This past weekend was my birthday, and what better way to spend it than DJing in Sin City? I flew in Friday the 15th, checked into the Palms and my boy and I decided to immediately go down to the pool to catch some sun. Unfortunately, a relaxing afternoon was ruined by DJ Skribble and a live performance by…Crazytown? At least it was a pool, I guess. Later on that evening we were snagged by promoter Dave-O who brought us to Rok bar (absolutely gorgeous) and then to our final destination of Tabu in the MGM Grand. I wish I could say I got crazy, but I had been feeling ill all week due to food poisoning so I had more Tums that night than shots. The set turned out amazing though, even got breakdancers up on the vip tables!

Saturday more of the same, Tao, sleep, Christian Audigier, sleep…Tabu…etc etc. My set that night (morning) was at Seamless, a strip club that turns into a dance afterhours at 4am. I played at 6:30, a time that would be absolute shit in Chicago, but in Vegas is pretty rock’n'roll. It’s pretty surreal to DJ to a packed dancing crowd and see naked chicks out of the corner of your eye giving lap dances.

We left Seamless at about 8am, grabbed a couple hours of sleep, checked out of the Palms and into the Hard Rock and went to Rehab to catch DJ Dan and Donald Glaude. Dave-O is Dan and Glaude’s manager so we had a sweet cabana right behind the decks. Talk about bananas - three thousand people all going bezerk to everything these two laid down. Whenever a track dropped, everyone in the pool screamed and started splashing the water around! Not so fun - the lead singer from Crazytown up in our VIP area seducing a Courtney Love look-alike (not a compliment), and a drunk chick who burned my foot with her cigarette. Minor in the grand scheme of things…all in all a fantastic birthday weekend.

Now that I’m back in town and on a semi-normal sleep schedule, I’m able to see what goodies people have left in my inbox. First up, local Chicago group Black Holes dropped off two tracks I’m geeked over. If these guys keep churning out tracks of this caliber, I think we’ll be seeing their name around a lot more often. Right up my alley with heavy peak-hour synths divided nicely with rhythmic breakdowns. Oh, bonus, they’re actually mastered nicely. Enjoy their remix of “Caked Up” as well as original track “I’m A Beast.” (”I’m A Beast” 320 obtained, link below updated).

Hollywood Holt: Caked Up (Black Holes Remix)
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Black Holes: I’m A Beast
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Mustard Pimp has delivered yet another remix of Bryan Cox’s “Let’s Go To Work.” Man this has proven to be an uber-popular track and acapella for people to screw around with. Based out of France, Mustard Pimp chops the heck out of the vox and slaps a hefty dose of grime onto the tune. Nicely done.

Bryan Cox: Let’s Go To Work (Mustard Pimp Remix)
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The Young Punx, a group I’ve always been a big fan of, is releasing a slew of new releases of their song “Fire.” When the tune first came out I was a huge fan and played the heck out of it on a weekly basis, so it’s exciting to see new interpretations of it, especially one that can be posted and passed around. Phonat’s version is not a huge deviation from the original, which I actually enjoy. Offered at 262kbps…I’ll let it slide this time

The Young Punx: Fire (Phonat Remix)
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DJ Kue is back once again, but this time he’s buddied up with FnDannyBoy to deliver a remix of one of my favorite artists, Bimbo Jones. Nice and bouncy, I’m totally in love with the crazy punchy snare in here with the right amount of reverb attached to it. Definitely a remix that’s on the lighter side, but done oh-so-well.

Bimbo Jones: I Tried (FnDannyBoy & DJ Kue Remix)
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Another goodie from Culture Prophet dropped in the other day, his version of Nightsweats’ “CU Next Tuesday” (that’s C.U.N.T. for you un-squeamish types). The track starts off right with a wicked kickdrum and distorted to hell synth. It just gets darker from there. CP delivers on the heavy without lifting for a second. Even the breakdown isn’t much of a breather with only momentary lifts of the primary elements. My kind of tune.

Nightsweats: CU Next Tuesday (Culture Prophet Remix)
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Last, but not least is DJ Phenom and DJ Mega Man’s interpretation of Rodney O & Joe Cooley’s “U Don’t Hear Me Tho.” I love that the track hints without dropping out into the full sample. Produced very well, big-room sounds and great use of panning…can’t wait to play this one out live.

Rodney O & Joe Cooley: U Don’t Hear Me Tho (DJ Phenom & DJ Mega Man HipTro Remix)
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Just got back from the ATL last night and it was an amazing trip. First up was playing the Graveyard Friday night, which wound up being a blast. Besides the awesomeness of the Sailor Jerry art show, I got to finally play with my friend Adam Darby, which made the night all the sweeter. Saturday night was a surprise set over at the MJQ Concourse, and normally I don’t like to hype my own sets…but it was killer. The atmosphere was amazing, the staff was super friendly, and every part of the set just seemed to work beautifully! I hope I get the chance to play there again. Big big thanks as always to Preston, Ryan, Jordan and the rest of the Kissatlanta.com crew!

By the way…if you ever visit Atlanta, I know it’s touristy, but go to the World of Coke. Trust me. At the end of the tour, there is a room where you can taste Coke manufactured sodas from Asia, Europe, etc. Darby and I could not get enough of Africa’s Bibo Pine Nut (pineapple) soda. Good lord, please tell me where I can buy that.

And on to the music… got a new remix from Zombie Zombie. This time it’s their twist on Dirty Little Secret’s “Elizabeth” and contains their usual sound of big synths complimented by the vox in full. If there is one thing I appreciate about Zombie Zombie is that they really try to maintain the integrity of the original song in whatever they are remixing.

Dirty Little Secret: Elizabeth (Zombie Zombie Remix)
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Also, download this little gem from The Futureheads. Dolby Anol has remixed their tune “Radio Heart” and it’s absolutely delicious. Slightly poppy and with a lighthearted tone in spite of the thick mainlines on the chorus, it’s a wonderful track perfect to brighten up a mix.

The Futureheads: Radio Heart (Dolby Anol Remix)
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Sorry for the lack of updates. I just moved a couple weeks ago, and we have no internet in our new house until the 17th, which according to Comcast was the earliest they could come out (three weeks, really?)

I hate Comcast.

I have tons of goodies that have been piling up in my inbox as I struggle to live without internet (the horror!) and I should be able to pass them along to you tomorrow (along with some anecdotes from my travels over the past couple weeks)!

Because I can’t find your contact information on your site (it’s not listed) and I’m sure you’re going to read this:

STOP TAKING ALL THE SONGS I POST AND PUTTING THEM ON YOUR SITE WITHOUT EVEN HOSTING THEM YOURSELF OR GIVING CREDIT.

Bad etiquette. At least don’t be lazy about it and put them on your own server instead of using my direct links. While I can appreciate you love the songs here, a lot of us (bloggers) work very hard to develop relationships with these artists and build a readership.

xoxo

Hey guys, I know I’ve been absent for a little bit - things have been nuts (pray you never have to rehab a condo), especially with the impending details of my label coming up…man I want to spill the beans. In any case, I promise I will be posting some music later today. In the meantime, let’s hear some of your woeful DJ tales. TimeOut Chicago, one of the publications I write for, is doing a feature on your worst gigs ever:

“Remember the time when the promoter ran off with the money, the opening DJ broke both turntables and some crazy person kept stalking you all night?

Doing a little story on worst DJ gigs ever—either on tour or in our fair Chicago—but local stories are probably better. I’d love to quote you on your worst night behind the decks—when either the promoter, the club, the crowd, the mixer, another DJ, or just all around bad mojo caught up with you. The more colorful and freaky, the better.”

Submit them in the comments below and I will forward the best ones on to TimeOut! Here is my story that will be included:

“My first gig in Mexico was at an amazing club in Cancun right on the strip - very high profile with clientele to match. Needless to say, I was thrilled and flew in a couple days early with friends to relax and take in the sights. The day of the gig I requested that we get a ride to see the Tulum ruins and the promoter provided us with two friends who would be at our disposal for the afternoon. We headed out, loving the scenery and the weather when all of a sudden, we heard sirens behind us. The Federalis pulled us over, made us all get out of the car and had the promoter unlock the trunk. It was a thinly veiled shakedown since they didn’t ask for ID from anyone and the promoter’s friend buckled under the pressure, asking for us to be let go while showing the officers the flyer with my event on it! They took one look, then asked to search through our belongings, going through our backpacks and then the car itself, emerging with a bag of drugs that obviously didn’t belong to us. I thought the promoter’s friend was about to faint. What was the price of letting us go now? One thousand dollars cash per person. Of course we didn’t have that kind of money on us, so we were driven back to the police station and guarded while the promoter negotiated with the Feds. We were eventually let go, but at a price. The officers were given $500 cash and promised half the money at the door of the club that night.”

Top that bitches!

Good lord, I got home Sunday night and I’m still going through business cards, emails and tracks people sent over to me. I have a few pics from WMC and am still waiting for the pics from EveryoneIsFamous.com to go up - there should be one of me molesting Ocelot in there.

In any case, there were some definite high points to WMC this year and some low points. Musically I was surprised, the few people that actually impressed me were, for the most part, deep house DJs. Brian Tappert, founder of Traxsource.com absolutely killed it at the garden party at the Beach Plaza Hotel, and as I mentioned in a previous post, Andre Harris provided a perfect opening set at the Large label party. Sinden was solid, though not mind-blowing, and Boys Noize were also good, but not stellar at the Scion party. Tittsworth and Dave Nada KILLED it though at the two events I caught them at. Those guys have more fun on the decks than most clubgoers do on a good night. I wish more artists wore their heart on their sleeve like that during sets.

More than anything, I had fun chatting in person with those I have only talked to online and meeting new people. Franki Chan, DJ Dan, Donald Glaude, Antoine Clamaran, Le Castlevania, Junkie XL, Reid Speed, Kill The Noise, John B, Jokers Of The Scene, CRYSTAL FUCKING WATERS (see picture below), Klever, Dave Nada, Tittsworth, Doc Martin, Ocelot, Fred Everything, Ken of East Coast Boogiemen, Johnny Love, Hatiras, MC Flipside, Jon Pegnato, Jeffrey and Richie of Blow Up DJz, Tommie Sunshine, DJ DB, Treasure Fingers, and anyone else I met but your name escapes me at the moment, thanks for extending a hello, a card, or a conversation.

As for photos, just a couple so as not to bore you (will post the Ocelot one later when it pops up online):

At the Large Party with Andre Harris’ girlfriend and friend

Tittsworth and I with Crystal Waters - undoubtedly our highlight of the week

And of course, now on to the music. There was one DJ I met who was one of the nicest, friendliest guys in Miami that week named DJ Kue. In California, but originally from Texas, Kue has been producing electro house like crazy as of late. The tunes are solidly produced and others are taking notice. He has been working on tracks with the likes of DJ Dan and Donald Glaude, and has an amazing list of tunes available on Beatport.com. We did a hard drive swap and he gave me a few bootlegs that are at once hilarious, and done so well that I couldn’t pass them up. Take a listen, and visit Kue’s myspace to give him a shout.

DJ Kue: Riding Low
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Foo Fighters: The Pretenders (DJ Kue’s 2008 WMC Boot)
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DJ Kue: The Pack
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Sinden: Red Hot Booty (Kue, Dan & Glaude Mashup)
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OMG, thanks to Kissatlanta.com for posting this hilarious clip from Funnyordie.com

Finally here in Miami and yesterday seemed a bit quiet for everyone. Although Tuesday is the official kick off day for WMC, people are still trickling in and saving themselves for other events happening later in the week. That was fine with me. I was exhausted, considering I had been up since 4:30 in the morning, and felt like I wanted to ease into the week as well.

After some sightings while walking around in the evening and having dinner (John B and his ferocious hair spotted at Ocean and 13th), we headed over to the Large label party at Sobe Live to absorb some deep house before heading on to harder things. We managed to catch Andre Harris‘ set and he wowed all of us, putting together a flawless, vocal driven set that had the early-night crowd on the dancefloor. If any of you ever visit Chicago, I HIGHLY recommend you visit his Saturday night residency at La Pomme Rouge.

After Andre, we booked it over to the URB party at Vagabond and spotted Treasure Fingers and Kill The Noise. Chatted with them for a minute, got Vimby.com to interview them for their website (the video should be up soon), and then headed inside to chat with Jeffrey and Richie of Blow Up DJz and watch Tommie Sunshine and Jesse Rose bang out their sets. The only disappointing thing about the night was not seeing more drunken escapades, although we did see a group dragging an 8 foot palm leaf behind them on Collins avenue at 3 in the morning.

Over the course of the week I’ll have a bunch of photos and tunes to put up, but for the moment, here is one WMC promo from DJ/producer Tom Sawyer (with a classic vocal sample) that’s a bit more of a big room sound but with some catchy synthwork, and on a completely unrelated note (but still in the spirit of bringing new music to everyone during WMC), a couple of new Lismore remixes for your enjoyment. They should whet your appetite for some of the other promos to come here in the next few days.

Tom Sawyer and Ricky Stone Feat. Roland Clarke: Tropical Storm
Artist agreed to original posting without consulting management.

Dragonette: Jesus Doesn’t Love Me (Lismore Remix)
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Heartsrevolution: CYOA (Lismore Remix)
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Yes yes, I know you all are probably SXSW fans over WMC, but WMC is still my domain and I will be there all freaking six days, from Tuesday to Sunday…good lord. One nice thing about going and working for several publications though is that you get an automatic in to most events. URB this year will be using Twitter to update the URB.com blog live throughout the entire week, so I will direct you guys there as my reviews start to go up.

On another *gulp* note…I have to interview Tommy Lee while I’m down in Miami. For those of you who don’t know, he has started a new group with DJ Aero and Deadmau5 called WTF which will officially debut at WMC. I want to hate it, really, but the tracks are great. However, I’m assuming those of you in the industry will want to read something with Tommy addressing his place within electronic music rather than just speaking on how great it is he’s doing something different. If you have any questions you’d like for me to ask Tommy Lee, leave them in the comments below. In the meantime, here are three debut tracks from WTF:

LISTEN TO WTF HERE

Also, following up from the other night at the JUSTICE AFTERPARTY….oh my…what an event. It was slammed at Debonair Social Club and myself and Joe Vortech got to play to a packed dancefloor that was already primed from witnessing the beast that is Justice. Here were some of the highlight tunes that got everyone in a tizzy:

Luke & Angello: Be (Toru S. 2008 Rebootleg)
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Kid Cudi: Day N Nite (Crookers Remix)
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Ghostface Killah: Charlie Brown (Yuksek Remix)
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The Kills: Cheap And Cheerful (Nite Cells Bored Robot Remix)
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After we closed the place down I headed over to Smartbar to see the Bloody Beetroots and The Glamour. Caught the tail end of the BB’s set and then went backstage with them and James Amato (music director of Smartbar and head of Potty Mouth Records) to hang and ask them a few questions. Unfortunately, the plans were thwarted, due to two groupies who were drunkenly hanging over their every word. This was the highlight of the evening:

Bobby (from BB - said in amazing thick Italian accent): Ok, now you girls have to teach us English.

Drunken girl (said while leaning over and trying to look seductive): In America, the only word you need to know…is sex.

Really? You said that? If any of you live in Chicago, that gem will be in the “Heard On The Street” section of this coming week’s TimeOut. Also, there is word that they will be coming back to Chicago again (to Smartbar) in the near future, so if you missed them this time around, have no fear.

Bloody Beetroots: Public Enemy Remix
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Goose: Everybody (Bloody Beetroots Remix)
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