that services like Pandora, which is going public this year and yet still isn't profitable, could learn from.

SOURCE

Top UMG Executive: Spotify Is Helping the Industry, Pandora Is Hurting It...what do you think?

2011-11-10T09:49:00.000-05:00

So who's adding revenue, and who's cannibalizing it? Here's what Universal Music Group's head of Digital Business Rob Wells had to say about Spotify and Pandora in a recent interview with Topspin CEO Ian Rogers. This is one of the top-ranked guys at the largest major label.

On Spotify:

"I'm a fan of [Spotify's] model, I'm not just a fan of that company, although they're all great guys, they've got great tech, great engineering, I mean the Facebook integration is amazing. But I'm a fan of that model, and why am I a fan of that model? Because that's clearly what consumers - some consumers - want to do.

There's massive debate raging throughout the whole of the industry about does it cannibalize, what are artists doing holding back from these services...

...but what if it's incremental revenue and not cannibalistic revenue? So this is all additional money."

On Pandora:

"The disappointing thing with Pandora is that it's a very dumb service, it's a very passive service. They kind of spoonfeed their consumers music...

...my view is they should have more to engage consumers especially in the opportunity of upsell. They need to bolt on something like a premium subscription service, and then it's interesting.

They're doing something right, but I don't think they're doing the music or the recording industry any favors by doing what they do. Yes they pass royalties, but if you ask any of the other business partners, who - with the exception of YouTube - who is cannibalizing their business, they'll probably turn around and say Pandora."

SOURCE

Video of the Day: Lenny Kravitz - Black and White America

2011-11-09T23:12:00.000-05:00

This video made from Lenny's personal childhood photos.
From the new album "Black And White America" from Roadrunner/Atlantic Records out now.
Directed by Mathieu Bitton

Can you visualize your own success?

2011-11-09T23:11:00.001-05:00

Creative visualization is a mental technique to achieve success. This technique requires the individual to focus their mind on a particular object or goal and think positively. These positive thoughts can be obtained by following some simple visualization exercises. Visualization exercises involve easy steps that can be followed by anyone, and requires only creativity and imagination. These exercises enable the brain to picture and experience desired results, thus strengthening self esteem and boosting the confidence to achieve one’s aims.

Most visualization exercises recommend the individual to sit calmly and focus on what their needs are. The ability to concentrate is a must, and experts suggest beginning with simple visualizations. For example, one could begin with visualizing a fruit. While creating the mental image of the fruit, one must imagine it with complete detail – the color, the shape, size, and the texture of the fruit. One could imagine holding up the fruit, smelling it, feeling it, even cutting and eating it. Once the brain begins to use all its senses to visualize, the individual can move onto more complicated exercises, for example, visualizing a person, or a larger object or perhaps even a scenic location - a desert, a lake or even a forest. Finally, the individuals should begin to visualize their desired objective imagining not only achieving those aims but also reaping the benefits of those achievements. Some experts suggest using voice recordings to guide the individual at the time of practicing visualization exercises. These exercises should be done everyday, to enhance their success.

The first exercise enables the individual to start the practice of visualization exercises. As the visualization exercises become more complicated and require greater levels of visualizations and mental imagery, the individual learns to calm their mind, concentrate and gain the confidence to create mental pictures of objects of their choice. Finally, once one begins to visualize achievement, the subconscious begins to reprogram itself, gearing the individual to success.

SOURCE

Doug Morris: The Music Business Is All About Making Hits...do you agree?

2011-11-09T21:30:00.001-05:00

In case you were wondering about the approach at Sony Music Entertainment, or any other major label, for that matter. "Our core focus still needs to be developing hits," Sony Music CEO Doug Morris just told the New York Times. "That's the only constant amidst all the change. So if you don't get that right it doesn't matter how revolutionary the distribution model is or how many revenue streams you have. You still have to have the hits."

The philosophy explains an expensive mega-deal involving successful pop producer Dr. Luke. And it also reaffirms the more limited strategy currently being employed by the majors. The game plan typically involves heavily-produced tracks and extremely heavy, mainstream radio promotion.

And, a very top-heavy balance sheet, especially when superstars are involved. NPR recently pegged the cost of creating a recent Rihanna song at more than $1,078,000, and insiders continue to point to a cash-lubricated radio promotional pipeline.

Unfortunately for artists, this also seems to spell a loss of creative control. Lupe Fiasco has been extremely vocal on that point, blaming his label Atlantic (WMG) for meddling and completely altering his creative vision. But all that knob-twiddling happened for a reason: Fiasco still enjoys mainstream radio play and experienced fairly healthy sales on Lasers, most likely because of these exact compromises.

All of which begs the question: is a major label deal really for you? South Africa-based Die Antwoord, which recently announced a break-away from Interscope, has decided that the answer to that question is no. "So anyway, Interscope offered us a bunch of money again to release our new album TEN$ION," the band blogged. "But this time, they also tried to get involved with our music, to try and make us sound like everyone else out there at the moment. So we said: 'U know what, rather hang on to your money, buy yourself something nice... we gonna do our own thing. Bye bye.'"

SOURCE

Music Industry Survey conducted by the Grammy's (results here)

2011-10-23T15:19:00.001-04:00

What kind of music listener are you? What is the primary reason you attend concerts? Which social network do you use the most? Is the music industry headed toward a period of growth?

These are some of the questions the GRAMMY Magazine Survey asked over the summer of 2011. Here are some interesting results. What do YOU think?

CONSUMPTION

(click to enlarge)

LIVE MUSIC

(click to enlarge)

INTERNET/TECHNOLOGY

(click to enlarge)

INDUSTRY

(click to enlarge)

WANTED: Dynamic Manager and/or Booking Agent for FLORA CRUZ and ADAM CRUZ

2011-09-22T11:11:00.000-04:00

IT'S DEFINITELY TIME!
FLORA CRUZ AND ADAM CRUZ ARE LOOKING TO ADD
A DYNAMIC MEMBER(S) TO OUR MIXTAPE SESSIONS TEAM. IS THIS YOU?
We're looking for a competent, driven and connected professional who knows our "house music" culture very well and can step in and get to work right away.

For Flora, we're looking to take her career to the next level, as she prepares for her forthcoming EP.
She should be considered as a recording artist who works on projects with other producers and labels.
She should be booked more to perform both locally and around the globe and on a consistent basis.
While she continues to publish new works, Flora should also be hired to co-write on songs for other artists.

For Adam, we're looking for someone dynamic who can use Adam's long history in the music business and his reputation as a creative DJ to book him more.
He should be considered as a remixer for other labels.
He should be writing material for other artists.
Lastly and among other things, he should be collaborating with other producers, recording vocals to their instrumental tracks.

WHO THIS IS GREAT FOR:
- an individual or group who believes in us more than we believe in ourselves (and we really believe in ourselves,) knows our work, knows the scene and can get pull it off.

WHO THIS IS BAD FOR:
- an individual or group who doesn't believe in us, doesn't know our work, doesn't know the scene, and can't get the job done.
- an individual or group just starting out (sorry no newbies...it's hard enough as it is...)

SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY!
Send us an e-mail at: press (at) mixtapesessions (dot) com and tell us why you think you'd be a good candidate to manage us or be an agent for us. Please cite achievements in your work and please include your fees/rates.

------------------------------------------------------------
A LITTLE MORE ABOUT FLORA CRUZ:
From a young age, Flora Cruz knew that she was connected to music in a powerful way. Fortunately, it was her experiences singing and performing as a young girl that played a key role in developing her strong vocal prowess. Finally in 2007, Flora teamed up with her brother, DJ/producer Adam Cruz, and recorded a collection of songs that became her debut album entitled “Dulce Melodia” (which translates to ‘Sweet Melody’ in Spanish.) Released on label, Mixtape Sessions, “Dulce Melodia” LP is fun and energetic, but also poignant and meaningful. It’s a journey of hard lessons learned, the celebration of life and the rewards of perseverance.

Currently hard at work promoting her brand “Dulce Melodia” Deluxe Edition album and her new single, “Time for Reality,” Flora continues to write with her brother, Adam Cruz, and record music with an uplifting message that speaks to everyone around the world.

LINKs:
http://aboutmts.blogspot.com/2010/07/about-flora-cruz.html
http://mixtapesessions.com/flora

DOWNLOAD PRESS LINK:
http://mixtapesessions.com/floracruz-press.zip

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT ADAM CRUZ:
Adam Cruz has been a DJ since he was 10 years old and a music producer for over a decade. His love of music led him to work directly with historic dance music label MAW Records for producing duo "Little Louie" Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez (known as Masters at Work) and later, with the legendary disco label West End Records, founded by disco pioneer Mel Cheren (called "The Godfather of Disco.") In 2004, Adam became the A&R and Production Director for that illustrious label and in 2009, he was appointed Vice President. Adam has signed over 50 musical copyrights, co-produced a documentary film about Mel Cheren and worked with producers and artists from all over the world, including: Blaze, MAW, DJ Spinna, hip-hop pioneers Marley Marl and Red Alert, and many others.

Today, Adam runs his own record label, Mixtape Sessions, and his own distribution company, the Cruz Music Group. For Mixtape Sessions, he has just released his debut "Life and Times" Deluxe Edition, a collection of beautiful songs he wrote and produced over a three year period. As a producer, he has built a solid reputation for his creative production style and song-writing prowess. Adam has recorded with award winning artists such as: Eddie Nicholas, Flora Cruz, Gerideau, Lillias White, Manchildblack, queen AaMinah and several others. As a DJ, he spins an energetic blend of Jazz, Funk, Latin, and soulful Dance music. When he's not hard at work promoting his partners or his new album, Adam continues to build a solid base of loyal listeners, broadcasting his weekly "Mixtape Sessions" radio show live on http://cyberjamz.com every Thursday from 7-9PM EST.

For more information about Adam Cruz and the "Life and Times" Deluxe Edition, please visit: http://mixtapesessions.com

LINKS:
http://aboutmts.blogspot.com/2010/07/about-adam-cruz.html
http://mixtapesessions.com/adam

DOWNLOAD PRESS KIT:
http://mixtapesessions.com/adamcruz-press.zip

Adam Cruz joins music collective 'Ascensionist' and collaborates on concept album (FREE download link here)

2011-09-13T15:13:00.000-04:00

DOWNLOAD THIS ALBUM FOR FREE HERE

Ascensionist is a New Jersey-based collective of 11 producers, MCs, and instrumentalists. Fusing rock, hip-hop and pop, Ascensionist paints vivid and unique musical landscapes on their debut recording "Beautiful Catastrophe." The record is a 15-track concept album that deals with the end of the world from multiple musical perspectives. The lead single "Jump!" is a party track for end times, while... "Final Breath" graphically details a brutal apocalypse. Artists Chase, Truth, Lova-Gurl, Ave, Brian Battersby, Ill Will, Daniel David, Nomad, Adam Cruz, Eder Vernet, and Pauls collaborate to tell the harrowing story of end times and post-apocalyptic survival through music.

As a member of this incredibly talented group, I admittedly had some doubts about working on a project like a concept album with so many individual ideas at work at the same time. Mentally, I prepared for some possible friction or problem. Neither ever came. I instantly admired and respected everyone for their own brand and style of work and personally, it was a bit of a "coming of age" moment for me professionally. Until this project, I really focused primarily on producing, writing and recording music. I usually worked with vocalists to deliver my own songs instead of me. I did it mostly because I don't think I'm a great singer. I can coach someone else to sing my songs the way I imagine them, but I never imagined putting myself front and center until this project came about.

If you check out my Life and Times Deluxe Edition album and listen to "Dancer In The Dark" or "Nothing But Me," you can begin to hear the impact that working in this collective had on me as an artist. - Adam (co-produced on tracks #3, #5, #6, #14)

DOWNLOAD "Beautiful Catastrophe" for FREE now at:
http://ascensionistmusic.blogspot.com
http://ascensionist.bandcamp.com
http://soundcloud.com/ascensionist

Take a listen to the entire Life and Times Deluxe Edition on Soundcloud

2011-08-26T10:45:00.009-04:00

· LISTEN TO THE WHOLE LP ON SOUNDCLOUD HERE
· AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE SEPT 29TH
· PRE-RELEASE AVAILABLE NOW @TRAXSOURCE HERE

Recorded over the span of three years, Adam’s debut album is an eclectic mix of jazz, dance and world music. Full of positivity and diversity, this LP feels like a breath of fresh air. “Peace of Mind” and “Humble Beginnings” set the tone for the album’s creative spirit while vocalist queen AaMinah combines her melodic vocals with Adam’s sultry style to bring you the beautiful “Really Love You”. Eddie Nicholas steps in with his powerhouse vocals during “Time Marches On”, a cover of the Jungle Wonz classic, and “Ghumbah”, a latin tune about dancing to your own groove - your own ‘Ghumbah’. Adam lends his vocals during “11:11”, a clever track about time repeating itself while his sister, singer Flora Cruz, sings her heart out on the album’s title track, “Life and Times,” a beautiful song about living the best that life has to offer. Legendary vocalist, Gerideau, brings pure magic with the politically charged anthem, “Letitflow” and the album’s epilogue, “L.O.V.E.”

In all, the “Life and Times” LP is a timeless piece of music from this new producer! This Deluxe Edition features 7 new songs including the brand new smash hits “Dancer In The Dark,” “Nothing But Me” and so much more!

For more information about Adam Cruz, visit: http://mixtapesessions.com/adam

Video of a DJ booth being helicoptered across Miami while the DJ PERFORMS!

2011-08-22T10:21:00.008-04:00

I wouldn't have believed it myself if I didn't see it. Longtime DJ and hip hop legend, D-Nice, recently took on an incredible feat by rigging a DJ booth to a helicopter, stepping into the booth, and performing while being flown across Miami! The acclaimed DJ and producer ran the 12-minute show, an advertisement for Hennessy Black. which was designed by Neptune Productions, a special event technical services production company based in Los Angeles.

Talk about extreme DJing! :)

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT D-NICE:
D-Nice became a Boogie Down Productions’ DJ after the death of Scott LaRock (the man who discovered him), prior to group’s second album, By All Means Necessary. His first production was actually "Self Destruction," the single released by the Stop the Violence Movement. The project, put together by KRS-One and the DJ, featured Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh, and MC Lyte.

Born Derrick Jones, D-Nice left BDP in 1990, after the Edutainment album, to go solo. "Call Me D-Nice," released in 1990 on Jive, featured a pair of Billboard rap-chart hits in "Call Me D-Nice" (number one) and "Crumbs off the Table" (number 17). Unlike KRS-One, his lyrical content was rarely politically charged, but "Glory" took a look at the black man's role in the Civil War. The less-successful "To tha Rescue" followed the next year. After that, he took on occasional production duties for the likes of LeShaun, Nuttin' Nyce, and Hi-Five.

Today, it appears that D-Nice's DJ Career is on a high - kudos!

CHECK OUT THE INCREDIBLE FOOTAGE BELOW

Bolt Bus and Greyhound Bus Get Married But Don't Speak to Each Other: A Bus Rider's Nightmare

2011-08-19T11:56:00.008-04:00

ok so for those that don't know, I've been a big public transportation user since I was young. To get to anywhere I need to, you can bet that I'll use a bus, train, plane, ferry and my most frequently used mode of transportation - walking!

So I've planned this quick bus trip to see an old friend and catch up + work on music. I decide to use Bolt Bus from Newark to DC. Bolt Bus boasts a $1 bus fare to several places. I missed the sale since I purchased my ticket too late.

I get to the bus and when I verify my departure time (it says 10:30am on their site,) Im told that there is no 10:30 bus and that they need to update their site. My new time is 11am arriving at 4:50pm. When the Bolt Bus arrives, I wait on line and when I hand the attendant my ticket, I'm told that it wasn't my bus and was referred back inside.

When I go back inside I immediately get the attention of the worker who sold me my ticket. When I explain that I had been denied entry on the bus, I was told that I bought a ticket for Greyhound not Bolt.

Now to better describe the scene, all inside the station are signs hung from the ceilings and on the walls with Bolt Bus logos on them. When you're not looking at Bolt signs, you're looking at Greyhound signs. There is no separate line. No designation as to where Bolt customers should go to buy tickets. I even ask the worker if Greyhound and Bolt Bus are together. "Yeah," he states confidently. I asked for a refund and was told that my ticket was non-refundable. Needless to say I was pissed off, had to ask for a manager, re-explain the situation, demand the refund, wait for the refund to be issued, and then race to catch the Bolt.

I made it, but not without learning some valuable lessons that luck for you, I will share lol

1) Don't pull an "Adam". Buy your ticket 21 days in advance and take advantage of the $1 rate, but be aware that there are many restrictions to this, so prepare yourself to "hoop jump" for that $1 rate.

2) If you're on a time crunch, don't rely on the schedule posted on the Bolt website. Instead, call to confirm. Evidently, their online and offline businesses are not synced up (don't ask me why in this day and age.)

3) If you're at a station like mine, be aware that the clerk will almost always NOT be helpful.

4) Even though Bolt and Greyhound Buses are "together," they aren't. Each has their own schedule and pricing none of which is clearly indicated anywhere. Know this and expect changes and delays.

On the upside (thank God for "upsides") Bolt is modern, seat is semi-comfortable, they offer free WI-FI, and at $25 each way, it's affordable.

Happy Riding!

For info:
BoltBus.com
1-877-BOLTBUS (1-877-265-8287)

Mark your calendar! Saturday Aug 20th Mixtape Sessions Meets Face The Bass w FLORA CRUZ, EDDIE NICHOLAS, + ADAM CRUZ

2011-08-12T16:29:00.008-04:00

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20th 2011
Face The Bass Productions LLC Presents:
FUEGO @ The Coffee Cave
Birthday Celebration for Joe Flame and Panther
with DJ Danny Arrington, DJ Panther

and special guests
ADAM CRUZ
FLORA CRUZ
EDDIE NICHOLAS
(Mixtape Sessions)

9:00pm - 2:30am
45 Halsey Street
Newark, NJ $10 All Nite

RSVP @ http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=244700025564100

Bah Samba, David Harness, Mr. V, Vick Lavender, Zepherin Saint and others show their SOUL SIZE LOVE!

2011-08-12T10:35:00.007-04:00

We are so excited and humbled to announce that our own Jaidene Veda and our Japan benefit has received major support. SOUL SIZE LOVE made its way to the TOP 10 CHARTS from some of the finest house music hit makers around including: Bah Samba, Circle of Funk, David Harness, Jaidene Veda herself, Mr. V, QB Smith, Vick Lavender, and Zepherin Saint. Thank you everyone for sharing your love and making it SOUL SIZE! :)

Check out Bah Samba's TOP 10 CHART

Check out Circle of Funk's TOP 10 CHART

Check out David Harness's TOP 10 CHART

Check out Jaidene Veda's TOP 10 CHART

Check out Mr. V's TOP 10 CHART

Check out QB Smith's TOP 10 CHART

Check out Vick Lavender's TOP 10 CHART

Check out Zepherin Saint's TOP 10 CHART

Adam Cruz - Dancer In The Dark coming Sept 6th / pre-release avail now!

2011-08-09T10:32:00.004-04:00

From his brand new "Life and Times" Deluxe Edition LP, Adam Cruz premiere's "Dancer In The Dark," his first release as a singer. Cruz's endearing vocals give this killer jam its charm and sparkle. A song about a shy dancer mustering up the courage to jump into the ‘dancers circle,' "Dancer In The Dark" is lighthearted, fun and liberating. Cruz's brilliant beats and rhythms make "Dancer In The Dark" a massive dance floor smash! This tune is a dedication to all of the shy dancers out there who dance like nobody's watching when nobody's watching. This is for anyone who has ever gone out dancing, witnessed those fantastic dancers tearing it up in the ‘dancers circle,' and secretly wished to jump in and join in. "Dancer In The Dark" has already supported by Danny Krivit (718 Sessions, Body-n-Soul), Josh Milan (Honeycomb Music, Blaze), Paul Morrissey (Bozak) and Mickey Blanco (soulfulbeats UK). Dancer, make your mark! Let us see you on the dance floor. Let us see you wow the people. Let us see you shine like before.

For more about Adam Cruz, visit: http://mixtapesessions.com/adam

(A. Cruz)
Written and produced by Adam Cruz. All vocals performed by Adam Cruz.
Organ solo performed by Josh Milan. All other instruments performed by Adam Cruz.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Adam Cruz at EbbnFlow Studios, Bloomfield, NJ.
Published by Mixtape Sessions Music (ASCAP).
Josh Milan appears courtesy of Honeycomb Music.
©2011 Mixtape Sessions Music, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Distributed by The Cruz Music Group, a Division of Mixtape Sessions Music, LLC.

Join us this THUR 4 AUG 2011 as Adam Cruz, Eddie Nicholas, & Flora Cruz take over NJPAC!

2011-08-04T11:11:00.000-04:00

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)
Sounds of the City

Date: Thursday, 4 August 2011

Time: 5:00pm - 10:00pm

Location:
NJPAC @ Theater Square
One Center Street
Newark, NJ 07102

Cover: FREE

featuring MIXTAPE SESSIONS own
ADAM CRUZ
FLORA CRUZ
EDDIE NICHOLAS

+ special guests:
Stephanie White & The Philth Harmonic, Nelly Soriano and Abby Dobson

Flora Cruz rocks the 6th Annual Lincoln Park Music Festival! / LIKE + WATCH

2011-08-01T11:11:00.002-04:00

(photo credit: Billy Carter)

LIKE Flora Cruz on her OFFICIAL fan page to watch her LIVE performance from the 6th Annual Lincoln Park Music Festival @ http://www.facebook.com/cruzflora
+ check out her Deluxe Edition album @ http://mixtapesessions.com/flora

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT FLORA:

From a young age, Flora Cruz knew that she was connected to music in a powerful way. Fortunately, it was her experiences singing and performing as a young girl that played a key role in developing her strong vocal prowess. Finally in 2007, Flora teamed up with her brother, DJ/producer Adam Cruz, and recorded a collection of songs that became her debut album entitled “Dulce Melodia” (which translates to ‘Sweet Melody’ in Spanish.) Released on label, Mixtape Sessions, “Dulce Melodia” LP is fun and energetic, but also poignant and meaningful. It’s a journey of hard lessons learned, the celebration of life and the rewards of perseverance.

Currently hard at work promoting her brand “Dulce Melodia” Deluxe Edition album and her new single, “Time for Reality,” Flora continues to write with her brother, Adam Cruz, and record music with an uplifting message that speaks to everyone around the world.

LIKE + WATCH VIDEO HERE

Eddie Nicholas rocks the 6th Annual Lincoln Park Music Festival! LIKE + WATCH

2011-08-01T10:14:00.008-04:00

(photo credit: Billy Carter)

LIKE Eddie Nicholas on his OFFICIAL fan page to watch his LIVE performance from the 6th Annual Lincoln Park Music Festival 2011 @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eddie-Nicholas/173798712663368

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT EDDIE:
Eddie Nicholas is an incredible vocalist, stage performer and event promoter. Since his break out hit "You Make Me Carry On" (released on Strictly Rhythm in 1995), Eddie has appeared with the Virginia State University Concert choir in concert with Barry Manilow, the Winter Music Conference (WMC Miami) and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC Sounds of the City). As a recording artist, he has worked with many prominent producers over the years, including Harley & Muscle, Paul Scott, Glenn Thornton, Rasmir Mantree and Adam Cruz.

He has traveled the world participating in various international events, including the Italian Music Conference and the Amsterdam Dance Event. In 2007, he acted as host for the ‘Chicago Body Music / Slaag Records’ showcase at the Sand (Amsterdam) for over 2500 people. The event featured Ce Ce Peniston, Dawn Tallman and many others. In 2008 and 2009, Eddie participated as a volunteer in the Lincoln Park Music Festival, Newark NJ. In 2010, Eddie was appointed co-host of the 5th Annual music festival that celebrates the one of Newark’s oldest cultural districts and in 2011, returned as co-host for the 6th Annual festival.

When he's not performing, hosting or promoting, Eddie is hard at work on his debut album, forthcoming on Slaag Records. Stay tuned and listen for new material from Eddie Nicholas, Educator, Vocalist, Song Writer and Promoter.

EDDIE NICHOLAS NEW SINGLE "GIMME DAT LOVE" AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.traxsource.com/slaag

EDDIE NICHOLAS ON FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eddie-Nicholas/173798712663368

EDDIE NICHOLAS ON TWITTER:
http://www.twitter.com/dekmusique
__________________________________________________

FOR BOOKING AND PRESS INQUIRIES:
Eddie Nicholas Management
Adam Cruz at: adam (at) mixtapesessions (dot) com

Join us this TUES 2 AUG 2011 as FLORA CRUZ and MARK MENDOZA take over PHILLY USA!

2011-07-27T14:16:00.006-04:00

Dancing by the River Under the Stars (Summer series)

***DIVA OF THE DEEP PRESENTS***
***DEEP RIVER OCEAN DANCE***

An indoor/outdoor House Music Event @ the Philadelphia Waterfront

RSVP @ http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=238098492887940

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS:

DJ/PRODUCERs MARK MENDOZA (280 West Radio) & VENUS7 (Diva of the Deep)
+ A LIVE PERFORMANCE from FLORA CRUZ (Mixtape Sessions)

Date: Tuesday 2 August 2011

Time: 10:00pm - 2:00am

Location:
River Deck
417 NORTH COLUMBUS BLVD.
Philadelphia, PA

Cover: $5 before 11pm / $7 after

CLICK ON OUR FACEBOOK INVITE +
SELECT "ATTENDING" FOR A REDUCED COVER
***your name will be at the door***
***more at the door if you don't RSVP***

Join us this SAT 30 July 2011 as FLORA CRUZ rocks the 6th Annual Lincoln Park Music Festival Stage in Newark, NJ (3 day full schedule inside)

2011-07-27T13:12:00.011-04:00

Saturday, July 30, 2011 Celebration of House Music 12noon - 9:30pm marks DAY 2 of the 6th Annual Lincoln Park Music Festival, a vibrant event dedicated to Ms. Loleatta Holloway and DJ Camacho
+
Hosted by The Legendary Ms. Theresa Randolph and Slaag Records Recording Artist Mr. Eddie Nicholas

...featuring internationally known recording artist Ms. Barbara Tucker with special guests Dawn Tallman, Charlotte Smalls and Kevin Wheatly + an incredible artist showcase featuring Tiara Holt, Peter Hadar, Chinah Blac, Darryl D'Bonneau, FLORA CRUZ (Mixtape Sessions) and surprise guests!

Performances by live percussionists will be heard throughout the day featuring indigenous instruments from Brazil, West Africa, Peru and India by Fuluso Mimy.

In the meantime, check out the FLORA CRUZ - DULCE MELODIA [DELUXE EDITION] on TRAXSOURCE HERE!

Adam Cruz pays tribute to the late Amy Winehouse this Thursday 28 June 2011 7-9pm est @ http://chat.cyberjamz.com

2011-07-27T12:30:00.005-04:00

Say what you want about her personal choices in life, Ms. Amy Winehouse had an incredible voice; a mix of extreme candor, contralto, soul, and the blues. She had that 'tear in the back of the throat' quality that most singers would kill for. In this special tribute, Adam Cruz goes deeper into the vault and shares not just the top 10 Winehouse hits, but the rarer recordings of the songstress along with the tunes you know and love. Check out this special tribute this Thursday 28 July 2011 7-9pm EST LIVE on http://chat.cyberjamz.com

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT AMY WINEHOUSE:
Amy Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz.

Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Her 2006 follow-up album, Back to Black, led to six Grammy Award nominations and five wins, tying the then record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night, and made Winehouse the first British female to win five Grammys, including three of the "Big Four": Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. On 14 February 2007, she won a BRIT Award for Best British Female Artist; she had also been nominated for Best British Album. She won the Ivor Novello Award three times, one in 2004 for Best Contemporary Song (musically and lyrically) for "Stronger Than Me", one in 2007 for Best Contemporary Song for "Rehab", and one in 2008 for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Love Is a Losing Game", among other distinctions. The album was the third biggest seller of the 2000s in the United Kingdom.

Winehouse was credited as an influence in the rise in popularity of female musicians and soul music, and also for revitalizing British music. Winehouse's distinctive style made her a muse for fashion designers such as Karl Lagerfeld. Winehouse's problems with drug and alcohol abuse, violence, and her self-destructive behaviors were regular tabloid news from 2007 until her death. She and her former husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, were plagued by legal troubles that left him serving prison time. In 2008, Winehouse faced a series of health complications that threatened both her career and her life.

Winehouse died at the age of 27 on 23 July 2011, at her home in London. Police have said that the cause of her death is "as yet unexplained". Winehouse's family and friends attended her funeral on 26 July 2011. She was later cremated at Golders Green Crematorium.

Tony Humphries releases a track co-produced by Adam Cruz

2011-07-27T11:11:00.003-04:00

On his incomparable Yellorange label, Mr. Humphries has included "Revolution" on the brand new "The 'Kept It To Ourselves' Mixes - Yellorange History (Selected & Mixed by DJ Jacko)" CD compilation. This track; edgy, progressive, and political in nature, was signed by the legendary DJ/producer and co-produced by David "Vibes" Tobon.

One of the pioneering DJs and producers of house music, Tony Humphries’ brand of uptempo soul has influenced and entertained audiences across the globe. Born in Brooklyn in 1957, Tony started collecting records at the age of ten and joined a DJ club while attending Manhattan College. After graduating, he took a job in the editorial department of New York’s Daily News. A subsequent strike at the paper in the early 80s halted his career. But Tony never looked back on journalism. In July of 1981, producer Shep Pettibone asked Tony for a mix tape after hearing him spin at Club Tribeca in Manhattan. Pettibone used the tape to fill air time for a no show DJ at New York City’s KISS-FM radio station. This lead to a weekly mix session, where Tony was given creative control to work on his style of music.

Tony Humphries’ name is synonymous to the early “New Jersey sound”. As being exposed to The Loft and David Mancuso in the beginning, Tony has done a major contribution to the house music culture since then. In 1982, while still holding down his mix show on KISS, Tony began his residency at Newark, New Jersey’s Club Zanzibar. Under the influence of resident DJ Larry Patterson, Tony began a tenure that would last eight years. During this time, he began producing and exposing new artists to a wider audience.

Working with everyone from Chaka Khan to Donna Summer to the Jungle Brothers and Queen Latifah, Tony became a sought after studio magician, scoring hits like “Juicy Fruit” for Mtume. Up and coming artists constantly name checked him as an influence in their work. November of 1990 brought a tearful end to Tony’s residency at Club Zanzibar. But with it came different opportunities in Europe and at home. In January of 1993, Tony accepted an offer to become the resident jock at London’s famed club the Ministry of Sound and produce for its label. His sound stretched to Italy, as he gained a residency at the club Echoes in Rimini.

In 1998, Tony gave life to Yellorange where he released many garage classics for 5 solid years.

There is no doubt that Tony has earned acknowledge and respect in the culture and is truly a house-hold legend. He also is known as the Godfather of the New Jersey sound to most. In 2004, with the introduction of a new label, Tony Records, the legendary producer and DJ continues to challenge himself by taking different directions in the music he helped to spawn.

CHECK OUT DAVID TOBON AND ADAM CRUZ PROJECT - REVOLUTION RIGHT HERE

Adam Cruz - Nothing But Me (LYRICS)

2011-07-20T10:19:00.006-04:00

ADAM CRUZ - NOTHING BUT ME
(A. Cruz)

Written and produced by Adam Cruz for Mixtape Sessions.
Vocals performed by Adam Cruz.
Mastered at Ebbnflow Studios, Bloomfield, NJ.
(from the Adam Cruz - Life and Times [Deluxe Edition] LP]

-------------------------------------

VERSE 1:
I calm my eyes and hope it soothes
'cause I know how hard it's been living my truth

My passions you always support
You've seen the years go by with no rewards

and we still behind on the bills it all seeems so old
Like a Poloroid film

But I'm gonna be famous, the star of my scene
and you already know the deal

CHORUS:
I can't be nothing but me
(I'm serious)

I can't be nothing but me
(So serious)

VERSE 2:
I see beyond my money blues
and I plan to make it buy you every jewel

but I need your heartbeat next to me
can't do this without you don't ever leave

and I try to do the best that I can do for you
like Angela Bolfill

But I'm gonna be famous, the star of my scene
and you already know the deal

[REPEAT CHORUS]

BRIDGE:
With all that we've all been through
I know that we gon' do the best we can do

We've got guidance on us
shining strength from up above
there's no other way we're making it to

the top is where I've always strive to be
numero uno spot claim victory
ours for the taking if we work real hard
never ever changing who we are nooo

[REPEAT CHORUS]

In Memory of DJ Camacho: 4hr tag team set + interview 2nite on Mixtape Sessions 7-11pm est

2011-07-14T12:22:00.009-04:00

UPDATE:
Thank you everybody for tuned into our special tribute to David Camacho, an incredible DJ and producer, but an even better human being. Special thanks to the Camacho family for joining us in sharing our favorite memories of Camacho. There was so much love in the chatroom that night. Thanks also to the S.E.M. crew for graciously bowing out of their regularly scheduled "Soul Elevation Presents: S.E.M. Sessions" in order to allow us the space to broadcast the entire 4 hour set with Camacho as well as his incredible interview and a live performance by Lorenzo Tyler.

Missed the show?
Click on http://cyberjamz.com/archives and search Adam Cruz.
The archive is split into 2 parts.

Thanks for listening!
- Adam

Recorded at Halcyon, Brooklyn, NYC on October 28, 2003

This is a very special tribute to DJ Camacho.
The entire 4 hour set included:
- tag team set w Camacho and myself
- interview (he had some interesting words of wisdom to share, as always)
- live performance by Lorenzo Tyler ("Spirit of the Dance") who was the special guest performer that night.

Let us know what u think of the show @ http://mixtapesessions.com/comments

For Japan, Mixtape Sessions and Jaidene Veda bring you this special benefit release!

2011-06-28T10:54:00.012-04:00

JAIDENE VEDA - SOUL SIZE LOVE (FOR JAPAN)
AVAILABLE ON TRAXSOURCE NOW!!!

(J. Veda)
Written by Jaidene Veda. Vocals performed by Jaidene Veda.
'Josh Milan Original Mix' produced by Josh Milan for Honeycomb Music.
Guitar performed by Josh Milan. All other instruments performed by Honey Sweet.
'Andy Compton PENG Dub' produced by Andy Compton.
All instruments played by Andy Compton.
'Jon Delerious Keep It Deep Mix' and 'Jon Delirious Vocal Dub' produced by Jon Delerious.
'Jason B Remix' produced by Jason B. Release artwork designed by Stefan Belavy.
Mastered by Adam Cruz at EbbnFlow Studios, Bloomfield, NJ.
Published by Jaidene Veda (SOCAN).
Executive Produced by Jaidene Veda, Josh Milan and Adam Cruz.
Distributed by The Cruz Music Group, a Division of Mixtape Sessions Music, LLC.
2011 Mixtape Sessions Music, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL VIDEO RIGHT NOW!

DESCRIPTION: BEAUTIFUL MUSIC WITH A PURPOSE!

Mixtape Sessions is honored to present Jaidene Veda's "Soul Size Love," a benefit for Japan! In her own words, Jaidene shared with us that "as a former 'fundraiser turned employee' for the Canadian Red Cross (who's overhead can be a mere 3-8% for any given international appeal), I wholeheartedly support their mission in the Earthquake/Tsunami affected regions! Japan will need us today, tomorrow, next month and perhaps, for years to come. Show your love and make it SOUL SIZE!" Give what you can by purchasing this single here or by picking up our Soul Size Love gear here.

You may also donate directly to the Canadian Red Cross here.

Check out "Soul Size Love" and then let us know what you think at: http://mixtapesessions.com/comments

For more information about Jaidene Veda, please visit: http://jaideneveda.bandcamp.com

CAT# MSM1016 | RELEASE DATE: 28 JUNE 2011
1. Josh Milan Original Mix (7:32)
2. Josh Milan Instrumental (7:32)
3. Andy Compton PENG Dub (7:01)
4. Jon Delerious Keep It Deep Mix (6:17)
5. Jon Delerious Vocal Dub (6:17)
6. Jason B Remix (7:00)

Flora Cruz brings the sass in her new song, 'Time for Reality'!

2011-06-21T12:31:00.011-04:00

FLORA CRUZ - TIME FOR REALITY
AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE NOW!!!

(A. Cruz, F. Cruz)
Written by Adam Cruz and Flora Cruz. Produced by Adam Cruz.
Solo performed by Josh Milan for Honeycomb Music.
All other instruments performed by Adam Cruz.
Lead vocals by Flora Cruz. Background vocals by Flora Cruz and Adam Cruz.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Adam Cruz at EbbnFlow Studios, Bloomfield, NJ.
Published by Mixtape Sessions Music (ASCAP) and Flora Marie Rodriguez (ASCAP).
©2011 Mixtape Sessions Music, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Distributed by The Cruz Music Group, a Division of Mixtape Sessions Music, LLC.

DESCRIPTION: SASSY VOCALS WITH A KILLER GROOVE!

From her forthcoming "Dulce Melodia" LP [Deluxe Edition], Flora Cruz and Mixtape Sessions are very excited to bring you her explosive new single, "Time for Reality!" Here, Flora gives you her signature style; fresh vocals with a major attitude combined with a hypnotic beat. "Time for Reality" is a frank conversation between her and another person. Is it a boyfriend? Is it a friend? Flora sings about being tired of someone's complaining nature and their general lack of enthusiasm for life. Whoever it is, she's letting them have it! ‘It's time to step things up' is Flora's call to arms, imploring the listener to face their demons and deal with their past problems. In her lyrics, Flora uses real life experiences to tell a story with each song she creates. Much like ‘Time', her "Dulce Melodia" LP [Deluxe Edition] is loaded with personal struggles, journeys of self-discovery, and testimonies of triumph over love and life. Check out some of her other amazing tunes in this deluxe edition such as "Let the Sunshine Out," "Overcome," and more!

CAT# MSM1014 | RELEASE DATE: 21 JUNE 2011
1. Deluxe Vocal (5:16)
2. Deluxe Instrumental (5:03)
3. Flora’s Congera Vocal (5:15)
4. Flora’s Beat Vocal (5:06)
5. TV Track (5:06)
6. Demo Version (5:04)
7. Reality Beats (2:03)

HARMONIZE AVAILABLE NOW! Click here for details...

2011-06-14T09:00:00.004-04:00

FRESH SOL VS. MIXTAPE SESSIONS - HARMONIZE
COMING TUESDAY 14 JUNE 2011
(J. Gonzalez, A. Cruz)

Written by Jose Gonzalez and Adam Cruz.
Jose Gonzalez Original 2008 Mix is produced by Jose Gonzalez for FRESH SOL MUSIC.
Adam Cruz Mixtape Sessions Mix is produced by Adam Cruz for Mixtape Sessions.
Vocals by Jose Gonzalez, Adam Cruz and Flora Cruz.
Mastered by Adam Cruz at EbbnFlow Studios, Bloomfield, NJ.

DESCRIPTION: PERFECT JAM FOR THE HOT SUMMER SUN!

Mixtape Sessions is proud to present a dance floor scorcher with “Harmonize”, a collaborative release by Jose Gonzalez of FRESH SOL MUSIC and Mixtape Sessions’ own Adam Cruz and Flora Cruz. Together, they have recorded a fantastic new anthem for house music lovers everywhere! Combining syncopated rhythms with heart stopping bass, guitar and flute riffs, “Harmonize” implores you to have fun and dance the night away. In true house fashion, Jose orders his listener to dance to his brand of house. Adam, inspired by the triumphant feel of Jose’s version, features more vocals from Mixtape Sessions’ recording artist Flora Cruz and more synth melodies that add to his acid house groove. With over a decade of graphic design, web design, and producing experience, Jose and Adam both are leaders in dance music and are often called to design, produce, edit or consult for such legendary pioneers as Blaze, Grammy award winner Louie Vega, Kenny Dope Gonzalez, Traxsource.com and West End Records!

Published by Fresh Sol (ASCAP) and Mixtape Sessions Music (ASCAP).
Executive Producers: Adam Cruz and Jose Gonzalez.
©2011 Mixtape Sessions Music, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Distributed by The Cruz Music Group, a Division of Mixtape Sessions Music, LLC.

CAT# MSM1013 | RELEASE DATE: 14 JUNE 2011
1. Adam Cruz Mixtape Sessions Mix (5:54) 2. Jose Gonzalez Original 2008 Mix (4:48)

Released by: Mixtape Sessions
Release/catalogue number: MSM1013
Release date: Jun 14, 2011
ISRC: US-LGY-11-00179

In honor of our upcoming 'Harmonize' release, check out some of our new gear!

2011-06-06T15:02:00.000-04:00

Mixtape Sessions Takes Miami 2011

2011-02-17T22:52:00.006-05:00

MIXTAPE SESSIONS TAKES MIAMI 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
9PM - 5AM // FREE

The Chesterfield Hotel Lobby
855 Collins Avenue
South Beach

with special guests:

Flora Cruz
(Mixtape Sessions)

Mickey Blanco
(soulfulbeats UK)

Lars Behrenroth
(Deeper Shades of House)

Powdersoul
(soulfulbeats UK)

Glenn Thornton
(Slaag Records)

Eddie Nicholas
(Slaag Records)

Adam Cruz
(Mixtape Sessions)

AND MORE!

So I'm still an insecure student inside

2011-02-09T15:38:00.005-05:00

From a recent journal entry:

I attend Bloomfield College and I participate in class...often. For some reason, I still have feelings of being perceived in some negative light for my level of participation in class. I can hear myself talking and asking questions and I wonder if I'm coming across as "that annoying student who won't shut up." I honestly have lots of questions. I think it comes from....ok let's be honest. I've always been overly curious and I have always been interested....in most everything I'm intrigued by. I also think that because I didn't do my best academically in the past, I attach feelings of insecurity to it. Don't get me wrong, I always participated in class in college, even in the Rutgers days... and I didn't do THAT terribly. I didn't fail out, for example. I just feel that I took a lot of the experience for granted.

I think this time, I really want to enjoy every morsel of the experience while it's happening and I'm studying what I'm genuinely interested in - music technology. And I think I realize, probably more then the younger students, that I really have to pay for this when I'm done, so I better fuckin' get the most of it considering I'm going to have to pay thousands of dollars in loans back. So I'm like fuck it. I'm going in...with all the questions... with all the talking... with all the participation....even with all the insecurities I still feel inside, I'm going in!

SNEAK PEEK! Adam Cruz - Dancer In The Dark

2011-01-10T14:11:00.013-05:00

DOWNLOAD LINK: http://www.sendspace.com/file/ywjgbd

Happy New Year to anyone reading this right now! I truly hope 2011 will turn out to be the best year of your life!

I've been working so much on so many things, but I really wanted to make 2011 a year where I share as much of it with you as possible. The newest song I've been working on, "Dancer In The Dark", is a bit personal to me for 2 reasons: 1) This song marks my singing debut. It's true that I've sung background vocals on a few records, but I never tried singing lead like this before. The inspiration to record myself in this way came from William "Reelsoul" Rodriguez. As Reelsoul, Will has produced some of my hottest house music out today. His newest hit is entitled "Spend My Life" and he features himself, singing in the lead role. As soon as I heard it, I loved it and I thought to myself, "Now here's someone who's willing to go for it." I loved his style and I loved how it made me think of other house music producers who have jumped into the singer's driver seat. Kerri Chandler's "Rain" comes to mind, as well as Blaze's "25 Years Later" album, which marked Josh Milan's singing debut. In thinking about these guys, I felt inspired and "Dancer In The Dark" came from that.

2) This is a song for the dancers out there. While this is a definite a club record, it's a confession about wanting to jump into the middle of the dancer's circle at your favorite club. There's fear and excitement there and that's where I'm coming from when I wrote it. In singing it, it felt scary and exciting, but even with its warts and all, it feels authentically me...and I'm cool with that. :)

Adam Cruz - Dancer In The Dark
Written and produced by Adam Cruz.
Vocals performed by Adam Cruz.
Published by Mixtape Sessions Music (ASCAP).
©2011 Mixtape Sessions Music, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

VERSE 1:
I used to shy away
runaway right when the time came

Let my fears get in the way
couldn't take this soul injection

But this time I've got my act together
feels so good to be free

And this time we'll make it last forever
No more fear where my heart should be

CHORUS:
Dancer make your mark
let us see you on the dance floor
cause you're a dancer in the dark
let us see you wow the people

Dancer make your mark
let us see you on the dance floor
you're a dancer in the dark
let us see you shine like before

VERSE 2:
I used to hide away
I couldn't face any rejection

I'm finally ready
hear me sing

In this place
this soul infection

I'm so glad we've got this time together
feels so good to be me

And this time we'll make it last forever
share this love in my heart you'll see

(REPEAT CHORUS)

BRIDGE:
Dancer make your mark
Twist and turn hear them remark

Dancer make your mark
Twist and turn hear them remark

(REPEAT CHORUS)

Supreme Court Lets Online Music Price Fixing Trial Proceed

2011-01-10T13:50:00.003-05:00

The United States Supreme Court has cleared the way for a lawsuit to proceed against all of the “Big Four” music labels—Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, Sony, and EMI—over conspiring to fix pricing for online music downloads at $0.70 cents a song back when the online music business was just getting started. The court’s decision is actually one of inaction: the Supreme Court has declined to review a federal appeals court decision that the case could proceed to discovery. The decision means the appeals court ruling stands, and the case can proceed to trial.

The case is Sony Music Entertainment v. Kevin Starr (No. 10-263), although Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group (in the form of Vivendi SA), and EMI are all involved. The case alleges that the record labels conspired to set a minimum price of $0.70 per song then they began selling digital music downloads through subscription services like pressplay and MusicNet. The origins of the case go back to 2005; in 2008, a federal judge threw out the lawsuit saying that the plaintiffs had not presented enough facts for the claim to be considered at the summary judgement phrase or a trial; an appeals court later reversed that decision, finding that that the plaintiffs had presented enough information to move forward with the case. The record companies then appealed to the Supreme Court, asking that the original judge’s action to throw out the case be upheld.

The case may now proceed to the discovery phase, but that doesn’t mean a settlement or trial are in the near future: lawyers must still assemble their materials and evidence, and it’s likely the record companies will fight the case tooth and nail using whatever means they have at their disposal—and the stakes could be high, since the four major record labels account for about 80 percent of U.S. music sales. The earliest industry watchers expect the case to come before a court is late 2011.

SOURCE

The "Extremely Destructive Belief" That Artists Shouldn't Be Compensated

2011-01-10T10:18:00.005-05:00

The creative process takes hours, days, even years to complete. So why does the public feel that artists shouldn't be paid for their art?

Earlier Monday morning, SoundExchange executive director John Simson officially announced his departure, but not without addressing that critical issue. Simson has been credited with growing SoundExchange from its inception, current accounting and artist payment problems notwithstanding.

But maybe that's a mess best left for the next guy. In the grand scheme, this may be the bigger fish in the pan. "I am very concerned about the apparent disrespect shown by many in our culture to those who pursue artistic endeavors," Simson wrote to colleagues. "One recent survey showed a surprising number of Americans who believe that artists should have a second job to support themselves – as they should not expect to be paid for their art! We must educate the public and eradicate these extremely destructive beliefs."

SOURCE

Who Figured Out What In 2010?

2010-12-17T12:55:00.003-05:00

Isn't that what we're all trying to do here - figure things out? Well, here are just a few puzzle pieces that the industry put together in 2010. . .

(1) Arcade Fire
This was the year that Arcade Fire (and Quest Management and Scott Rodger) scored a number one album in the US, and they did it without a major label. This has been years in the making, and Arcade has been steadily figuring out their own constellation of partners to achieve their recording, publishing, touring, marketing, and musical goals. It's a totally different type of 360, and it proved itself in 2010.

And who helped them on the digital side? Read on...

(2) Ian Rogers / Topspin
Topspin used to be at the vanguard of the label-free, DIY artist revolution. But 2010 was the year that Ian Rogers and Topspin realized that "ProTools for the Music Masses" wasn't a reasonable proposition.

And Rogers started saying it out loud, not just to his investors. "Our customers are not artists, our customers are marketers," Rogers said over the summer. "Pro Tools was the tool for professional producers and engineers first and foremost. Did a ton of artists learn how to use it? Absolutely. But they built and marketed the product for pros first. That's our approach as well."

(3) Apple
Who knew there was action between the smartphone and computer, but this was the year that Apple filled the void. The iPad was released in April, and more than 8 million units later, this looks like a bona fide hit. But can anyone figure out what this means for artists and the music industry?

(4) The Venture Capital Community
Investors have long been wary of music-related startups, and many firms pulled their cash out years ago. But this year, it really seemed to click. Simply put: VCs figured out that any startup whose success is dependent upon label or publisher licensing is a sure-fire #fail. And short-cutting through infringement isn't such a viable alternative, either.

(5) BigChampagne
A chart based solely on airplay and sales was half-baked at best. Which is why BigChampagne started pouring a lot more into the algorithm, and along the way, figured out what a more holistic ranking would look like. The Ultimate Chart is just a few months old, but already spawning imitators from Billboard, MTV Networks, and others.

(6) Corey Smith
This is the year that DIY demi-god Corey Smith figured out that doing-it-yourself has its limits. A collaborative venture with Average Joes Entertainment was inked last month, and the pair is now figuring out how to take Smith to the next level.

So, who else figured something out in 2010? What did YOU figure out this year?

SOURCE

Video of the Day: Funky Worm - Hustle (To The Music)

2010-12-07T15:11:00.005-05:00

This tune has been creaping back in my mind much like it did when it first came out in 1999. Everytime I hear this song, it reminds me of Video Music Box with VJ/DJ Ralph McDaniels. I used run home from work to turn on Video Music Box on UHF Channel 31. Ralph used to always play house music videos, especially this one. One thing is: I can't find the version Ralph used to play on the show, but this is the original promo video which is good too.

The version I used to see often, however, featured clips of "It's a Wonderful Life", an old black and white film usually shown during the holidays. "Hustle! (To The Music)" would feature the scene where George Bailey took Mary Hatch took the dance and they all begin dancing on the gymnasium floor. To play a prank, someone turn the switch on that opens the gym floor to reveal a huge swimming pool. Everyone, including George and Mary, were forced to jump in the pool. Funky Worm's video used images of this and other imagery that made the song even more likeable. If I find this version of the video, I'll blog about it.

A LITTLE ABOUT FUNKY WORM:
The Funky Worm was a British dance music studio project, assembled by a record producer, Mark Brydon. The group took its name from the hit Ohio Players song, "Funky Worm".

The group also contained saxophonist Sim Lister. Their track "Hustle! (To the Music...)" went to #1 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart in 1988. Original band founders DJs Parrot and Ping Pong (Carl Munson), were joined by the singer (now actress) Julie Stewart and were signed by WEA, before reaching #13 in the UK Singles Chart with "Hustle! (To the Music)...".[1] Two less successful tracks, "The Spell!" (1988) and "U + Me = Love" (1989) followed.[1]

In 1995, Brydon formed another successful duo, Moloko.

Cyber Monday rings up over $1 billion

2010-12-07T15:03:00.003-05:00

Market research firm Comscore has tallied up its figures for online sales for Cyber Monday—November 29, 2010, the first Monday "back at work" after Black Friday—and says it was a record-setter. Comscore says U.S. consumers spent more than $1 billion online on November 29, bringing U.S. online spending for the 2010 holiday season so far to over $13.5 billion. The overall figures represent a 13 percent increase from the same time period in 2009, and the Cyber Monday total is 16 percent higher than 2009.

"The online holiday shopping season has clearly gotten off to a very strong start, which is welcome news," said Comscore chairman Gian Fulgoni, in a statement. "At the same time, it's important to note that some of the early strength in consumer spending is almost certainly the result of retailers' heavier-than-normal promotional and discounting activity at this early point in the season."

Comscore finds that the record-setting day was driven by online buyers spending more money on average—up 12 percent compared to last year—combined with an overall 4 percent increase in the number of Cyber Monday online shoppers. The average amount spent per transaction was $60.05, up 10 percent from 2009.

Cyber Monday also appears to be an appropriate name for the online spend-fest: according to the report, nearly half (48.9 percent) the dollars spend at U.S. Web sites on November 29 originated from "work computers," although Comscore doesn't detail how it tries to figure out whether a particular computer is "at work." Nonetheless, that figure actually represents a slight decline: last year, the figure was 52.7 percent. Fulgoni speculates that the slight decline in at-work Cyber Monday shopping may be do to the increase availability of broadband at home—fewer online shoppers need to rely on high-speed broadband connections at businesses to have an acceptable online shopping experience.

SOURCE

Is Facebook Interested In Music, At All? No, They're Not. . .

2010-12-07T08:47:00.004-05:00

From a Monday morning, SF MusicTech Summit panel discussion:

Brendan Mulligan, Moderator: So there's no Facebook Music coming anytime soon?

Meredith Chin, Facebook: No.

Once upon a time, Facebook was absolutely interested in music. And, according to sources, discussing licensing possibilities with the majors and other potential partners. Facebook Music was afoot.

Well, those days are definitely no more, and now, the company is saying it out loud. At SF MusicTech on Monday, Facebook manager of Corporate Communications Meredith Chin solidly reaffirmed the company's move away from specific content categories like music. "No," Chin flatly answered to the question of whether Facebook Music would ever happen. "We're just an open platform."

So, can we now resume our regularly-scheduled, speculative program known at 'Google Music'? Facebook is just not a gorilla that wants to dance with the labels or obliterate MySpace Music, but Chin left the door wide open for outsiders. "It may seem like there are not a lot of tools, but the potential to build those tools is vast, there's a lot of possibility over the next few years," Chin noted.

So, why was RootMusic one of the only Facebook apps getting discussed at the conference? That was a head-scratcher for some attendees, though continued disinterest from investors was cited as one major reason. Meanwhile, MySpace is continuing to focus on its entertainment and music niche, another Hail Mary that Facebook - quite frankly - doesn't really give a damn about.

SOURCE

Video of the Day: Black Violin

2010-12-04T19:25:00.004-05:00

Today, I learned about this amazing duo that link classical music with hip hop music. Black Violin is an American hip hop duo from Florida comprising two classically-trained string instrumentalists. Kev Marcus plays the violin and Wil B. plays the viola. Check out their profile on Current TV.

Both members attended Dillard High School of Performing Arts. After high school Kev Marcus attended Florida International University and Wil B enrolled at Florida State University. At FIU, Kev met their manager Sam G and the three of them co-founded the production company DKNEX which stands for Di-Versatile Music. The group name "Black Violin" is derived from the influence of a famous jazz violinist, Stuff Smith; six months before Smith's death, he recorded a solo album entitled Black Violin. The duo decided to name their group after the music of the most inspiring violinist they had ever heard.

Black Violin clinched the Showtime at the Apollo 2005 Legend title. Black Violin's notoriety has risen with their performance accompanying Alicia Keys at the 2004 Billboard Awards, and by performing on the same bill with some of the industry's biggest artists. The duo also are avid producers and writers. Most recently, they made a star appearance on "Angelina Ballerina" on the PBS channel.

CHECK OUT BLACK VIOLIN ON THE WEB

Q-Tip Not In Support Of The A Tribe Called Quest Documentary?

2010-12-03T23:17:00.008-05:00

Inside scoop from The Village Voice:

So Sundance 2011, set to invade Utah in January, has announced a lineup that includes, in the documentary category, competing with such works as The Redemption of General Butt Naked, Page One: A year inside the New York Times, and BEING ELMO: A Puppeteer's Journey (ooooh), a long-rumored film titled Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, directed by one Michael Rapaport, because of course it is. A rough trailer leaked online a few days ago and was promptly pulled down; people seem genuinely excited about it. Not among those excited about it is Q-Tip, of A Tribe Called Quest.

As is Q-Tip's recent wont, he's expressed this sentiment -- nearly verbatim, as you can see -- only via Twitter so far, though we will reach out to him for elaboration. For now all he offers is vague talk regarding "the few requests" the group has made regarding the film -- "Don't mention The Love Movement," maybe. More on this later, via Twitter or some other viral means, I'm sure, but let's hope Tip and Rapaport can reconcile, so this flick can head to Utah with all hands on deck and kick Elmo's ass.

SOURCE

LimeWire, After Lengthy Battle, to Shut Down Dec. 31

2010-12-03T23:05:00.002-05:00

LimeWire, the popular music file-sharing service that ran afoul of the music industry, has reached its end. The company said on Friday that it would be shutting down by the end of the year and closing its sole office in New York.

“As a result of our current legal situation, we have no choice but to wind down LimeWire Store operations,” LimeWire said in a statement. “Despite our dedication and efforts, Dec. 31, 2010, will mark the day when LimeWire Store shuts its virtual doors.”

LimeWire began as a peer-to-peer file-sharing service similar to Grokster or the first version of Napster, which allowed users to trade unauthorized music files online. (Napster is now the name of a legal streaming and downloading service.)

After being sued by the major record companies in 2006, LimeWire developed a subscription service that sold music licensed from independent labels only. The company had said recently that it was trying to create yet another paid service that would satisfy the major music labels.

But LimeWire’s endgame began in May when Judge Kimba M. Wood of Federal District Court in Manhattan ruled that the company was liable for copyright infringement, and could be forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

In October, Judge Wood ordered LimeWire to disable any “searching, downloading, uploading, file trading and/or file distribution functionality,” which effectively shut down its original peer-to-peer service, but the subscription service — the LimeWire Store — remained in operation.

After Judge Wood’s injunction in October, LimeWire said it was still hoping to work with the major labels on a new service, but now it has abandoned those plans. A hearing for damages in the major labels’ case against LimeWire is scheduled for January.

SOURCE

The Indies Just Got 273 Grammy Nominations. But Will That Blend With Bieber?

2010-12-03T22:55:00.004-05:00

Did you happen to catch the recently-broadcast "Life & Times of Justin Bieber"? It also went by another name - the "American Music Awards," does that now ring a bell? Sure, the teenagers stuck around, but the AMAs suffered its worst ratings performance in history. There was just too much Bieber, too many stale faces, and too many reasons to reach for the remote.

Looks like the Recording Academy was paying attention. This year, over half the Grammy nominees are technically independent - though of course, groups like A2IM are eager to stretch the definition (as in, Taylor Swift counts as an indie). But groups like Mumford & Sons, Esperanza Spalding, Band of Horses, and Arcade Fire will all be featured at the ceremony next February, among many others.

Sounds refreshing, but look closer at the top nominations, and you'll see that major label priorities are still dominant. Eminem got ten nominations, while Bruno Mars followed with 7. And Justin Bieber is up for Best New Artist (he's new?) and Pop Vocal of the Year. Others are also top heavy: Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum, and Lady Gaga each received 6 nominations.

Then, the list starts to diversify a bit. Jeff Beck, B.o.B, David Frost, Philip Lawrence, and John Legend received 5 nominations each. And, Alex Da Kid, the Black Keys, Drake, Cee Lo Green, Ari Levine, Katy Perry, Rihanna, the Roots, Dirk Sobotka, and Zac Brown each grabbed 4 apiece.

This isn't an indie rant, and the Grammys aren't an indie showcase. A huge market exists for mainstream artists, and no one wants a Long Tail Awards Ceremony. But the question is whether the Grammys can keep both crowds happy, and blend Bieber with the Black Keys, Jay-Z with Zac Brown, B.o.B. with Band of Horses.

Will it make any sense, or can these crowds mix? The variety hour is about to get a serious ratings test.

The complete list of nominees is here.

-Paul Resnikoff

Video Of The Day: Inner City "Big Fun"

2010-12-02T22:43:00.005-05:00

Inner City is an American house- and techno-music group formed in Detroit in 1987. The group is composed of producer and composer Kevin Saunderson and Chicago native Paris Grey. Kevin Saunderson is renowned as one of the Belleville Three—along with Juan Atkins and Derrick May)—high school friends who later originated the Detroit Techno sound.

Inner City topped dancing charts in America and Britain 11 times, hit the UK Top 40 eight times and sold around 6 million records. The group is best known for its early dancefloor-pop music crossover tracks "Big Fun" (UK #8, US Dance #1) and "Good Life" (UK #4, US Dance #1). Other hits include "Do You Love What You Feel" (UK #16, US Dance #1) and "Whatcha Gonna Do with My Lovin'" (UK #12, US Dance #8). The music videos to these songs received significant airplay throughout the world. Later work introduced a hybrid of techno, jazz and swing beats with a more soulful sound in the vein of downtempo British groups such as Soul II Soul and Massive Attack. The group recorded three albums for Virgin/EMI Records and one single for Columbia/SME Records.

SOURCE

'Euro-hop' music invades America

2010-12-02T22:25:00.004-05:00

Blame it on the French if you must, but 2010 may well go down as the year mainstream America went not just Europop, but "Euro-hop."

Four out of Billboard's Top 20 singles this week bear the hallmarks of an unmistakable new Eurodance-meets-urban sound that is all but taking over Top 40 and urban radio.

It's a club-influenced soundtrack for teens and 20-somethings filled with sparkling synth hooks and throbbing beats more Berlin than Baltimore, yet Middle America can't get enough.

"It's absolutely unbelievable," said Paris-based DJ and producer David Guetta via phone late last month. "When I started this, I could never imagine that one day this sound would become a new format in America."

Guetta, whose collaboration with Flo Rida ("Club Can't Handle Me ") is currently No. 12 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, is arguably the leader of a new Euro-hop sound that pairs American rappers with European-style house music.

"My goal was to create a bridge between European DJ culture and American urban culture," he said. "When we did 'I Got a Feeling' [his chart-topping mega-hit with the Black Eyed Peas] and it became bigger than we ever thought, I thought it's really crazy and I never could have imagined that it was gonna be that way in America."

The Frenchman said the reason Americans are embracing Euro-style beats over more traditional R&B rhythms or hardcore rap sounds that were popular on radio just three years ago is because the fresh fusion "is the best of both worlds."

"When it comes to sound and energy, nobody can beat dance music," he said. "But when it comes to melody, nobody can beat urban music."

The formula has certainly worked for Guetta and his collaborators such as Akon recently (the two topped the charts worldwide in 2009 with "Sexy B*tch" and Guetta had another huge crossover smash with his "Memories" this year).

But Guetta is far from the only across-the-Atlantic producer pushing a European sound for Americans who seemingly can't get enough club music wrapped in a pop package.

The trend has been building for years in the United States, with everyone from Britney Spears to Madonna turning to Europe and Scandinavia for inspiration (and songs). Earlier this year, producer J.R. Rotem and Minneapolis-born rapper/singer Auburn had a minor hit with a version of German Eurodance act ATC's decade-old track "Around the World (LaLaLaLaLa)."

Today, this new urban Euro-inspired sound is bigger than ever.

Norwegian producers/songwriting duo Stargate know a thing or two about radio hits -- they penned Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" and top-selling tracks for Ne-Yo -- and lately they are turning to European hooks for inspiration.

As a result, Tor Hermansen and partner Mikkel Eriksen are officially the fall's hottest hands in music after penning Rihanna's Euro-sounding smash "Only Girl In The World" (currently in Billboard's Top 5), Katy Perry's latest "Firework" and Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa's buzzing "Black & Yellow."

"There's been a huge change in America," said Hermansen from his studio in New York last month. "When we were working with Ne-Yo and Beyonce just a few years ago, things were different. ... There's been a shift in tempo, sound and style and I guess you can say we've been a part of that, but it's also happened because the taste of the public has changed over the past two years."

According to Hermansen, younger Americans are embracing European-style music because it sounds fresh.

"Every generation needs to have their own sound," he said. "If you're a 15-year-old today you don't want to listen to the same thing that a 15-year-old listened to five years ago."

Eurodance ruled the airwaves in the 1980s and early 1990s, when acts like Germany's Snap! stormed the upper echelons of U.S. pop charts with hits such as "The Power" and "Rhythm Is A Dancer."

But teens today are more likely to prefer a fusion of Euro styles wrapped in an authentically American package.

"What we are trying to do is to combine elements from European club music with a real song, urban sounds and interesting lyrics that will hold up in America," Hermansen said.

Guetta echoed the sentiment.

"Hip-hop came from the underground and became the new pop music. The same thing is happening with dance music now, and it's actually changing hip-hop to create a new hip-hop pop sound."

And while many music fans bemoan artists such as Usher "going Europop," consumers are voting the music up via iTunes downloads and CDs sold.

For better or worse, more "Euro-hop" is almost certainly on the way.

SOURCE

Video Of The Day: Prince + Stevie Wonder Perform Superstition Live!

2010-11-29T09:00:00.006-05:00

What do you get when you combine genius with legend? EXPLOSION!

Spotify Is Actually Crushing It

2010-11-29T08:51:00.002-05:00

After reports that Spotify lost a bunch of money in 2009, Om Malik ran the numbers and estimates that Spotify will do over a hundred million dollars in revenues in 2010.

We're not surprised.

Spotify operates on a classic freemium model, where people are encouraged to pay a fee to listen to music without advertising, be able to listen to it offline and use it on mobile, etc. It's become conventional wisdom that people won't pay for music, particularly young people. But people will often pay for convenience. (We're a happy Spotify Premium customer.)

Sean Parker has famously argued that once people have all their friends and their playlists on Spotify, they have them "by the balls."

This tracks with what we know about the freemium business model. Phil Libin, the CEO of note-taking app Evernote, outlined the three things that need to be there make freemium work:

1.Get plenty of free users;
2.Have a product whose value increases over time;
3.Keep costs down.

Spotify has the number one and, more importantly, it has number two. This is the key, and this is why Parker's point matters: once you have playlists and preferences on Spotify, its value to you is much higher than when you started using it. That's why Parker says they have you by the balls.

Number three is the big issue, of course. In theory, Spotify should have it: they use an innovative semi peer-to-peer architecture that prevents them from breaking the bank on servers to stream all that music. But of course, they have to pay an outrageous amount in licensing fees to the record labels.

People wonder, Spotify has plenty of users, but can it have the revenues? We say yes.

But once it has the revenues, can it have the profits? We think ultimately that's up to the music labels.

SOURCE

Digital Music Opportunity Is Huge And Now, Says Rhapsody

2010-11-27T15:28:00.005-05:00

There's been some interesting back and forth in the last couple days about whether there's any real opportunity in digital music startups.

To get a different take, I talked to Rhapsody, one of the few longstanding survivors in the space. Although Rhapsody has never reported a profit, the company has been serving music on demand for almost a decade, and has started seeing subscriber numbers grow again (from a low point of 650,000) after being unshackled from RealNetworks in May.

Rhapsody thinks the opportunity for digital music has never been better. First, the rise of mobile music services means that more people are listening to more music in more places than ever before. And second, record companies have finally come around to the fact that the CD is dying.

The debate started with a speech from Imeem founder Dalton Caldwell at Y Combinator's Startup School event last Saturday. Imeem was one of the first companies to offer ad-supported music on demand, but it essentially went broke during the downturn and was bought and buried by MySpace in late 2009.

Caldwell's talk is sobering, and worth watching for anyone considering founding or investing in a music startup. You can't sell tools for musicians because they're broke. Apple dominates downloads, and record label advances and licensing fees will kill your margins. Ad-supported and subscription services require big quarterly payments no matter how many customers you have or how many streams you serve, which makes it way too easy to get upside down. Bootstrapping a new service by posting unlicensed content first and trying to reach licensing deals later (the YouTube method) is a sure path to litigation, which sounds kind of punk-rock cool but is actually a horrible drain of time and energy.

David Hyman, founder and CEO of subscription-music startup MOG, shot back with a guest post on TechCrunch in which he claimed that the opportunity is huge, and said that the labels are willing to reach reasonable deals with companies that have a logical business model and understand the costs going in.

Brendan Benzing, Rhapsody’s Chief Product Officer, agrees that the opportunity is real and immediate.

He contrasts today’s relatively open mobile platforms with the iPod of five years ago. Back then, record labels insisted on copy-protecting downloads, and Apple refused to license its FairPlay copy-protection technology. That created a closed system--if you wanted to buy music to play on your iPod, you had to go through iTunes.

That’s completely changed in the last two years, with Apple selling unprotected MP3s and allowing multiple subscription services--including Rhapsody, Thumbplay, MOG, and (in Europe) Spotify--onto the iPhone. Competition from Android has also helped.

He also claimed the record industry has realized that the old distribution model of selling plastic discs with music on them is dying, and that they’re desperate to find an answer. You can see it in their recent willingness to let Rhapsody and competitors lower the price for unlimited music on mobile phones from $15 to $10 per month.

But Benzing agreed that it’s still a precarious space for startups. “I’d rather be in our position than in a startup’s position entering this space today, where you have to raise money on a six-month or yearly turn just to build up to the subscriber numbers we already have.” He also said record labels are looking for music startups with new business models that grow the overall music listening pie, but aren’t interested in working with me-too services. “Taking one VC’s money to kill another company funded by VC money kills innovation.”

In the end, Benzing agrees that there will be two or three survivors in on-demand music. They’ll be the services that support the largest number of devices. Even if big players like Apple and Google get into the subscription game, they'll be prone to supporting only their own mobile platforms. That gives Rhapsody and its independent competitors a fighting chance.

SOURCE

Video of the Day: Queen Latifah - Princess of the Posse and Wrath of my Madness LIVE!

2010-11-27T14:12:00.004-05:00

I had to share this youtube video I dug up featuring Queen Latifah performing "Princess of the Posse" and "Wrath of my Madness" - love both of these tunes and love this vintage footage of the Queen. Is it me or does someone need to remind her to do another hip hop album? I'd love to hear that!

Top 3 Queen Latifah tunes are:
1) Winky's Theme
2) Princess of the Posse
3) Ladies First

Yours?

U.S. Shuts Down Web Sites in Piracy Crackdown

2010-11-27T11:13:00.003-05:00

In what appears to be the latest phase of a far-reaching federal crackdown on online piracy of music and movies, the Web addresses of a number of sites that facilitate illegal file-sharing were seized this week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a division of the Department of Homeland Security.

By Friday morning, visiting the addresses of a handful of sites that either hosted unauthorized copies of films and music or allowed users to search for them elsewhere on the Internet produced a notice that said, in part: "This domain name has been seized by ICE — Homeland Security Investigations, pursuant to a seizure warrant issued by a United States District Court."

In taking over the sites' domain names, or Web addresses, the government effectively redirected any visitors to its own takedown notice.

"ICE office of Homeland Security Investigations executed court-ordered seizure warrants against a number of domain names," said Cori W. Bassett, a spokeswoman for ICE, in a statement. "As this is an ongoing investigation, there are no additional details available at this time."

Among the domains seized were torrent-finder.com and those of three sites that specialized in music: onsmash.com, rapgodfathers.com and dajaz1.com. TorrentFreak, a news blog about BitTorrent — a file-sharing system that has tended to elude the authorities because it is decentralized — said that at least 70 other addresses had been seized, most belonging to sites related to counterfeit clothing, DVDs and other goods.

On Friday, torrent users were already discussing new sites that had popped up to serve them.

The takedown notices are similar to those that went up on nine sites in June as part of an initiative against Internet counterfeiting and piracy that the agency called Operation in Our Sites.

In announcing that operation, John T. Morton, the assistant secretary of ICE, and representatives of the Motion Picture Association of America called it a long-term effort against online piracy, and said that suspected criminals would be pursued anywhere in the world. "American business is under assault from counterfeiters and pirates every day, seven days a week," Mr. Morton said. "Criminals are stealing American ideas and products and distributing them over the Internet."

Ms. Bassett would not comment on whether the latest raids were part of Operation in Our Sites, and a spokesman for the Recording Industry Association of America, which represents the major recording labels, declined to answer questions.

The new seizures also come as a new bill, the Combating Online Infringements and Counterfeits Act, is making its way through Congress. The bill, which was approved by a Senate committee last week, would allow the government to shut down sites that are "dedicated to infringing activities."

Critics have said the law is too broad, and could affect sites that have nothing to do with file-sharing; the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an online civil liberties group, has called it "an Internet censorship bill." Waleed A. GadElKareem, who operated Torrent Finder from Egypt, said his site was shut down on Thursday without any notice.

"My Web site does not even host any torrents or direct-link to them," Mr. GadElKareem wrote in an e-mail, adding that he only links to other sites. "I am sure something is wrong!"

He added that his server was up and running at a different address.

SOURCE

video of the day: Kraftwerk - Music Non Stop

2010-11-24T16:47:00.005-05:00

I was assigned Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express" Remastered Collection for class last week and it got me thinking about one of my all-time favorite Kraftwerk tunes, "Music Non Stop", I even had Eddie sing a little of it during "Time Marches On" (peep my "Life and Times" LP for details). Check out this live video from their legendary Minimum Maximum Tour.

A LITTLE ABOUT KRAFTWERK:
German for power plant or power station, Kraftwerk is an electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider-Esleben in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008. The signature Kraftwerk sound combines driving, repetitive rhythms with catchy melodies, mainly following a Western classical style of harmony, with a minimalistic and strictly electronic instrumentation. The group's simplified lyrics are at times sung through a vocoder or generated by computer-speech software. Kraftwerk were one of the first groups to popularize electronic music. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Kraftwerk's distinctive sound was revolutionary, and has had a lasting effect across many genres of modern music.

SOURCE

Want Serious Success? Then Start Losing Everything, Right Now...

2010-11-24T16:45:00.002-05:00

What will we be laughing at five years from now? The notion that somehow, direct-to-fan connectivity means that fans will care or connect. That somehow, just having a straight fan connection is more important than writing incredible music, or that millions of other artists aren't getting the same exact memo.

The idea that skipping a label and giving $50 to TuneCore iswhat makes a career. Not even Corey Smith believes that. Do you?

The numbers are telling a completely different story, over and over again. So which is better, a fairy tale or a realistic assessment of the terrain? "I feel like there are a lot of people in my position frankly - in the software space - who just said 'yeah, you're going to make it,' and it's definitely statistically untrue," Rogers recently told an artist audience in Santa Barbara.

How untrue? Rogers himself revealed a stat showing that less than 30,000 artists are actually making a living. Soon thereafter, the UK-based Musicians' Union revealed that 87 percent of its members are making less than $25,000 a year. Earlier this year, Tom Silverman found that about a dozen DIY artists (if that) were selling north of 10,000 albums.

If you're a hobbyist, then enjoy the considerable fruits that come from musical composition, performance, and direct distribution. Music is one of the greatest pleasures in life, whether performing, listening, mashing-up, or discussing. But pretending to pursue a professional career - while actually living the life of a hobbyist - is a tragedy.

So if your statistical chances of making it are close to zero, what's the better approach? It's not a romantic, DIY, Long Tail-inspired game plan. It's slogging it out on the road for 200-plus dates a year, sleeping in the van, getting your stuff stolen, finding it again, getting ripped off by the club owner a day later, fighting with your bandmates.

It's sitting in a room for hours writing incredible music. And recording, performing and perfecting that music every day. Even on Thanksgiving.

It's saying goodbye to comfy nights on the couch with your girlfriend, a round of beers with your buddies, or two-week vacations. And the same thing goes for the team, which needs to be equally committed to sacrifice and total success.

Why not just get a real job? It's also explaining to everyone - including your family - why you're barely surviving, why your art takes precedence over everything else in your life. And this is not a modern-day reality: artists have struggled for centuries to make ends meet. The numbers have always been stacked against musicians, internet or not.

And then, when all of those sacrifices are made, when you cut out all the comforts you think you're entitled to... then what? You get a lottery ticket, to possibly become self-sustaining and even wildly successful.

And if your number comes up, what happens then? If you actually get substantial traction, if you can fill 200 rooms a year, then you're now ready to work some more - a lot more. To expand the base, structure partnerships with professionals, distribution partners, management agencies, and even labels. Because even total control needs to be sacrificed at some point.

Thoughts by Paul Resnikoff, Publisher. Written while listening to Mozart, Sepultura, Daft Punk, Icepick, and Hatebreed.

SOURCE

What's the best music business model? You might be playing it everyday!

2010-11-21T15:52:00.003-05:00

Have you bought a video game recently? Have you ever made an in-game purchase? Do you consider pre-roll, banner or in-game advertising acceptable? Do you think buying video games online or on a mobile device is normal? Has the video game industry turned social networking into a revenue generator through multiplayer gaming?

Every day, I’m meeting people who could answer “yes” to all these questions - which raised a very important question in my own mind: if we replace the word “game” with “music,” why aren’t these answers still “yes?”

The music industry has a lot to learn from the video game industry. We’ve finally gotten past the “save the CD” era, but the music industry is still lagging when it comes to proactively developing new business models. Just as the video game industry has continually adapted and reinvented itself in the last few decades – arcades to consoles to mobile to online to apps to ad-supported and so on – the music industry must learn to quickly spot new consumer trends and behaviors, and then adapt the technology and business models to turn those trends into new revenue streams.

When discussing business models today, there are several critical consumer trends that should not be overlooked by the music industry:

Consumers like to be social while they are entertained. This was always true to a degree, but now even the solo-music device (the portable player) has been flipped to become the most social device (thank you, iPhone apps).

Consumers expect to personalize everything. We always saw it in mix tapes and remixes, but that was the domain of hardcore music lovers. Now, personalization is just an expected standard feature.

Consumers don’t simply want to socialize, they want to compete. Socializing isn’t simply about talking to each other and sharing, it’s about showing who is king of the hill.

Our challenge as an industry to turn these trends into revenue streams, not by simply marketing music downloads but by creating new categories of products that fit how people listen, use, create, socialize, share and, yes, listen to music.

SOURCE

WHY DEAD LABELS ARE FERTILIZER FOR MUSIC STARTUPS

2010-11-21T14:38:00.003-05:00

A disproportionately high number of startups fail, but music-related startups are almost statistically guaranteed to bite the dust. And frequently, death strikes because of complications related to licensing. Sure, plenty of concepts are hair-brained - Spiralfrog, BurnLounge, and iMesh among them. But others, like Pandora, have dialed into real consumer sweet spots.

But Pandora is surviving despite ridiculous licensing rates on recordings, and its recording obligations far outweigh its publishing payouts. Still, this is an above-board company that wants to compensate artists, but is also interested in avoiding a financial hemorrhage. And despite hitting profitability late last year, the financials on Pandora will always be stressed by outrageous licensing payments to SoundExchange (which often has trouble distributing the money anyway, but that's another story).

Meanwhile, the learning for investors is loud-and-clear: stay away from any music-related startup, especially if its model is dependent on label licensing. Licensing rates are too high, and simply toxic towards innovation.

Alongside all of this, we have spectacular crashes-in-motion on the major label side. EMI is the most glaring example, but Warner Music Group is not far behind. Universal is the healthiest and biggest horse, but also gutting its interior to for a leaner run.

But fast-forward about a decade (or so), and you can see where this is going. In the nearer-term, EMI becomes a fireball, and parts are acquired on the way down. Consolidation eventually continues as other majors are forced into extreme positions. Eventually, considerable recording catalogs are bought and sold, and over the long-term, market forces start to dictate more rational prices. Important catalogs are no longer held by legacy-strapped labels, but instead, companies behaving more like asset managers.

That brings recording valuations closer to the ground, and normalizes rates. Sort of like publishing right now. Maybe this eventuality will only be experienced by our entrepreneurial kids, but so be it. The presence of more market-driven, rational arbiters of recording assets will allow more music startups to play the game - hair-brained or not. So the next-generation Pandora may have a more rational rights structure to play with, and investors will feel more confident getting back into the game.

Unfortunately, it's a long, long ways away. And way too long for any investor or responsible entrepreneur to wait. So here we are, for the short- and mid-terms anyway, dealing with licensing insanity as it stands. See you on the other side.

- Paul Resnikoff

SOURCE

VIDEO OF THE DAY: THE DARK SIDE OF OZ

2010-11-18T18:39:00.005-05:00

You probably have already heard about this urban legend, but after studying the "Dark Side of the Moon" for class recently, this legend came up again and I thought I'd search around to see if someone took the time to sync up "The Wizard Of Oz" with Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of The Moon" and viola! Here you go. Check this out. This is pretty friggin' cool considering how well it seems to sync up...coincidence? You decide!

THE TOP 11 MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY...

2010-11-18T17:43:00.002-05:00

Do you agree?

----------

(1) Lucian Grainge, CEO, Universal Music Group

Grainge is now twiddling the knobs on the largest label group in the land, one whose fate is not being twisted by covenants or Wall Street traders.

(2) Irving Azoff, Executive Chairman, Live Nation Entertainment; Chairman and CEO, Frontline Management Group.

Azoff's been a mess on Twitter, but there's no messing with his immense influence across touring, television, and other formats. Or, with his Frontline roster, for that matter. These big channels still matter, and Azoff has the muscle to keep stars shining.

(3) Google Music's CEO

Who'll wear this hat? Done right, Google has the power to totally reshape the way music is discovered, consumed, and compensated. Or, maybe we've heard that one before.

(4) Eddy Cue, VP of iTunes, Apple

Selling recordings is a tough gig, and iTunes controls almost all of the digital side. That's the reality for artists, labels, and competitors like Amazon, especially as the pie starts to shrink. Oh, and Cue also oversees the App Store.

(5) Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Chairman & CEO, Warner Music Group

This is one huge catalog, and Bronfman has the power of no. That is, no to Spotify, and no to Vevo. But he also has the power to leverage some big catches, including EMI's recorded catalog. Stay tuned.

(6) Eric Garland, CEO, BigChampagne

Garland established BigChampagne as a data authority, and now he's generating smarter charts for a new music industry. The revolution will be measured across dozens of different platforms.

(7) Paul Tollett, President, Goldenvoice

Coachella is white-hot, figuratively and literally, and one of the most important stages for bands to grace. You may also be familiar with Stagecoach, All Points West, Bumbershoot, and the New Orleans Jazz Festival.

(8) Tim Westergren, Chief Strategy Officer & Founder, Pandora

This is one pioneer who didn't catch an arrow in his back, at least one that was lethal. Now, Westergren is sitting atop the hottest online radio property, and shockingly pushing it into profitability. And potentially shaping what this format - and its royalty structure - will look like in the future.

(9) Scott Borchetta, President, Big Machine Records

Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Trisha Yearwood; this is one of the most powerful guys in Nashville.

(10) Ian Rogers, CEO, Topspin

Where the Topspin lands, nobody knows for sure, but Rogers is pushing fresh direct-to-fan paths for artists. Labels are watching, and so is this industry.

(11) The Consumer

They say when, where, and how they want to listen to your music. Oh, and they even control how much they want to pay for it. Sounds pretty powerful, maybe the most powerful of them all.

SOURCE

VIDEO OF THE DAY: JOSH MILAN FEATURING CHINAHBLAC - TILL YOU GO HOME (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

2010-11-12T10:37:00.003-05:00

Honeycomb Music is the brainchild of critically acclaimed musician and artist, Josh Milan.

Josh has written and co-produced dozens of dance music anthems, including such chart toppers as Delacey's Hideaway, Blaze's Found Love, and Barbara Tucker's Most Precious Love. Now in 2010, Josh is using his over 20 years of experience in the music business to collaborate with an array of stunningly talented musicians and vocalists. The first release is entitled Till You Go Home, featuring a jaw dropping performance by vocalist, ChinahBlac. Erykah Badu thinks Chinahblac is so elegant and sincere in her gestures and words and in a lane all her own while Music Soulchild calls her intense, aggressively soulful and funky fasho!

Take a listen to this empowering new song and if you like it, then tell a friend and a family member! - HCM

Directed by Leslie Saltus-Evans.
Camera Man: Anthony (Tone) Tucker
Make-Up Artist: Natalie Simmons
Wardrobe: Jaqueline Holland
Produced by Josh Milan
Executive Producers: Carl Dupree and Derek Jenkins

CLICK HERE TO VISIT HONEYCOMB MUSIC ONLINE

GIANT STEPS BY JOHN COLTRANE - HAD TO SHARE THIS!

2010-11-12T10:31:00.006-05:00

In one of my classes, we were asked to listen to John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" LP and provide a response. Once we started discussing this incredible album, my professor mentioned the video below and showed us. I was blown away and had to share it with you. If you're a Coltrane fan, you'll love this - genius!

VIDEO OF THE DAY: DUCE MARTINEZ AND LOUIE "LOU" GORBEA - FREEMAN 2010

2010-08-19T11:39:00.005-04:00

I love this video and had to share it. Check out a little more about Duce and Lou below:

Duce Martinez and Louie Lou Gorbea have combined their true understanding and love for house music with their impeccable production skills to bring the energy of FREEMAN 2010 through the roof! Duce and Louie Lou carefully chose and reworked this track to bring that deep feeling that got so many open at the GARAGE back in the day to the dance floor today. This track stands apart with a deep baseline, a funky guitar, and, a hint of tambourine that will get inside your head and compel you to lift your arms into the air and sing I'm a FREE MAN!

Both of these talented dj/producers are no strangers to success, Louie Lou having work on Walking On Thin Ice by ANANE, and together with Duce on Just As Long, they clearly have the winning formula. Each started off on the dance floor and since, have stepped into the DJ booth and the studio to create exactly what the dancers want and the DJ's respect! FREEMAN 2010 is the energy we knew way back when reworked into the spirit we need today!

CLICK HERE 2 LISTEN+BUY

MUSIC ROYALTY TALKS CONSIDER CELL PHONE MANDATE

2010-08-19T11:27:00.003-04:00

A long-running dispute between radio broadcasters and the recording industry over music royalties has taken an unexpected turn with a proposed settlement that threatens to drag the mobile phone industry into the ring.

The compromise under discussion by radio broadcasters, recording labels and recording artists could include a federal mandate that all new cell phones come with a built-in FM radio chip. While a deal is far from final, the prospect that the government could dictate a key design decision for such a ubiquitous consumer device has alarmed electronics manufacturers and wireless providers.

"This is two old-media industries attacking the new wireless broadband industry," said Gary Shapiro, head of the Consumers Electronics Association. "This is a battle that doesn't involve us."

Building FM radio into cell phones requires an additional antenna, which could add weight and bulk to devices prized for their sleekness, Shapiro said. It could also drain battery life more quickly, which could lead manufacturers to remove other features from their devices, he added.

"We don't think Congress should accept a back-room deal on how an iPhone should be designed," Shapiro said. "We think consumers should choose and companies should choose."

CLICK HERE 2 READ MORE

FAMED HIP HOP VINYL SHOP, FAT BEATS, CLOSES SEPT 4TH

2010-08-19T11:22:00.003-04:00

The music retail downturn has always seemed indiscriminate in its slashings, despite the unique stamps offered by indie shops. The latest case-in-point comes from Fat Beats, which is now scratching its mainline New York and Los Angeles shops according to details shared on Wednesday.

The Manhattan digs, located on Sixth, close on September 4th, while the Los Angeles shop on Melrose shutters on the 18th. This is bad for hip-hoppers and bad for vinyl, though slimmer wallets and a shift towards Mac-powered DJing appear prime culprits. "The closing of Fat Beats is just like one of my friends passing away," DJ Premier relayed. "They promoted vinyl at its highest degree for the culture of good music and that makes it more difficult to say goodbye."

The flagship New York location opened in 1994, though all is not lost. "While our website, which stocks everything available in our retail stores, continues to do very well, we're still exploring our options for alternate retail locations in the future," said Fat Beats owner and president Joe Abajian. "For now, we'll see you online at FatBeats.com."

TOMMY BOY: "80 PERCENT OF ALL MUSIC RELEASED IS JUST NOISE - HOBBYISTS..."

2010-07-13T16:20:00.003-04:00

Are most musicians today merely hobbyists? Yes, according to Thomas "Tommy Boy" Silverman, who poked another hole in digital utopianism over the weekend. "80 percent of all records released are just noise — hobbyists," Silverman told Wired. "Some companies like Tunecore are betting on the Long Tail because they get the same $10 whether you sell one copy or 10,000."

And the swiping continued. "Who uses Photobucket and Flickr? Not professional photographers — those are hobbyists, and those are the people who are using Tunecore and iTunes to clutter the music environment with crap, so that the artists who really are pretty good have more trouble breaking through than they ever did before."

Tough talk, though this is part of a longer-running debate - one that has infuriated Tunecore CEO Jeff Price in the past. Silverman has largely used Soundscan stats to prove his point, a measuring stick that Price feels is flawed and incomplete.

Part of the problem is that the album is rapidly becoming an outdated format, something that Silverman acknowledges. Still, Silverman maintains that 10,000 albums (physical+digital) represents a critical threshold out of obscurity, a level most artists rarely reach. "If you can't sell 10,000 albums in digital and physical combined, you're still relatively obscure," Silverman stated.

Of course, Silverman is quite the operator, and this interview was well-timed just before the New Music Seminar in New York - an event Silverman co-founded. As a self-appointed messiah of sorts, Silverman is also trying to lead struggling artists to the promise land with some different solutions.

That includes a totally different type of artist deal, one predicated on broader revenue sources and equal revenue-sharing - unlike hopeless recouping arrangements created by labels. "Every artist is a business, and has its own corporation under this model, and all of that artist's creative equity goes into that — not just music, but everything they do," Silverman described. "And the investors who are investing and trying to promote on the other side — they own half. So it's more like a business. An equity partnership."

SOURCE

JUST GIVE IT AWAY? PAID DOWNLOADS STILL DECLINING

2010-07-13T16:10:00.003-04:00

If "flat is the new up" these days, then paid downloads are doing okay. But for many artists, simply giving it away seems the better route.

Perhaps it depends on the perspective and position, though the numbers are showing decreased interest in paying the piper. According to Nielsen Soundscan, paid downloads slipped a modest 0.2 percent to 597 million units during the first half in the US, a possible prelude to bigger declines ahead.

Actually, some other formats were popping - so to speak - including vinyl. Wax gained 9.1 percent to 1.3 million, a meager amount by industry standards but certainly something for smaller stores and artists. Digital albums, meanwhile, gained 13.7 percent year-over-year, to 42 million.

But those are mostly sideshows, and for a recording industry in crisis, the absence of a serious revenue-gaining format is troubling. And for artists, the situation introduces a tricky decision between upfront profit and longer-term awareness.

SOURCE

MIXTAPE SESSIONS NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 21 AVAILABLE NOW!

2010-07-07T19:25:00.004-04:00

ADAM CRUZ "LIFE AND TIMES" LP - DEBUT ALBUM OUT NOW!

2010-06-15T11:35:00.006-04:00

CLICK HERE 2 LISTEN + BUY NOW
Mixtape Sessions is honored to present the Adam Cruz "Life and Times" LP. Recorded over the span of three years, Adam's debut album is an eclectic mix of jazz, dance and world music. Full of positivity and diversity, this LP feels like a breath of fresh air. "Peace of Mind" and "Humble Beginnings" set the tone for the album's creative spirit while vocalist queen AaMinah combines her melodic vocals with Adam's sultry style to bring you the beautiful "Really Love You". Eddie Nicholas steps in with his powerhouse vocals during "Time Marches On", a cover of the Jungle Wonz classic, and "Ghumbah", a latin tune about dancing to your own groove - your own ‘Ghumbah'. Adam lends his vocals during "11:11", a clever track about time repeating itself while his sister, singer Flora Cruz, sings her heart out on the album's title track, "Life and Times," a beautiful song about living the best that life has to offer. Legendary vocalist, Gerideau, brings pure magic with the politically charged anthem, "Letitflow" and the album's epilogue, "L.O.V.E." In all, the "Life and Times" LP is a timeless piece of music!

ADVANCE MENTIONS:
"...dope album!" - Jojo Flores (gotsoul/therapy)

"I love what you're doing...that 'L.O.V.E' is a pop hit in my opinion!" - Josh Milan (Blaze)

"I think the album is a wonderful piece of work. Great production and great vocals." - Dawn Tallman (Slaag Records/Queen of Gospel Energy)

"Thanks for this slammin' album!" - Mark Mendoza (Phuture Sole Recordings)

"'Really Love You' spoke to me the most as a standout. I like the concept of '11:11' - thought that was a cool bug out." - Alix Alvarez (Sole Channel Music)

"I really enjoyed this album - sounds very unique and original. We can feel musical soul from every song - great job!" - DJ Gomi (Columbia/West End)

"That bastard...he put it down in a very original way." - Glenn Thornton (Slaag Records)

"The album is just beautiful from beginning to end. All of your passion and dedication is so evident. I'm so proud of you." - Flora Cruz (Mixtape Sessions)

"This album has a fresh variety which takes u on a voyage that has a serious message to it." - Producer Yah (Messengers of House)

"I love it...lots of variety and feeling to the project!" - Mickey Blanco (soulfulbeats UK)

"There is truth in the words 'time marches on' for these are our life and times...kudos!" - Eddie Nicholas (Slaag Records/Dek Music)

"Yo man, the album is hot. Really mature sound. I like the fact that it's not all house!" - Doug Smith (95 North)

"Wow! You really did it with this - the sounds, the production, and above all, the songs." - Richard Payton (95 North)

"Words can't do justice to this album, you must hear it for yourself to understand why we love it so much." - Michael Fossati (Spirit Of House)

"Full support for this exquisite LP! Very well produced with quality artists featured." - Sammy Rock (Cyberjamz.com)

"Hot album!" - Duce Martinez (Vega Records/Duce Is Wild Productions)

CREDITS:
All songs written by Adam Cruz except "Time Marches On" and "Really Love You."
"Time Marches On" was written by Marshall Jefferson, Harry Dennis and Adam Cruz.
"Really Love You" was written by Adam Cruz and K. AaMinah Hassell.
"Really Love You" samples "Need To Be Loved" performed by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.
Used with permission from the estate of Art Blakey.

All songs produced by Adam Cruz.
Published by Mixtape Sessions Music (ASCAP) and other where indicated.
©2010 Mixtape Sessions Music, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

SHORT BIO:
Adam Cruz has been a DJ since he was 10 years old. His love of music sparked an interest in sound editing and production. Eventually, his musical passions led him to work directly with producing duo, Masters at Work, ("Little Louie" Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez) at MAW Records and later with the legendary disco label, West End Records, founded by disco pioneer, Mel Cheren (called "The Godfather of Disco"). In 2004, he became the A&R and Production Director for that illustrious label. He has signed and managed over 100 musical copyrights, associate produced a documentary film about Mel Cheren and worked with producers and artists from all over the world, including: Blaze, MAW, DJ Spinna, hip-hop pioneers Marley Marl and Red Alert, and many others.

Today, Adam Cruz is the Vice President of West End Records and also runs his own record company, Mixtape Sessions. When he's not promoting his debut Life and Times LP, Adam spends time writing and producing music of his own. As a DJ, he spins an energetic blend of Jazz, Funk, Latin, and soulful Dance music. Over the years, Adam has built a solid base of loyal listeners, broadcasting his weekly "Mixtape Sessions" radio shows live on http://mixtapesessions.com (Tuesdays 2-4pm EST) and on http://cyberjamz.com + http://axiomonline.tv (Thursdays 7-9PM EST).

VIDEO OF THE DAY: BRAND NEW FROM ANANE "PLASTIC PEOPLE"

2010-06-10T21:27:00.010-04:00

The moment I heard this song, I instantly fell in love with it. Admittedly, I had just picked up Grace Jones' "The Ultimate Collection" and had been rockin' it loud around the house, along with her new "Hurricane" album. So maybe the similarity in "Plastic People" to some of Grace's grooves drew me in. Either way, the song is brilliant. :) It talks about the phoneys of the world and how transparent their evil is. Anane proclaims "You stand there with your crocodile smile. I don't play by your rules. Do I look like a stupid girl? There's a voice that I listen to and its telling me 'you think I'm a fool!' Stand back!" Love this!

I took a listen to her brand new album "Ananesworld" and loved that too. The album is produced by Grammy Award Winner Louie Vega and co-produced by Anane herself. On both a personal and professional level, Grammy Award Winner Louie Vega is a very important person in Anane's life. Not only is Louie Vega this album's producer and a great teacher/mentor, but he's also Anane's husband. Working together they recruited a talented team of collaborators including songwriter Duane Harden (Groove Doctors and Bob Sinclar writer); Lem Springsteen (Mood II Swing); and 1992 Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Grammy award winner Lisa Fischer, who not only sang and arranged background vocals but also played an integral part in writing the tracks "Plastic People" and "Rock The Cradle."

And if it couldn't get any better, the video to "Plastic People" is brilliant also! Check it out for yourself!

PICK UP HER BRAND NEW ALBUM "ANANESWORLD"
RIGHT NOW FROM NERVOUS NYC

VIDEO OF THE DAY: BLACK COFFEE FEAT. BUCIE "SUPERMAN"

2010-04-23T15:02:00.008-04:00

NOW AVAILABLE ON JELLYBEAN SOUL
CLICK HERE 2 LISTEN+BUY
South African producer Black Coffee quickly became a major name in the House community after producing the mega hit of 2009 “Turn Me On”. Now he offers us his follow-up collaboration with vocalist Bucie on “Superman”. Already a smash in the clubs, “Superman” is being played all over the world by names like Louis Vega, Danny Krivit, Joe Claussel and many many more.

Jellybean Soul presents the debut release of Superman in the US. It has been completely digitally remastered, and the package includes the never before released Dubmental Mix.

Superman promises to be one of the biggest records of 2010- get it early!

Produced by Black Coffee
Written by NI Maphumulo and B.Nqwiliso
Published by Soulistic Music and Demor Music
Recorded by Black Coffee at Soulistic Music
Mixed by DJ Christos at Soulistic Music Studios

Mastered by Emanuel Geller @ Salz Mastering - Cologne, Germany

Executive Producer: Jellybean Benitez

LEGENDARY LIMELIGHT NIGHT CLUB TURNS INTO 'LIMELIGHT MARKETPLACE'

2010-04-23T14:40:00.007-04:00

What is perhaps Manhattan's best-known former house of worship will be reborn this spring as the Limelight Marketplace, with 35 upscale boutiques and restaurants within its lancet-windowed walls on Avenue of the Americas in Chelsea.

The marketplace, in the landmark 19th-century church that once housed the Limelight nightclub, will combine elements of holiday gift bazaars and department stores. Vendors will set up side by side in the 12,000-square-foot complex, some in tiny berths of 100 square feet, and shoppers can pay for their purchases at central checkout counters. It is the first foray into permanent retail spaces for a number of tenants, but available one-year leases will minimize the risk somewhat.

A $15 million gut renovation has made the interior much brighter than in the building's often-contentious quarter-century as a nightclub, but the space retains the mazelike feel that was a hallmark of the Limelight.

That is partly the point, said the project's developer, Jack Menashe. "We wanted that feeling of discovery, like you're finding something new and exciting around every corner," said Mr. Menashe, who said he had gone to the Limelight in the late 1980s about 10 times. "But we really don't want to be that associated with the past."

More than a century ago, the Church of the Holy Communion, whose cornerstone was laid in 1844 at West 20th Street and Sixth Avenue (long before its official name change), hardly seemed notorious. Among the parishioners at the Episcopal church, whose distinctive notched towers were designed by Richard Upjohn, also the architect of Trinity Church near Wall Street, were John Jacob Astor and Cornelius Vanderbilt.

But a century later, a dwindling congregation led the church to consolidate and in 1976, after the last Mass was said, a commune called the Lindisfarne Association took over before decamping for Colorado a few years later.

The Episcopal Church then sold the property to the Odyssey Institute, a drug-counseling organization, for $495,000, before the club mogul Peter Gatien bought it for $1.65 million in 1983. Andy Warhol hosted the Limelight's opening-night party, and soon crowds were lining up outside to get in.

As popular as it was with clubgoers, however, the Limelight was nearly as popular with the police, who occasionally padlocked its doors after complaints about drug use and dealing. The Limelight closed in 2001, and other clubs operated in the space until 2007.

In 1996, the Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation, which owns shopping centers, took a stake in the property after Mr. Gatien fell behind on his mortgage, later gaining full control after buying the building in bankruptcy court in 2001 for $3.2 million. Mr. Menashe, who has a background in retail, is leasing the space from Ashkenazy, for undisclosed terms.

While the marketplace may intentionally recall the church's heyday as a club, Mr. Menashe has made efforts to alter its look. On a recent tour of the space, as drills whined, he noted that in many places a limestone wall had been scraped of 15 layers of paint to reveal its natural surface.

Also gone is a D.J. booth that hovered over a Sixth Avenue entrance. But the building, particularly the nave, is unmistakably a church, which sits well with Jon Wye, whose six-year-old leather business will occupy a 250-square-foot space near a recently uncovered round stained-glass window.

Mr. Wye, who is based in Washington, hopes the original detail will help draw attention to his growing business, which rented a stall in December at the Bryant Park holiday market.

Though he would not disclose the cost of his one-year lease, brokers say that $150 a square foot is probably the average for Flatiron district stores without direct street frontage. Whatever the expense, though, the brief lease will allow Mr. Wye to penetrate the Manhattan market while keeping overhead low.

There are 60 spaces in all, and the building is about 90 percent leased, the developers said. Some tenants have taken more than one spot, like Brocade Home, a SoHo store, which will use nine berths on the second floor and one on the ground floor. More established brands include Le Sportsac, Baci Gelato and the bootmaker Hunter, in its first stand-alone New York store.

While there are precedents for what the Limelight Marketplace is doing, brokers say, it is an unusual retail model. Each berth is wired so vendors can set up their own cash register systems to handle sales independently. If investing in costly equipment is too daunting or if vendors lack room in their shops, they can have sales rung up at any of four central registers.

Still, said Robert K. Futterman, a retail broker in New York, historical buildings can be a tough fit for shops because of restrictions on exterior signage, something he said was hurting the shopping mall beneath the Plaza Hotel. Indeed, though Mr. Menashe had sought 13 signs for the Limelight Marketplace, the city's Landmarks Preservation Committee allowed only eight.

"But if it doesn't feel like a flea market there, I think it will work," said Mr. Futterman, who is not connected with the project.

There is concern in the neighborhood, however, that some of the nightclub's less desirable features could return. The Brooklyn pizzeria Grimaldi's plans to serve food around the clock with indoor and outdoor seating, and if it receives a beer and wine license, it could attract a rowdy late-night crowd, said Susan Finley, a director of the Flatiron Alliance, an advocacy group, who has lived on West 20th Street for three decades.

Frank Ciolli, owner of Grimaldi's, said visitors to nearby clubs "may come out hungry" and drop by, but said he would also attract Broadway theatergoers.

Though the renovations are new, some tenants are already familiar with the space. Renee Chow, the owner of Thérapie New York, is taking a 200-square-foot ground-floor space from which to sell items like imported toothpaste. Ms. Chow, who used to dance at the Limelight in her youth, said, "If somebody said then that I was someday going to have a store here, I would probably say, 'Stop right now.'"

SOURCE

Boy, but we can't forget the old Limelight though.
Here's some rare footage for ya...circa 1991

JOIN TEAM DARKCHILD

2010-04-15T21:27:00.002-04:00

Use referral code: 7463w8s

VIDEO OF THE DAY #2: PRODUCER YAH SHARIF AND THE MESSENGERS OF HOUSE - HOW NICE...THE BLISS

2010-04-08T11:55:00.006-04:00

Producer Yah is a new but already hugely prolific producer and composer. His work with recording artists, Ameria Light and Allen Won and Natasha Koss has produced some of best global soul, nujazz and world music to date! Check out the "Moving Powers" EP and the video above, a behind the scenes look at the making of "How Nice...The Bliss", forthcoming from The Messengers of House.

A LITTLE ABOUT THE MESSENGERS OF HOUSE:

From Producer Yah's new label The "MESSENGERS OF HOUSE" comes a new style and sound that he calls FORMLESS MUSIC. Formless music is music which comes completely from a empty space of self which within that music is the essence of pure awareness of self. The M.O.H goal is to uplift the spirits of all who listens. To inspire others to become aware of that deeper essence within themselves. The M.O.H represents strictly deep, soulful, abstract, jazzy music I now call (formless grooves).

- CHECK OUT THE M.O.H. ON THE WEB
- BUY MUSIC FROM THE M.O.H. ON TRAXSOURCE

VIDEO OF THE DAY #1: KELIS - ACAPELLA

2010-04-08T11:39:00.006-04:00

Check out the brand new song from Kelis, "Acapella!"

MORE ABOUT KELIS:

Flesh Tone, the new album from GRAMMY™-nominated singer-songwriter Kelis, will be released in the U.S. and Canada on July 6th and on May 17th in all other countries. Tipped as one of 2010's "Best Bets" by Billboard, the record will be her first for will.i.am Music Group/Interscope Records. Last night Kelis was joined by guest DJ will.i.am on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in a riveting performance of lead single "Acapella":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erm_MiD-70k

"Acapella," produced by David Guetta (producer of The Black Eyed Peas' smash single "I GOTTA FEELING"), is already an international No. 1 hit, having topped both the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs Chart and Music Week's Pop Club Chart in the U.K. Entertainment Weekly called the song "another tall glass of delicious…a feathery dance-floor delight," putting it on "The MustList" while People's "Hot Downloads" column noted: "Kelis brings her milkshake back with ‘Acapella,' a frenetic techno groove from her forthcoming disc, Flesh Tone." You can check out the video for "Acapella" – based on a treatment written by Kelis and lensed by co-directors Chris Cottam, Rankin and Nicole Ehrlich – at: www.iamkelis.com

In addition to recording with Guetta, several other influential producers helped Kelis realize her vision for Flesh Tone, her first album in nearly four years. Label head will.i.am, who describes her as "a best kept secret," produced one track and she also worked with Free School, Boys Noize, Burnz, DJ Ammo and Benny Benassi.

Kelis debuted in 1999 with Kaleidoscope, which featured the ubiquitous MTV/BET hit "Caught Out There." The track entered the U.K. Singles Chart at No. 4 and Kelis went on to win a BRIT award ("International Breakthrough Act"), an NME award ("Best R&B/Soul Act") and a Q award ("Best Music Video" for "Caught Out There"). Over the past 10 years, she has worked with a wide variety of artists, including The Neptunes, Andre 3000, Björk, Enrique Iglesias and Raphael Saadiq. Perhaps best-known for her GRAMMY-nominated, Top 5 smash "Milkshake" and the million-selling ringtone "Bossy," the fashion icon is also a certified chef and a recent graduate of Le Cordon Bleu.

SOURCE

CHRIS BROWN: SOMETIMES BAD PUBLICITY IS BAD PUBLICITY

2010-04-08T11:03:00.005-04:00

What happens when music collides with the paparazzi-fueled media machine? If no publicity is bad publicity, then Chris Brown is one exception worth studying. More than a year after their disastrous pre-Grammy altercation in 2009, Brown has slumped, while Rihanna has continued to elevate.

At the tail end of 2009, both released albums and tried to move on. For Rihanna, it was Rated R, released late November. Brown subsequently delivered Graffiti in early December, offering a nearly-equal starting point.

Fast-forward to the present, and the fates of these onetime lovers have diverged. Brown has experienced some action on his singles, but the broader sales picture has struggled. Graffiti sold a modest 102,489 units in the US during its first week, according to Nielsen Soundscan, and has since underachieved. As of the week ending April 4th, Graffiti has pulled sales of 299,613. By contrast, earlier albums like the self-titled Chris Brown and Exclusive achieved multi-platinum status.

By even starker comparison, Rihanna has garnered cumulative sales of 796,766 on Rated R, thanks to a stronger – and more heavily played – batch of singles. And, during its first week, Rihanna scored a career-best 181,000 (also US). Earlier albums like A Girl Like Me (2006) and Good Girl Gone Bad (2007) were similarly multi-platinum.

The Brown album was supported by singles "I Can Transform Ya" (feat. Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz), "Crawl," and "Sing Like Me," of which "I Can Transform Ya" performed the best. Brown scored some traction on his single stream, though Rihanna's "Russian Roulette," "Hard," and the chart-topping "Rude Boy" have proven more potent.

The album sales traverse both physical (CD) and digital (album download) formats, though the singles story also highlights the divergence. On the hourly iTunes chart, as tracked by BigChampagne, Rihanna's "Rude Boy" is currently 5th and rising, while "I Can Transform Ya" ranks 152nd and falling.

In fairness, these singles were delivered across different timetables, and "I Can Transform Ya" peaked at 14th in November. But the current Brown single – "Sing Like Me" – is not in the top 300 on iTunes. Tellingly, the top-ranked Brown song on iTunes is the older "Forever," which is currently floating at 129. That song, from Exclusive: Forever Edition, enjoyed a huge resurgence thanks to its use within the YouTube sensation, 'JK Wedding Entrance Dance'.

That certainly helps, though in the current situation, radio remains cautious around the controversial Brown. "Rude Boy" is currently the most-spun song in the US, as monitored by Mediabase (and reported by BigChampagne), but Brown is getting far less airplay.

In fact, Brown is now fighting back, part of a broader crusade to reverse resistance among retailers, radio, and other critical outlets. "A lot of radio stations aren't playing my records," Brown recently audio-blogged on SayNow. "It's on the fans and what you guys do in your power to bring me back."

So far, the response has been half-baked.

- Report by publisher Paul Resnikoff.

SOURCE

VIDEO OF THE DAY: BLACK COFFEE FEAT. ZAKES BATWINI "JUJU"

2010-04-07T13:06:00.007-04:00

I started to hear the name 'Black Coffee' early last year. Obviously, I'm late because this South African born artist/producer has been making some incredible for many years. I fell in love with the "Juju" as soon as I saw it (shout out to TAC for sharing). Here's a little about Black Coffee, straight from his myspacae page - hey I even do the work for you! :)

Album: Have Another One
Artist: Black Coffee
Producer/ Artist Company: Universal (SA)
Label: Soulistic Music
Previous Album: Black Coffee
Genre: Dance/Club Similar
Artists: Louis Vega, Masters At Work,Dennis Ferrer, Soul II Soul,Manoo, Rocco, DJ Christos, Oskido

Curiously, South Africa, as the Spanish island Ibiza or England’s '90s Manchester scene around club the Hacienda or Michigan’s Detroit scene, presents one of the few places in the world where genuine house music has taken root. One of its leading proponents is the reserved, studiously academic Black Coffee, whose inventive, imaginative and a boldly educated re-interpretation of classic South African music is radically at odds with the many flash-in-the-pan hit-chasers that populate the dance music genre. Black Coffee, who is one-part member of the unfashionable urban soul trio Shana, is one of three or four turntablist in the country who genuinely understands the precise function of a music deejay: he does not simply re-mix songs; he re-interprets their previously unimagined musical possibilities and therefore quietly reclaims the composition as his own.

When he debuted with his interpretation of Hugh Masekela’s rambunctious jazz hit Stimela (2005 original South African release; 2008 UK release), subsequently to be the lead single off the self-titled 12-track debut album, by re-featuring the old musician to guest vocal anew Black Coffee simply demonstrated how it was possible to re-work the South African canon music vault into club music, acceptable to both the youth and the adults, a feat not easily achievable in the instant festive hit-obsessed market that is South Africa: it requires a decidedly original-inclined, singular mind such as that of Black Coffee to be able to pursue an original music trajectory.

In the self-titled debut the emphasis was unmistakably on the soul element of the dance music, re-emphasizing the connections of dance music with its founding genre soul music. "To me, the music has to have soul; it has to move me. I quite like Baba Victor’s music for it’s such music, otherwise I’m not interested in the music," he says, during the course of press interview. The song in question is a re-interpretation of jazz bassist and producer Victor Ntoni, one of South Africa’s respected jazz musicians whose meagre output, both as an artists and a producer, is predicated on an almost puritan ethic of uncompromising quality. Like Masekela in the debut album, Ntoni honoured the young man Black Coffee with his presence in the re-interpreted Wathula Nje song off the latest album Have Another One, an obvious pun on a cup of coffee offered by a respectful waiter and the sophomore album by the artist, cue the album sleeve.

The sophomore album Have Another One has quietly gone gold (20 000 plus units sold) in South Africa after four months of release in the current difficult business environment that has tightened around both consumers and the music industry quiet severely. Have Another One has sold not least because it receives minimal, almost non-existent, airplay in South African airwaves obsessed with American R&B minor hits. The lead single off Have Another One was sizzling hit Nomhlaba featuring one of the newest female artists Siphokazi. Both Black Coffee ands Ntoni recently shot the music video for Wathula Nje in Soweto, Johannesburg. Through sheer hard work Black Coffee’s talent has not gone unnoticed. Recently he was in Miami’s Winter Music Conference where he was surprised by a number of established music deejays in US who were familiar with his music and the audiences responded with genuine excitement. His song Izizwe was receiving dance floor appreciation all round. It had been uploaded by appreciating New York City fans onto the social utility media You Tube® when the song had been playing at club Shelter, NYC, US. In addition, the France-based label Real Tone has a world-wide release deal with Black Coffee of 12-inch singles outside of UK and SA. In UK he has signed an album-deal with Kronologik Music (www.kronologik.com) where his self-titled debut album Black Coffee was recently released in April 2008.

When he returned in April 2008 from playing three UK gigs (Stratford, Birmingham & London) he was the only South African musician to be invited by the Red Bull Music Academy (www.redbullmusicacademy.co.za) to feature in their first-ever studio album concept of putting world-wide musicians for a Cape Town-based three-week period of improvisation, a project that may see the light of day later in the year. Despite that Black Coffee is now well-traveled, he still has a certain affection and respect for the South African audience. "I attended a few label gigs [at the Winter Music Conference, Miami, Flr]. I also found my songs at record shops over there. But I don’t want get too big for my shoes, though I just don’t want to be a local deejay. I want to be able to play in Soweto and then hop to overseas. It’s fine to honour overseas gigs, but one finds that one is playing to just 200 people when I could be playing to more audiences here [SA]," reckons Black Coffee.

This ability to criss-cross locale and international metropolitans is directly mirrored in Black Coffee’s educated taste which itself owes something to his academically qualified music training. He has a striking appearance with its decidedly studious look maybe owing to this academic background. He brings a worldly sophistication into his music that is, scandalously, embarrassingly missing in virtually all South African music which generally bears an unmistakable stamp of parochialism. His music, though unashamedly dance, is not primarily aimed at the dance floor, but more to the mental feet for those lonesome evenings that visit city swingers as they dash through city streets in their fabulously flashy but lonely four-wheels or simply enjoying home-bound fetes.

Visit: www.soulisticmusic.com
Visit: www.umusic.com
Visit: www.myspace.com/realblackcoffee

YES, PANDORA IS REALLY THAT BIG...

2010-04-07T12:47:00.002-04:00

A multi-platform, multi-device strategy by Pandora is definitely paying off, though the numbers are almost hard to believe. Just last month, company founder Tim Westergren told Digital Music News that Pandora accounts for 44-45 percent of total noninteractive royalty payments in the US, a number corroborated by SoundExchange.

That was complemented by some interesting stats this week. In the latest data share, Westergren counted a Pandora registered base of 50 million. Moments later, Bridge Ratings estimated that 60 million are accessing internet radio station stations every week in the US, across pure-play and terrestrial simulcast streams. Those are two entirely different data points - for example, Bridge counts a 5 minute session as 'one' - though Pandora is still playing with a very substantial piece of the pie.

Bridge called for a ramp-up to 77 million by 2015, and continued growth of terrestrial simulcasts. That means more players, but also a lot more pressure towards profitability. In 2009, Pandora scored revenues of $50 million, but paid royalties of $30 million, also according to Westergren.

SOURCE

VIDEO OF THE DAY: AN INTERVIEW WITH LITTLE LOUIE VEGA BY BEYOND CLUBBING

2010-04-05T13:39:00.004-04:00

I really enjoyed this new interview - very informative!
Special thanks to beyondclubbing.com

RESNIKOFF'S PARTING SHOT: THE WISDOM OF THE RIAA...

2010-04-05T13:13:00.003-04:00

At least the RIAA eventually walked away. Jammie Thomas, Joel Tenenbaum, and a few others aside, the crusade against John Doe file-swappers has been retired, for now-obvious reasons.

Just another chapter in a totally backward strategy? Actually, major labels have plenty of creative and enterprising executives. But only a small elite (whose names may be obvious) are tugging the RIAA puppet strings. They were the ones who kept the bloody crusade going.

But the whole charade just got too expensive, too ridiculous, too obviously ineffective. Remember, the first lawsuits started in late-2003, a period that seems positively booming compared to the present. John Doe lawsuits were costly, both in terms of billable hours (despite break-even claims) and longer-term consumer alienation. On the latter, the recording industry may never recover from the damage.

Then, why are similarly-situated groups in 2010 so eager to repeat history? Why the need to pound consumers back into the 90s, risk similar public relations disasters, questionable ISP battles, and long-term customer relations problems?

Talk to a three-strikes advocate in Europe, and one argument is that the RIAA simply employed the wrong approach. Instead of choking off the chaos at the source, the RIAA was trying to slash the tentacles. The whole exercise, according to the argument, was un-scalable and fraught with complications, and ISPs were never held liable (though in reality, unsuccessful attempts were made to get to this result).

But what happens when a 'disconnection' hits a totally innocent subscriber, or better yet, a single mother, elderly widow, or other made-for-media category? Or, even a guilty swapper, cut off from Skype, IM, or another communication channel during an emergency? Aren't these disasters just waiting to happen, with long-term results similar - or worse - than those experienced by the RIAA? And how many years until the BPI, IFPI, or any number of other groups make the same surrender the RIAA did?

But wait. In some corners, even the tired, direct-to-consumer lawsuit is still alive-and-well. Turns out the BPI is just one group, and just one piece of the offensive. Heard of ACS:Law? These legal guns have been suing individual file-swappers on behalf of their rights-holder clients, the broader industry strategy-be-damned.

Stateside, something similar is occurring. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has been diplomatically brokering with ISPs, for a variety of reasons. But those are the majors - last week, a group of independent producers started wielding a heavy enforcement hammer against BitTorrent traders. This is straight out of the manual that the RIAA wrote in 2003, chapter one, but a freshly-chaotic chapter for Hollywood.

In both cases, consumers are unlikely to make the finer-tuned distinctions. Who's suing? Who's disconnecting? And who's forging alliances? Forget about it. The far easier question is, 'where's the best place to get music, movies, games, or other media for free these days, without getting caught or slowing my computer'?

It happened to the RIAA, and it will happen to other organizations and industries determined to enforce their way towards media monetization.

Those who ignore history...

- Paul Resnikoff, Publisher.

SOURCE

ERYKAH BADU CHARGED WITH DISORDERLY CONDUCT OVER NUDE VIDEO

2010-04-05T11:30:00.006-04:00

Erykah Badu was charged with disorderly conduct over her nude video shoot for her latest single, "Window Seat," according to TMZ.com. Badu will be mailed a citation and faces up to a $500 fine.

According to the site, a Texas woman filed an indecency complaint with the Dallas Police Department; an official announcement will be made at a news conference held by the police department soon.

The video was shot in one take at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Tex., the site where John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.Once Badu gets all the way down to her curvaceous birthday suit, a gunshot rings out and her body collapses on to the sidewalk, as blue blood spills out to form the word "groupthink."

On the complaints about her decision to go naked on camera, Badu recently tweeted, "Funny thing is, the physical nudity is nothing lol. I been naked all along in my words actions and deeds. thats the real vulnerable place."

Do you think Erykah is being indecent in her new video? You decide.

SOURCE

A LITTLE POETRY FROM ME TO YOU! :)

2010-04-03T14:59:00.006-04:00

Adam Cruz "The Letter"

I can't stop staring at the beauty in your words
telling me that you can't wait for me to begin.

Your standard sentences sent to millions by now
read like poetry circling in the wind.

See I always knew I'd be getting this letter one day
but I was afraid.

You sent it once before,
but I squandered it away.

My spirit dropped like pennies to a fountain
wet from insecurity's masquerade.

But climbing the mountain of time,
it came to me in a daydream one day.

Return to academic seranades and discover life.

Knowledge is power so go ahead and take a slice.

No fuck it. TAKE THE WHOLE PIE!

ADAM'S VIDEO BLOG #1 @ USTREAM.TV/MIXTAPESESSIONS

2010-03-30T23:15:00.008-04:00

VIDEO OF THE DAY: RITA INDIANA Y LOS MISTERIOS - LA HORA DE VOLVER

2010-01-20T09:29:00.005-05:00

BAAAAANGIN! Props to Bill Blake for hipping me to Rita Indiana Y Los Misterios "La Hora De Volver". Incredible artist from the Dominican Republic! A quick search pulled up their MySpace page. I'm so glad I clicked on. Besides "La Hora De Volver", Rita Indiana y Los Misterios has some great material in their player.

Take a look for yourself, but before you click away, check out this hot video!

Click here to visit
Rita Indiana y Los Misterios on MySpace

'TOMMY BOY' SILVERMAN MAKES A CASE AGAINST DIY

2010-01-20T09:22:00.003-05:00

Can artists truly maximize their careers on their own? Initially, artists experienced the thrill of total freedom and direct fan connectivity, thanks to a raft of do-it-yourself digital tools. But the hangover happened quickly; suddenly, artists found themselves spending disproportionate amounts of time online, and not on their instruments, in studios, or within their creative zones.

Can this modern-day 'one man band' really make it? Tom Silverman, founder of Tommy Boy, is pushing the discussion - and a theme of empowerment - through his artist-focused New Music Seminars. But Silverman is also making the case for labels or other artist partners.

In a recent breakdown, Silverman estimated that 1,500 releases sold more than 10,000 units in 2008. Of that, just 227 crossed the threshold for the first time. "We looked at the 227 and identified that only 14 of them were artists doing it on their own and all the rest were on majors and indies; a little more than half were on indies," Silverman relayed in an interview with Musician Coaching.
SOURCE

KE$HA ENDS BOYLE'S 'DREAM' WITH NO. 1 DEBUT ON BILLBOARD TOP 200

2010-01-13T13:21:00.003-05:00

As expected, Ke$ha opens at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with her debut album "Animal," shifting 152,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The newcomer's set replaces Susan Boyle "I Dreamed a Dream," which drifts to No. 2 with 93,000 (down 32%) after a six-week run at the top of the heap. Young fans of Ke$ha must be delighted to see the 22-year old party-hearty girl bump the soaring sounds of the 48-year old Scottish reality TV star.

With 152,000, "Animal" actually sold better than first projected. Initially, some industry sources thought it was going to sell around 100,000 copies in its first frame. That prediction came as a result of how "Animal" sold a boatload of downloads in it first two days of release. Albums that initially sell big download numbers generally tend to trail off quicker as the week progresses. Thus, some industry projectors figured "Animal" would sell around 100,000.

As it turns out, "Animal" held up very well all week long, especially at digital download stores. It also helps that set carried an attractive developing artist list price of $9.98, and it was on sale for less than that at the big physical retailers. Additionally, both the Amazon MP3 and iTunes stores sold it for only $6.99.

In total, 76% of the album's first-week sales came from download retailers. That's the largest weekly digital percentage share for an album at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

As for the rest of the top 10 this week, Lady Gaga's "The Fame" gets bounced down one rung to No. 3 with 66,000 (down 20%) while Alicia Keys' "The Element of Freedom" (62,000; down 22%) and Mary J. Blige's "Stronger With Each Tear" (47,000; down 25%) each also drop one spot, respectively, to Nos. 4 and 5.

The "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" soundtrack climbs one position to No. 6 with 44,000 (down 13%), Taylor Swift's "Fearless" falls two spots to No. 7 (38,000; down 36%) and the Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D." holds steady at No. 8 (36,000; down 24%). Closing out the top 10 are Justin Bieber's "My World," falling three places to No. 9 (34,000; down 34%) and Lady Gaga's "The Fame Monster," down one notch to No. 10 with 31,000 (down 30%).

Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending Jan. 10) totaled 5.92 million units, down 24% compared to the sum last week (7.76 million) and down 5% compared to the comparable sales week of 2009 (week ending Jan. 11; 6.25 million).

SOURCE

VIDEO OF THE DAY: SADE - SOLDIER OF LOVE

2010-01-12T10:48:00.002-05:00

Sade - Soldier Of Love (Official Video)
by GaGa-Vision

I've lost the use of my heart
But I'm still alive
Still looking for the life
The endless pool on the other side
It's a wild wild west
I'm doing my best

I'm at the borderline of my faith,
I'm at the hinterland of my devotion
In the frontline of this battle of mine
But I'm still alive

I'm a soldier of love.
Every day and night
I'm soldier of love
All the days of my life

I've been torn up inside (oh!)
I've been left behind (oh!)
So I ride
I have the will to survive

In the wild wild west,
Trying my hardest
Doing my best
To stay alive

I am love's soldier!

I wait for the sound
(oooh oohhh)

I know that love will come (that love will come)
Turn it all around

I'm a soldier of love (soldier of love)
Every day and night

I'm a soldier of love
All the days of my life

I am lost
But I don't doubt (oh!)
So I ride
I have the will to survive

In the wild wild west,
Trying my hardest
Doing my best
To stay alive

I am love's soldier!

I wait for the sound

I know that love will come
I know that love will come
Turn it all around

I'm a soldier of love
I'm a soldier

Still waiting for love to come
Turn it all around
(4x)

I'm a soldier of love
I'm a soldier

Still waiting for love to come
Turn it all around
(3x)

Still waiting for love to come

UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP TO OFFER FREE LEGAL DOWNLOADS?

2010-01-12T10:35:00.003-05:00

Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company, has partnered with ad-sponsored digital music download service FreeAllMusic.com (www.freeallmusic.com) to offer consumers free, legal downloads from UMG's broad digital catalog of chart-topping musical artists. The announcement was made today by David Ring, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Business Affairs for UMG's eLabs, and Richard Nailling, Chief Executive Officer of FreeAllMusic.com.

Through this agreement, thousands of tracks representing many of the world's most prominent artists are being made available now in FAM's current private beta period, where users will be offered up to 20 free downloads per month, five per week, starting every New Music Tuesday. This is based on the usage patterns of a typical "hits-oriented" iTunes customer. FreeAllMusic.com is keeping with its "walk before we run" philosophy in slowly building its user and advertiser base.

FreeAllMusic.com is a new music service that provides consumers with downloadable, high-quality, iPod-compatible MP3s of popular songs that are advertiser-paid, free, legal, and unrestricted (DRM-free). In exchange for watching one brief video commercial per download on the FreeAllMusic.com site, users receive a permanent, high-quality download which they can enjoy anytime, anywhere with no further advertising or restrictions. There is no software required for the service. Users' music selections and sponsoring brands are then promoted externally through an opt-in, consumer-informed digital advertising network.

CLICK HERE 2 READ MORE

THE RECORDING INDUSTRY IN 2009, ALBUMS DOWN 12.7%, DIGITAL STILL GAINING, LPs DOING WELL

2010-01-11T16:49:00.004-05:00

Albums suffered another precipitous drop in 2009, according to the latest US-based data from Nielsen Soundscan. The group reported yearly sales of 373.9 million units, down 12.7 percent from a 2008 total of 428.4 million. The tally includes CDs, digital albums, LPs, and the increasingly-marginalized cassettes.

That represents another tough drop, though the label-partial Nielsen softened the blow by factoring in its usual bag of questionable calculations. That includes 'track equivalent albums,' as well as a separate methodology that counts every discrete transaction - download, ringtone, album sale, whatever - and invariably comes up with a gain.

But a straighter read of digital sales still revealed continued gains. For example, digital album sales gained 16.1 percent to 76.4 million, though the broader album decline negated those improvements. Separately, digital track sales gained 8.3 percent to 1.159 billion units, the second-straight post-billion year for song downloads. Still, the broader feeling is that paid downloads are entering a plateau after an explosive period of early-stage growth.

And the zinger? LPs, or vinyl albums, gained 33 percent to 2.5 million, the highest level since Nielsen started tracking in the early 90s.

SOURCE

CAST YOUR VOTE @ WESTENDRECORDS.COM

2009-12-22T15:57:00.003-05:00

SADE UNVEILS NEW 'SOLDIER' ALBUM

2009-12-18T11:27:00.004-05:00

Sade, the R&B group featuring vocalist Sade Adu, will release its first collection of new material in almost ten years, "Soldier of Love," on Feb. 8, 2010 through Epic Records. The singer/songwriter, looking as youthful as ever in a black, silk pant suit and her staple slicked-back ponytail after revealing herself to thrilled members of the media, previewed the album in New York City's Frederick P. Rose Hall at Lincoln Center last night (Dec. 14).

"Soldier" is produced by Sade along with the band's friend and longtime collaborator Mike Pela. The band's lineup remains virtually unchanged since its inception in 1983, and the songs on "Soldier" are written primarily by Adu, saxophone and guitar player Stuart Matthewman, bassist Paul Spencer Denman and keyboard player Andrew Hale.

"The Moon and the Sky" finds Adu declaring her devotion to her former lover, singing, "I pulled in all the stars and the moon/laid them on your feet till I gave you my love/you are the one that got me started/you could let me love anyone, but I only wanted you/why did you make me cry? Why didn't you come get me one last time," over choppy violins and simple drums. The title track, which was released last week as the first single, begins with a gentle wind, followed by muted trumpets. "I've lost the use of my heart, but I'm still alive/still looking for the light in the endless pool on the other side," Adu croons in her husky voice over marching band drums and smeared electric guitar riffs.

The heartfelt "Morning Bird" is packed with strings, piano strokes and tambourine clatter, as Sade questions, "How could you? You are the river/I told this life, how could you/you are the morning day, you sang me into life/everyday, fly away, you are the blood of me/the heart of my dream." She commends a man's fatherly instincts on "Baby Father" over a guitar and drums, while she shelters the love of her companion on "The Safest Place," singing, "In my heart, your love has found the safest hiding place" over a piano-based production.

"Long Hard Road" has dramatic violins and "Be That Easy" is reminiscent of a country love song with guitars and whistles. Meanwhile, Sade sounds pained on "Bring Me Home," with lyrics like, "I've cried for the lives I've lost/I feel so close but far away from God;" "In Another Time" is one of the album's highlights, with a stunning violin arrangement and saxophones; and "Skin" features a delicate drum and bass beat.

Sade's 2000 release, "Lovers Rock," sold 3.9 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Take a listen to "Soldier of Love"

SOURCE

VIDEO OF THE DAY: ARMAND VAN HELDEN & A-TRAK PRESENT DUCK SAUCE "aNYway"

2009-12-15T10:29:00.004-05:00

Armand Van Helden (born February 16, 1970 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American record producer, DJ and remixer whose biggest commercial successes came from his remixes of the 1996 Tori Amos song "Professional Widow" (released on East West Records), which reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1997, and his own track "You Don't Know Me (released on Ffrr Records)," which was Number 1 in the United Kingdom in February 1999 along with his most recent song "Bonkers" featuring Dizzee Rascal which reached Number one in the UK singles chart in 2009.

ARMAND VAN HELDEN ON MYSPACE

Check out his new video for "aNYway"

ATTN: ARTISTS!!! NOW YOU CAN DO IT YOURSELF! TUNECORE + MYSPACE MUSIC ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP

2009-12-15T10:00:00.005-05:00

MySpace Music is now allowing unaffiliated, unsigned artists to collect ad-based revenues, another non-major nod. According to details shared Monday, the payouts are being structured through TuneCore, meaning that artists must establish a TuneCore account and specify distribution on MySpace Music (or, simply add the distribution point to an existing account for an extra fee). The opportunity creates another competitive threat for digital distributors like the Orchard and IODA, and artists now have access to another do-it-yourself channel.

Most artists already have MySpace pages with songs, but according to the partners, songs must be re-uploaded through a TuneCore account to qualify for the advertising payouts. MySpace will not be paying artists directly.

The partnership offers a potentially nice revenue bump for unsigned artists, and a relatively easy solution for MySpace. But ahead of the Thursday launch, it remains difficult to gauge what artists can expect to be paid. Typical MySpace ads are low-CPM, and for smaller artists with niche or developing audiences, the payouts are likely to be paltry.

That introduces the question of whether artists will make substantially more than the TuneCore setup costs. Unfortunately, ad-based payouts are often so anemic that the question must be asked. In conversations Monday, neither MySpace nor TuneCore would offer Digital Music News any estimate of what an artist could expect to receive, or even percentage or CPM specifics.

But the TuneCore costs are easy to determine, depending on the number of songs. Starting fees are $19.98 (renewed annually) for any album, and each distribution point (iTunes, MySpace Music) requires a 99-cent, one-time fee per song.

SOURCE

OUR VERY OWN DENNIS FERRER NOMINATED FOR GRAMMY

2009-12-14T13:07:00.010-05:00

New Jersey based House music producer DENNIS FERRER has just been nominated for a Grammy for his "Dennis Ferrer Objektivity Mix" of Dido's "Don't Believe In Love" (Arista). Talking en route to a gig Ferrer said "I feel honored and lucky at the same time. Very few of us in our genre get the nod of acknowledgement when it comes to being judged in the mainstream." Adding he found out about the nomination this AM when "Carl Craig sent me a text and said "congratulations on your Grammy nomination". I texted him back saying "oh, you've got jokes now". I thought he was talking about my new record. Then he called me saying he was serious and my jaw dropped."

Asked about how he approached the Dido remix Ferrer revealed his usual determined state saying he approached it "like every other one of my records. I made it my own. I've never waivered from what I do."

This rounds out a very strong year for Dennis Ferrer a producer / DJ / label boss whose on a mission to increase the quality AND keep the spirit of house music alive. Ferrer started the year as the winner of Beatport's Best Deep House Artist of 2009, and then tore up summertime dance floors with his big piano chord laden hit single "Sinfonia Della Notte" for Strictly Rhythm.

Dennis' year is now ending the year with another hit single, this time it's the vocal driven anthem "Hey Hey" released on his own much respected OBJEKTIVITY imprint.

"Hey Hey" immediately caught on with DJs and with Mixmag UK who gave it a Top Tune review and big UK radio DJ Pete Tong helped the noise too saying the record ‘gives me goose bumps, it's quality from start to finish; it's a return to the finest virtues of house music, this is brilliant.' The single is also notable for having received one of the most rapid reactions in recent dance music history – shooting immediately to #1 on Beatport where it's still holding three weeks in something no other house track has achieved recently.

Perhaps part of the appeal here is "Hey Hey" is vocal driven and so it's appropriate that Dennis is now nominated for a Grammy for another vocal driven tune. But vocals aren't all that's appealing with "Hey Hey" it's been drawing attraction for the superb production standards – something Dennis made even clearer when he decided to reveal part of the technical process behind the tune on his myspace blog (and single press release) – Resident Advisor's reviewer commented – "even a novice like me can often hear how ridiculously sharp his productions are."

Dennis recently described the genesis of his new single to Chicago's Five Magazine saying "I was thinking about when you used to hang out with your friends back in the day and some guy would call on some girl, and most of the time she wouldn't give him the time of day. But on occasion you get that one shot where somebody would pay you some mind Then a couple of years later you go, "Damn I hate this bitch!" or "Screw this fucking guy!" [laughs] That's where the record comes from. We've all been at a certain point where you sit there and regret what you've done. "And I heard you say, I knew I should have walked away. . ."

We couldn't be happier for Dennis. Congratulations and best of luck to you!

_____________________________________
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical

Don't Believe In Love (Dennis Ferrer Objektivity Mix)
Dennis Ferrer, remixer (Dido)
[Arista]

The Girl And The Robot (Jean Elan Remix)
Jean Elan, remixer (Röyksopp)
[Astralwerks]

I Want You (Dave Aude Remix)
Dave Aude, remixer (Dean Coleman Featuring DCLA)
Track from: I Want You
[Yoshitoshi Recordings]

No You Girls (Trentemøller Remix)
Anders Trentemøller, remixer (Franz Ferdinand)
Track from: Blood: Franz Ferdinand
[Domino]

When Love Takes Over (Electro Extended Remix)
David Guetta, remixer (David Guetta Featuring Kelly Rowland)
[Astralwerks]

Check out the remix he's been nominated for!
Dido "Don't Believe in Love" (Dennis Ferrer Objektivity Mix)

ARTICLE SOURCE
FULL GRAMMY NOMINATIONS LIST HERE

ERYKAH BADU'S 'NEW AMERYKAH PART II' OUT FEBRUARY 23, 2010

2009-12-14T09:44:00.008-05:00

Erykah Badu will release her sixth studio album, "New Amerykah, Part II: Return of the Ankh," on Feb. 23, 2010 on Universal Motown. The 38-year-old Dallas, Texas, born singer says the set is called "Part II" because unlike 2008's more conscious-driven "New Amerykah Part I: 4th World War," she is "more free and full of life" this time around.

"I called it 'Part II: The Return of the Ankh' because this album is the sister of the left side of my brain -- it is the right side," Badu explained during a listening session this week at New York City's Chung King Studios. "'Part I was the left side of my thoughts -- it was more socially political and my thought process was more analytical. This time there wasn't anything to be concerned with -- the album is more emotional and flowy and talks about feelings. It reminds of the days of 'Baduizm' -- this is just about beats and rhymes in a cipher."

CLICK HERE 2 READ MORE

Check out one of my favorite videos, "Honey"

Erykah Badu - New Music - More Music Videos

DJ SPINNA GRANTS ACCESS PASS TO HIS STUDIO!

2009-12-14T09:20:00.010-05:00

DJ Spinna is one of my favorite DJ/Producer/Personalities in our soulful dance community. I've been a fan for years and have been lucky to work with Spinna on a project for West End a few years back. Love this guy to death! Click below and enjoy unprecedented access to his Studio, where all the magic happens. Check out his amazing collection of music as well...much respect! Special thanks to Bongo Rock for originally sharing this video clip on the Pee.

A LITTLE ABOUT DJ SPINNA:
DJ Spinna (born Vincent Williams, 1973) is an American hip hop music artist and producer, who, according to Allmusic.com, has "remained strictly an underground artist despite his astonishing talent." He began experimenting with turntables at age 11 and is known for combining dance music with hip hop, funk, and soul music. He has remixed artists such as De La Soul, Mary J. Blige, and Stevie Wonder. He also collaborated with Eminem on songs "Three Six Five," "Watch Deez," and "5-Star Generals," before the latter went on to superstardom.

His first group, the Jigmastas, was with the emcee Kriminul. He is also a member of Polyrhythm Addicts, an underground hip-hop supergroup composed of him, Apani B Fly MC, Mr. Complex, and Shabaam Sahdeeq. The group's album Rhyme-Related was released in 1999 on Wreck/Nervous Records and featured a song with Pharaohe Monch. Apani B Fly MC was replaced by Tiye Phoenix when the group reunited and recorded the 2007 release Break Glass, which featured the single "Reachin'", released on April 24, 2007.

He has also worked with New York-based live house-music band Tortured Soul as well as being a member of the group Domecrackers with DJ/Producer Joc Max from Kansas City, and Grap Luva, who's brother is legendary Hip-Hop producer Pete Rock.

MOST DOWNLOADED SONG OF THE DECADE?

2009-12-11T13:54:00.008-05:00

The most downloaded song of the decade, at least involving paid platforms? That would be Flo-Rida's "Low" (featuring T-Pain), which has earned 5.2 million downloads to-date. Other overachievers include Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" (4.69 million); Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" (4.61 million); Timbaland's "Apologize" (4.44 million); and Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" (4.35 million), according to Nielsen Soundscan.

SOURCE