A Year in Review

Well 2012 is coming to an end and I must say it has been a super busy year on the DJ front and I am blessed to be able to be this busy doing something I really love to do!

Busy busy busy...  The year started out with several company holiday parties along with the weekly gig at the Dragon Bistro.  The summer saw several corporate functions along with a wedding for some good friends of mine.  The latter half of the year saw more corporate functions, sound gigs, more holiday parties and now for the last several months a weekly gig at Unionville hot spot Jakes on Main.  Tomorrow night gonna finish the year at The Ben Wicks Pub in TO a gig I have been doing over the last several years. 

Gear and more gear...  Along with all the gigs came the purchase of some new gear.   Earlier in the year when I started the weekly gigs at the bar I purchased the Traktor S2 DJ controller.  This made for easy set-up.  It's compact size also made it great to take up to the cottage. 

Merry Xmas to me!

Late summer Native Instruments had a deal on their Maschine Groove Production Studio controller and software so I purchased it to give a go at making my own music.  Although it has been slow going I am hoping to focus a little more on it in the new year.  It is a whole lot of fun...

On boxing day I decided to give more of my hard earned money to Native by purchasing the Traktor F1 Remix deck.  This should make Djing even more fun next year with that  hardware addition. One things for sure...there will be lots of buttons to press.

The most fun DJing...  The last several months I had the opportunity to Dj weekly at Jakes on Main in Unionville.  I really enjoy this gig.  Young crowd...great staff make for a fun night every Friday.  What I like most though is that I can pretty much get away with playing anything and with that I try and mix it up every week digging up songs old and new.  Here's hoping it continues into the new year and especially the summer.  With the patio open and all the kids back from University things get pretty crazy there.

Jake on Main!

Vinyl heaven!  In September I recieved a phone call from a family friend asking me to come over to his place and pick up all his vinyl.  You can read about it here but I am hoping to get a set going and bring the turntables to a gig next year.   A night of nastalga I guess with lots of clicks, pops and maybe a few skips!

The one thing that has been great this year though is all the experience gained working with multiple genres and mixing the old and new.  Especially with the weekly gigs I've noticed a huge improvement working the Traktor software mixing pretty much everything on the fly.  At home I am usually just mixing up house music and rarely "practice" mixing top 40 or other genres.  But with the weekly gig I am all over the map...top40, retro 80s, 90s hiphop, house, dubstep...everything.  It has been a lot of fun...especially digging up old tracks and seeing the reactions from people. 

Well, it has been a super awesome year and I am hoping to continue the trend into the new year.  More gigs...more gear...and of most importantly...more great music!

Happy New Year Everyone....see you next year!

Merry Jackson Everyone!

Last night myself and the crew from "The Michael Jackson Experience" a King of Pop Production headed up to Newmarket to perform a Christmas surprise performance for a super fan of Jackson as a gift from her spouse. 

Kevin, myself, Bishop Soul & Dean.

I've seen this show many times and it doesn't matter if this MJ impersonator is performing at Casino Rama, arena shows across the country or your private house party these guys know how to put on a show! 

What makes it so special is Bishops Soul and his dancers ability to interact with any crowd, in this case a family and a few neighbors, and just make a party out of nothing! 

Of course it helps when you are playing music from a catalogue as large as MJs countless number ones all of them which make you wanna move your feet. 

Here is the set-list from last night:

Wanna Be Starting Something
Working Day & Night
Smooth Criminal
Billie Jean
Human Nature
Beat It
PYT
Thriller

If you have to step out for a few hours from personal Xmas eve festivities might as well do it hanging out with Michael Jackson!  Watching this show is always a treat and seeing the clients blown away always makes for a fun evening.

For more information on this show contact Alan Lamothe at King of Pop Productions  416-876-8936

Merry Xmas!

A Merry TSO Christmas!

Last week the wife and I did our yearly ritual of heading down to Roy Thompson Hall for a Christmas concert featuring the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.  Last year we saw the TSO perform with the Canadian Brass which was great!  This year featured narrations by Canadian comedian Colin Mochrie for two of the numbers, "Twas the Night Before Christmas' and "The Twelve Days of Christmas".  You may remember him from the show 'Who's Line is it Anyways".

What made the Twelve Days of Christmas so special though was the play they did a long with it including young children acting out each of the 12 days and a full Scottish marching band with you guessed it... 12 drummers drumming and 11 pipers piping!! Wow did that sound fill the room.

Colin Mochrie!

 

11 Pipers Piping & 12 Drummers Drumming!

 
As always carols were sang at the end including Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithfull and Joy to the World.

This concert always makes for a great evening out!  Oh and if you are looking for some good eats before the concert...may I suggest "The Stockyards."  They serve some awesome RIBS 2-3 days a week...and they go fast!

Here is the programme:

Programme:

Tyzik: A Christmas Overture
Tyzik: Gesu Bambino (with Ji Soo Choi, violin and Daniel Hass, cello) 
Newsom/Tyzik: Winter Wonderland
Arr. Tyzik: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Rag (featuring John Rudolph, xylophone)
Williams: Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas
Adam: O Holy Night
Arr. Fry: O Come O Come Emmanuel
Arr. Fry: We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Bass: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
Anderson: Sleigh Ride
Arr. Tyzik: Chanukah Suite
Hayman: The Twelve Days of Christmas
Arr. Tyzik: Holiday Sing-along

• Jeff Tyzik, conductor
• Colin Mochrie, narrator
• Etobicoke School of the Arts Chorus

Merry Christmas everyone!

Soundspin04

Finally... a new mix!  Last mix I put together was back in March.  Geez I guess life just keeps getting in the way!  Anyhow wanted to change things up a bit.  This mix has a more dark...deep tech house feel to it.  With all the EDM hitting the airwaves I wanted to give my ears a break and do something different.

This mix features some tracks I have downloaded for a while now.  The last track on the mix is by Demuir, a producer that I know and have opened for in the past.  He runs a label called Mikita Skyy (check out www.beatport.com to see all his releases).  Most of the stuff on his label is more on the Jackin`House tip but lately he has been experimenting on the Tech House side.

This track remixed by Demuir with the original created by Murr features the voice of Rosina.  The first time I heard her voice (check out `My Best Dress`) I was instantly mesmerized. Something about her voice just draws you in....haunting at times!  Anyhow she and Murr are part of a Toronto Indie band called LAL.  Have yet to check them out but let`s just say that for this mix...def saved the best for last!

Soundspin04 (Dec 2012) by Soundspin on Mixcloud

Here is the track list:

1. Tomorrow Belongs To Us - Bookashade
2. Twisted Sister - M.A.N.D.Y
3. Unkown - Saschienne
4. Deeper - Sascha Cava, Martin Dahl
5. Wonderland - Ramon Tapia
6. Wherever (Kabale Und Liebe @ Lauhaus Remix) - Alexis Cabrera
7. They Frontin' Feat Monty Luke (Original Mix) - Catz 'n Dogz
8. Night Track (M.A.N.D.Y Remix) - Sasha, James Teej
9. Machines - Mark Reeve & Dean Demmanuel
10. Move on Me (Original Mix) - Danny Serrano, Darlyn Vlys
11. Broken Down (Demuir Mix) - Murr ft Rosina

Enjoy!

The Ocarina of Time!

Back in the 1998 for whatever reason I visited my cousin's home and for the first time saw the game "Zelda - The Ocarina of Time" for the Nintendo 64. I was so impressed I went out that week to Toys R Us and purchased the N64 Entertainment system...I had to have this game! The game was unbelievable with most gamer magazines giving it a perfect score. I played it so much that my wife (GF at the time) pretty much memorized all the melodies in the game and could hum and sing along the soundtrack while working on a puzzle or reading a book...she's not much for video games...music a different story.

Symphony of the Goddesses

A few years later I found a copy of an orchestral recording of the Ocarina of Time soundtrack and to this day still have a listen. The whole Zelda score was composed by Koji Kondo a sound designer / director employed by Nintendo and who's known for not only his work on Zelda, but the Super Mario Brother series as well. Probably the most memorable melody in the game is "Zelda's Lullaby" Check it out here:

Anyhow a few months ago my wife found tickets (was a difficult task) for the showing of "Zelda - The Symphony of the Godesses" a concert dedicated to the 25 year history of the Zelda franchise held at the Sony Center for the Performing Arts. The show was completley sold out, filled with a number of fans dressed as Link or other famous characters. For the record I was wearing designer jeans and a nice dress shirt. The concert featured music from many of the different Zelda games along with footage from them played in behind the orchestra. What made it kind of neat was the footage was actually taking from parts of the game that were the most memorable...ie collecting certain items, boss kills or some of the more frustrating parts. The crowd found those most amusing.

For the most part the crowd picked it's moments to be loud and boisterous, and were polite for the majority of the showing.  Shout outs from the crowd, not normal in orchestral shows, were done tastefully and drew smiles from the conductor and members of the orchestra.  However, when the conductor Eimear Noone pulled out the "Windwalker" and used it as a baton to conduct the Windwalker movement everyone went nuts!

Anyhow...I have to say we both enjoyed ourselves. The music was beautifully played and brought back many frustrating memories playing that game.

Here was the programme:

Legend of Zelda Medley
Creation of Hyrule
Kakariko Village
Ocarina Medley
The Ocarina of Time
The Wind Waker

Intermission

Great Fairy's Fountain
Twilight Princess
A Link to the Past

Encores:
 Link's Awakening
Gerudo Valley
Majora's Mask

Such Sweet Vocals...

I have to say that I just love female vocals that kind of wrap you up in a nice cosy blanket and make you feel all warm inside.  Of course a lot can have to do with the production itself but for the most part I can listen to some of these tracks over and over again because I am just drawn to the voice.

 

If I purchased "Fumbling Towards Ectasy" by Sarah McLaughlan on vinyl I would probably have had to replace the album several times due to overuse.  I never really listened to her before that release but for some reason that album was a go to for me if I was in a chill out kind of mood.  I just loved it...lots of emotion.

 

About the same time I came across an LP called "Walking Wounded" by Everything But The Girl a duo out of the UK with Tracey Thorn on vocals.  You may know some of their more popular work on this side of the ocean in "Missing" and "Wrong" two great tracks.  The album was released in 1996 and to this day I still listen to it.  Her mellow soothing voice over some minimalist drum and bass sounds makes for an awesome combination.

 

 

The first time I heard Dido's voice in the song "Stan" by Eminem I had to find out who she was.  Sure enough she was already a star in her own making before that track came out and the lyric used in that Hip Hop song was from her single "Thank You." Once again I was drawn to that soft soothing voice.  "Don't Believe in Love" on "Safe Trip Home" another one of my favs.
  

On the electronica side of things there are several tracks that I just seem to play over and over again.  Deadmau5 and Kaskade have calloborated on several earlier projects and found a gem in a vocalist named Haley Gibby who performed "I Remember" & "Move for Me."  Haley is an electronic music vocalist and has done many collaborations with Kaskade. Check out this cool acoustic version of "I Remember" that I found on youtube:

Recently Kaskade released a track called "Room for Happiness" featuring Skylar Grey (real name Holly Brook Hafermann).  Hafermann is an American singer songwriter who co-wrote "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminen and was featured as a guest vocalist on  "Coming Home" a Hip Hop track from Diddy Dirty Money.  She has her own album called "Like Blood Like Honey" which I have to check out and looks to be releasing a new album in 2013. 

 

 

Out of all the commercial EDM crap that seems to be hitting the airwaves these days I can't get seem to get enough of these three tracks by Deadmau5/Kaskade....mostly because of the voice and the chords used to compliment them.  

 

Anyhow...if you feel like wanting to sit by a cosy fire place and drink a glass of wine and just chill then I would suggest putting a play list of some of these artists together and enjoy.
 

Who Ya Gonna Call?

Halloween is fast approaching!  Decorations...costumes...and most importantly taking candy from my daughter's stash!   Our street gets right into it usually decking out the front entrance of their home with mini scare houses.  Its great to see the enthusiasm by everyone and the reaction by the kids... well except two years ago when my daughter was petrified at one point and daddy errr... she couldn't get more candy because we cut the night short.

Anyhow, this Saturday I am going to DJ a Halloween House party.  So what better time then to post a few musical treats with the Halloween theme in mind.  Will definetly give these tracks a spin at the party.  

1. Thriller - Michael Jackson (1982)

2. Monster Mash - Bobby Boris Picket (1962)

3. Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr (1984)

4. A Nightmare on My Street - Jazz Jeff & The Fresh Prince (1988)

5. Time Warp - Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)



This is Thriller!



Special mention has to go to Mike Oldfield and the track "Tubular Bells Part 1".  I just read that this is actually the theme song from Exorcist!!??  I have to go check this out now.  I remember my dad listening to these guys...I thought it was weird when I was a kid and had no idea this song was the theme song from the most disturbing movie ever until now. 

That reminds me though...funniest parody scene has to go to James Woods in Scary Movie II in which he plays the priest and tries to exorcise the girl.  I almost pissed myself laughing watching this scene!  You can watch it on youtube below:  (carefull....explicit language)

Happy Halloween everyone!

Making Beats!

Many many moons ago a friend of mine gave me a copy of Reason (music production studio software) to try out.  I was so overwhelmed and quickly realized that I would need to dedicate waaaay too much time learning the software to be somewhat competent in creating music.  When Native Instruments, a few months ago, dropped the price of their Maschine - Groove Production Studio I started thinking...do I want to give music production another go??  Let's just say there was months of deliberation until I decided to go for it on the last weekend of the sale.  BTW little did I know it was nearly sold out everywhere!

NI's - Maschine (picture curtesy of djworx.com)

If you've never heard of Maschine you can read about it here... http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/?category=1773 But basically it is a combination of software and hardware used in the creation of mainly four on the floor dance and urban music.

Reading about Maschine and how it works and using Native Instruments Traktor DJ software as my DJ software solution it only made sense to give it a go.  The producer and DJ these days are becoming one entity so why not come up with my own remixes or songs for that matter?  Perhaps I could be the next Deadmau5 or Avicii?  Well scratch Avicii, I'm not Scandinavian but I did go to Ryerson....

Now I am not going to say that with Maschine I am not overwhelmed!  The software comes with over 6,000 samples with all sorts of snare hits, bass kicks, piano sounds, bleeps...bloops and countless other instrument sounds.  Just going through and seeing what you like is a task in itself...and that is before learning all the ins and outs of the software/hardware itself.  Luckily I found a wicked website: www.maschinetools.com  - lots of tutorial videos at a very reasonable price.

Native Instruments also just released the 1.8 upgrade to the software which adds even more sounds as well as "Massive" NI's synthesizer solution creating even more possibilities.... infinite really.  I watched some guy on youtube creating a nice deep house sound from scratch and realized you could dedicate your life fooling around with Massive.  On a side note  I really need Tasha to start teaching ME how to play piano....

Anyhow last night I wanted to play around with making a remix...instead of learning how to use the software. I looked to find an acapella online and the first one that came to mind was "Been a Long Time" by The Fog, a classic house track from the early 1990s.  Not sure why that came to mind but I love the vocal. I loaded it up into Maschine and assigned sections of the acapella on the drum pads, added some effects, drum beats, chords and a baseline and voila...a new track.  Well an idea anyhow....

"Got to Have It" arranged in Maschine

Listening to it in the car this morning put a smile on my face.  It was something that I could throw down in my next DJ gig.  If people moved and grooved to the track how cool would that be??  Instant gratification.  That would take DJing to a whole new level watching people get off on your remixes or even own productions.  Of course this concept is not new...but it wasn't until last night when playing with this software that I realized that hey I could do that!  I think...well that and it is just fun as hell.

So for now check out this track I made last night.  It is a work in progress...my first test so to speak in the world of music production / remixing.  It will probably change 50 times over until I am happy with it and move on to something new but in the meantime I can pretend it has gone platinum!





Enough writing...I am going back to Maschine and making Test 2!!

I Love House Music

Well what a summer!  I can't remember the last time being so busy... August was insane and September proved to be just as crazy.  No wonder I haven't posted a blog in long while.

Well hopefully I am back at it.   Gonna be lots to talk about in the coming months...  Lots of upcoming parties... starting a new weekly gig at Jakes on Main in Unionville, some new gear, making beats with NI's Maschine, concerts and of course a whole wack load of music to talk about. 

In the meantime I leave you with a cool little graphic I saw on a pair of sun glasses worn by DJ Murse C.  I think they make T-shirts too...

Yes I Do!

BTW...this is my 50th post!  Not so informative I know...but just wanted to kick start soundspin.ca up again after a 2 month hiatus.  Been getting lots of hits over the months and have had fun writing stuff for the blog.  So got to keep on going!

Talk soon...

DJ Marathon!

This past weekend I was asked to come into the Dragon Bistro on a Saturday afternoon a lot earlier then normal to play tunes on the patio.  Markham was holding its first annual...wait... know one seems to know...Unity Festival.  Mainstreet Unionville was closed down...food sold on the streets and bands playing at the band shelter. 

Mike at the Dragon Bistro thought it would be good to come in and play some good patio tunes and get some people into his restaraunt...or he just wanted to here some good music while he manned the bbq on the street for several hours!

Dj Booth with a View!

I was vacationing at the time at my cottage...well still am as I write this.  So after 4 days of beautiful sunny weather lake side I headed into Unionville to hang out on the patio with a full bar at my disposal, good food and of course great staff down at the Dragon.  Sounded good to me!

I started playing at 2pm and by 9:00pm...7 hours later I had played 115 songs with only three tracks played twice...by request I might add!

It was actually a bit of a challenge since it is not a dancefloor.  It's a patio where people are eating and drinking and enjoying themselves...and singing along very loud on occasion.  So what do you play?  A whole wack load of stuff I guess but let me share with you some of fav patio tunes...on a nice hot summer day and a cold beer in hand...

1. Patio Lanterns - Kim Mitchell
2. Three Little Birds - Bob Marley
3. Bobcaygeon - Tragically Hip
4. Every Morning - Sugar Ray
5. No Rain - Blind Melon
6. Wheat Kings - Tragically Hip
7. Stuck in the Middle with You - Stealers Wheel
8. Listen to the Music - Doobie Brothers
9. Cherry Bomb - John Cougar Meloncamp
10. Angel - Shaggy
11. Peace Frog - The Doors
12. Chicken Fried - Zac Brown Band.
13. I Love This Bar - Toby Keith
14. Mustang Sally - The Commitments
15. Love Me Do - The Beatles
16. The Joker - The Steve Miller Band
17. Just A Gigalo - David Lee Roth
18. All Summer Long - Kid Rock
19. Toes - Zac Brown Band
20. New Orleans is Sinking - The Tragically Hip

Everyone seemed to have so much fun so will look to do this more often come this August!!

I've Died and Gone to Vinyl Heaven!

Way way way back when I was a teenager I used to spend every last penny I made at my part time job on vinyl.  DJing in my teens was an insanely expensive hobby...especially since the returns playing at local parties and roller skating rinks gave back very little.  Even when me and my partner Marlon got a gig at Club 404 in Brampton I think we did it for free.  Kind of crazy since every record (back in the early to mid 90s) cost around $10-15!  And that was for one song!!! Kids these days are so spoiled....

Unfortunately, at the end of my high school years and into University somehow or another my vinyl disappeared.  Mostly sold by my DJ partner at the time I think...but I was not really bothered about it at all since I stopped spinning.  Sad.

About 6 years ago I met a friend of my wife she went to high school with.  One day at his home while taking a tour I stumbled across a pile of old milk crates filled with musical joy.  They were filled with classic house, hip hop and top40 tunes from the late 80s to late 90s... I drooled ever since.  

Then...out of the blue last week I received a call from him and surprisingly he asked me if I was interested in taking his vinyl.  I almost fell off my chair.  He came across a facebook picture of me and my 1.5 yr old son playing with the "DJay" app in which I captioned "gonna upgrade him to the 1200s soon..." or something to that effect.  He thought about selling them... but seeing that picture made him think that it would serve a better purpose in my hands (yes they would....)  Plus he just moved around the corner this way they are still within reach for some future jam sessions!

For a DJ like myself who has moved away from CDs and is completely digital it was like finding a gold mine.  I still have my 1200s and use them to play some house music records that I purchased after my university years b4 digital downloading became the norm.  But to go thru that collection and find many of the records that I purchased back in the day brought back so many memories!  I was giddy as I went thru each crate one by one sampling the tunes.

His one stipulation was that I could not sell the records.  Well...have no fear since they have instantly made family heirloom status to be past down from generation to generation of little Moerman DJs.  If not I will come back from the dead...collect them...and take them back upstairs to rock the heavens...

It looks like I am forever in his debt (my wife thinks I'm nuts) and I am super grateful for his generosity.   

This is going to make for some fun 'Vinyl Recycle" segments on the blog and I will also def have to play some future parties spinning the wheels of steel again :)

Another Brick in the Wall...literally

Back in November I secured two seats for Roger Waters - The Wall Live at the Rogers Center for $285.70!!  My wife thought I was nuts (she despises Floyd) and these were not even the most expensive seats....but what I was witness to on Saturday was worth double may be even triple what I paid.  For the majority of the night I was speechless...

On the way down to Toronto my buddy Sven was playing Pink Floyd's "Is There Anybody Out There?" a live recording of Pink Floyd from back in 1980 to prime us for the concert we were about to see.  The first track on the album "In The Flesh" blasted out interrupting the MC as he was introducing the band...the hair on my arms immediately stood on end as the Goosebumps appeared and a shiver went down my spine...

The Huge Set-Up!

I wonder why though?  Why am I at a Roger Waters concert in the first place? My father loved Pink Floyd.  He purchased all the LPs, and I, curious, would check out the album artwork which was always filled with weird visuals...pigs flying...men on fire shaking hands...a brick wall with some very weird cartoon characters on them.  When the wall came out I was 5.  When the movie came out I was 7.  I remember watching it.  Probably bad parenting on my dad's part.  In my late teens early 20s I appreciated them a lot more.  I remember purchasing the Division Bell at the HMV on Yonge St when I was in university and not long after seeing them in concert at the CNE to promote that album.  Even that concert was an awesome production. 

Thec concert starts with a bang!

I was more drawn to their older work with "Animals" and "The Dark Side of the Moon" but rarely listened to "The Wall."  But throughout the concert I rarely missed a lyric...singing along as if I've been listening to the album my whole life.  I turned to Sven at least two or three times and with my jaw dropped.....my only words were "wow....wtf???....wow..." He then turned to me at one point and said "you're telling me...I'm almost in tears..."  I was just in complete awe.

Man-oh-man...what a concert!!!  The beginning had more pyrotechnics then the Symphony of Fire (look that up if you don't know what I am talking about) ending with a world war II fighter plane soaring over our heads and crashing in behind a gigantic wall (the span of Rogers Center outfield) in a ball of flames.

The screen goes Red during Another Brick in the Wall Pt1.

A massive circular screen over top of the band and the wall built up on both sides served as a backdrop for a stunning visual spectacle including footage from current events around the world, animations from the movie and even footage of Roger Waters at a concert in Earl's Court in 1980 in which he sang "Mother" in a duet with himself!  When he sang the lyric "Mother should I trust the government?" the words no, fucking, way appeared on the wall resulting in a massive cheer from the crowd...well done....

The point In between "Another Brick in the Wall" and "Happiest Days of our Lives" where you hear the sound of a helicopter approaching...a huge spotlight blinded sections of the crowd...moving about looking like it was searching for someone.  The roaring sound of the engine and the blades cutting through the air was so loud I thought the stadium was going to crumble.  It totally took your attention away from the massive inflatable school master being formed to stage right which was accompanied by the Regent Park School of Music Choir to sing those famous lyrics "we don't need no...education!"

Kids from Regent Park Music School yelling at their school teacher!

Roger Waters performing Mother in a duet with his
formal self from a concert back in 1980!

A fully bricked up wall...

As the first half of the concert came to an end the wall was completely built up isolating Roger Waters from the Band behind it...a sort of metaphor for Rogers Waters himself being isolated after the death of his father in World War II by his abusive schoolmaster and overprotective mother when he was a child. The remainder of the concert the wall remained and from time to time performers would appear at the top of the wall to join in with Waters who remained by himself in front.  During "Run Like Hell" a massive pig appeared from behind the Wall and made its way overhead floating above the crowd with red eyes glaring.  The later half of the second set was filled with animations from the movie itself...pretty demented stuff...those famous walking hammers, the judge and other sickly creatures all bearing down on "pink" a character from the movie supposedly representing Waters.

Roger Waters decides to take us all out!!

Walking hammers?  What does it mean??

The concert  pretty much came to a close with Rogers chanting, and getting the crowd to do so as well, "bring down the wall" and sure enough with a loud explosion...the center portion of wall crumbled to the ground in what was probably the coolest ending to a concert I have ever witnessed. 

With the lights on the band played appeared on stage left and sang the last song of the night "Outside The Wall"  Sven asked...."hey isn't that the guitarist from SNL??" Sure did look like him...and after some quick poking around the internet it was in fact G.E. Smith...former guitarist from SNL!

Anyhow...the concert was simply awesome.  The 67 year old lead singer was on form....and I truly hope this concert makes it onto DVD since it is definitely one to remember.  Yes Mr. Rogers...just for one day... they built that "Rogers" center just for you...

My concert partner Sven...yeah buddy rock on!

At the end as I was leaving, I thought to myself...man I wish my dad were alive.  To see this with him would have been a real treat.

For some more pictures from the concert check out tmakworlds review of the concert.  His camera was a lot better then mine.  He makes the claim that this was the best concert ever...PERIOD.  I have to agree with him...

Vinyl Recycle - "Gentle Rain"

So the other day I figured I should give my Technic 1200s some luv so I opened the old vinyl record case and was browsing some of the tunes I purchased a very long time ago.   Suprisingly some of the tracks sounded like they could have been released yesterday.

Thought I would share with you some long lost gems that are definitely worth the listen too...

"Gentle Rain" playing on my Technic 1200

Back in 2003 I picked up a promo copy of Blackwatch & Greed's "Gentle Rain" with two new remixes on the Release Elements label.  Side A featured Blackwatches own "Jacked Hi Mix" which was described by Resident Advisor as "a deep atmospheric breakbeat" which features the voice of Leslie who's voice "draws you deeper...[and is] very magnetic and spelling binding..."

The voice on the track is truly mesmerizing.  It reminds me a lot of Everything But The Girl's Tracey Thorn...a topic for another day.

The Jacked Hi Mix is what made me part with $15 to purchase the vinyl way back when.  Lucky for you it is available on iTunes for $0.99.  Definitely worth the loonie.  Drop it in your itunes account and do your ears a favour by listening to this track.

Blackwatch & Greed - Gentle Rain
Label: Release Elements - ELE005
Released: 2003
Style: Progressive House / Breaks

Here it is on youtube:

Unionville Festival - Dragon Bistro

This weekend the quaint town of Unionville, nestled inside the town of Markham, held their annual street festival and as usual Mother nature did not seem to cooperate.  Friday saw record rainfalls and Saturday with a brief moment of sun quickly changed back to heavy rainfall as I got to the bar.  The weather did not seem to stop people from coming out though and the bar on the night was packed! 

Busy night!

Unfortunately the Festival seems to bring out the worst in some of the local young adults who seem to use the festival as an excuse to drink above and beyond what is reasonable.  Lucky for us at the Dragon, Mike the owner was able to keep local drunktards out sans security and the night went without any serious incidents. 

The rain subsided enough for a lot of patrons to use the patio and even though the furniture was still pretty soaked most seemed not to mind.  I brought an extra speaker and had sound outside as well as in.  I also connected to the house system so everyone had the chance to feel what I was playing.

I mixed it up starting out with some good bar/drinking tunes.  We got a makeshift dance floor going with a long set of top40 dance music and then I totally mixed it up with some hiphop, reggae and some classic 90s hits including "Informer" by Snow and Maestro Fresh Wes' "Let Your Backbone Slide".  I was having a little fun....:)

Myself with Dan & Tiffany

Here is the set-list on the night.  Special thanks to Tiffany for being my DJ equipment body guard... ;)

1 - Bright Lights Bigger City - CeeLo Green
2 - Payphone  - Maroon 5 ft. Wiz Khalifa
3 - Just The Way You Are - Bruno Mars
4 - Blow at High Dough - The Tragically Hip
5 - Hard To Handle - Black Crows
6 - Peace Frog - Doors
7 - Fly - Sugar Ray
8 - How Bizzare - Omc
9 - Praise You - Fatboy Slim
10 - Cherry Bomb - John Cougar Mellencamp
11 - It's The End Of The World As We Know It - Great Big Sea
12 - Home For A Rest - Spirit Of The West
13 - 500 Miles - Proclaimers
14 - New Orleans Is Sinking - The Tragically Hip
15 - Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses
16 - California Gurls  - Katy Perry
17 - Do You Remember - Jay Sean
18 - Give Me Everything  - Pitbull;
19 - Feel So Close  - Calvin Harris
20 - Dance Again - Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull
21 - We Found Love  - Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris
22 - Without You - David Guetta ft. Usher
23 - Sexy And I Know It  - LMFAO
24 - Give Me All Your Luvin  - Madonna
25 - Only Girl (In The World)  - Rihanna
26 - I Like How It Feels  - Enrique Iglesias ft. Pitbull
27 - Danza Kuduro - Don Omar ft. Lucenzo
28 - Shake Senora  - Pitbull ft. T-Pain
29 - Good Feeling  - Flo Rida
30 - Firework (Radio) - Katy Perry
31 - Club Can't Handle Me  - Flo Rida
32 - Dirty Talks (Single) - Wynter Gordon
33 - Memories  - David Guetta ft. Kid Cudi
34 - Call on Me - Eric Prydz
35 - One More Time - Daft Punk
36 - Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5
37 - I Got That Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
38 - Back in Time  - Pitbull
39 - I Know You Want Me - Pitbull
40 - Bon, Bon  - Pitbull
41 - Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye
42 - S & M Remix (Main) - Rihanna
43 - Mr. Saxobeat  - Alexandra Stan
44 - Rise Up - Yves Larock
45 - If We Ever Meet Again  - Timbaland ft Katy Perry
46 - Cheers - Rihanna
47 - Work Out - J. Cole
48 - Big Hoops - Nelly Furtado
49 - Young, Wild & Free  - Wiz Khalifa & Snoop Dogg
50 - Jamboree - Naughty By Nature
51 - People Everyday - arrested development
52 - No Diggity - blackstreet feat dr dre
53 - Just Can't Get Enough (Main) - The Black Eyed Peas
54 - Suavemente (Kiss Me)  - Nayer ft. Mohombi & Pitbull
55 - Suavemente - Elvis Crespo
56 - Life (Is What You Make It) - Colonel Lite and Frighty
57 - Murder She Wrote - Chaka Demus
58 - Twice My Age - Shabba Ranks
59 - Punkie - Sean Paul
60 - Long Time - Tanto Metro & Devonte
61 - Action - Nadine Suntherland
62 - Who Am I - Beenie Man
63 - Pass the Dutchie - Musical Youth
64 - Informer - Snow
65 - It Takes Two - rob base and dj ez rock
66 - Funky Cold Medina - Tone-Loc
67 - Let Your Backbone Slide - Maestro Fresh Wes
68 - Niggas In Paris - Jay-Z & Kanye West
69 - Look at Me Now  - Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes
70 - Crank That (Remix)  - Souljah Boy ft Lord Kossity
71 - Titanium  - David Guetta ft. Sia
72 - Beautiful People - Chris Brown ft. Benny Benassi
73 - Ghosts N Stuff - Deadmau5 ft. Rob Swire
74 - Levels  - Acivii
75 - Feel So Close - Calvin Harris
76 - Hello  - Martin Solveig ft. Dragonette
77 - Gin And Juice - Snoop Doggy Dogg
78 - C.R.E.A.M. - Wu-Tang Clan
79 - Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers - Crooklyn Dodgers '95
80 - Jockin' My Style - Craig Mack
81 - Keep on Movin - Soul II Soul
82 - Flashing Lights - Kanye West ft. Dwele
83 - Coming Home - Diddy & Dirty Money
84 - We Are Young - Fun ft. Janelle Monáe
85 - Cant Believe It - T Pain ft. Lil Wayne
86 - Never Gonna Be The Same - Sean Paul

Really short post...

I hate this track: "H8RS" by Steve Angello, Max Vangeli, AN21

Going Deep...

The other week I decided to use iTunes on my DJ laptop to create playlists of a lot of my music I use for Djing and backing them up to my IPAD and Iphone.  I am finding that Alogrithm's "DJay" application will get me out of a bind if my laptop were to fail during a gig.  I am really done with lugging around CDs.  So now I have a really nice system of getting new music from my record pool... importing to Traktor and then to iTunes...updating playlists...then updating phone. 

That means my phone is always up to date with the latest top40 offerings plus a whole lof of classic tuneage.  But what I listen to on a day to day basis is not Top40...or rock....or retro. Instead I listen to various forms of house music.  That music for some reason or another (actually because I really hate that I have to use Itunes to put music on my iphone) never makes it onto my iphone...or rarely does. That leaves me with an iphone full of music that I don't particularily want to listen to...

The current EDM scene that has taking over the airwaves is starting to annoy me a little.  The elements of Trance music (that has been around for a very long time) and what makes/made it so popular is now making its way onto every pop release out there.  Soaring synths...blasting horns....drum rolls that seem to last forever until the 4 to the floor beat finally drops after an ear piercing crescendo!   The problem is it's been done before....it's predictable....it's BORING!   Plus I was never a big fan of Trance to begin with...sorry Tiesto.  

Anyhow, the other day i was listening to some new top40 downloads and came across "Goin' In" by Jennifer Lopez ft Flo Rida.  I had to stop listening to it....I thought to myself what the hell is this?    Not picking on Jennifer Lopez really...kinda like "Dance Again".  I think it is just the state of EDM music at the moment.  Every pop artist is jumping on the bandwagon and the producers all seem to have this formula to make music that appeals to a generation of North American Kids who are just getting into electronic music (yes they are very late).  The problem for me is I have been listening to various forms of electronica for 20 years or so and this stuff just makes me gag...well maybe that is a strong word....roll my eyes would be more appropriate.

So instead...I checked the archives as well as a short visit to Beatport and filled a USB stick with some nice Deep/Tech house grooves.  A car deck with a USB drive is a usefull thing.

Here are some tunes I am digging at the moment...

1. Heart & Spirt (Christian Hawk & Timid Boy Naked Mix) - Francesco Bonora
2. Reaching - Stelios Vassiloudis
3. Deep Beginning - Karol XVII and Mb Valence
4. Paris (No Vocal) - Andrade
5. This Time (Gorge Remix) - Lovebirds, Sebastian Dring
6. Unkown (Dixon Mix) - Saschienne
7. Night Track (M.A.N.D.Y Remix) - Sasha, James Teej
8. Red Roses - Marius Laurentiu, Andrea Bigi

So for the time being I am going to be a top40 music snob and I am going Deep...

My beloved Iphone...almost lost...

This post is not music related...but I had to post this story to share it with you all and have it documented on the interweb...

This past weekend I was at BMO field to watch Toronto FC and I did a really really stupid thing.  I lost my iphone.  However, a worker at BMO field found it and did the right thing, she got in touch with me to return it.



My Iphone and its Cassette Case Cover



Here is my letter to Fan Services:

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing this letter to praise the actions of one of your staff members in the clean-up crew at BMO Field. Last weekend I attended the DC United vs TFC match and at half time realized my iphone was not in my pocket! After a quick look around and assumption that it was still in the car you could imagine the panic and distress from losing such an expensive device!

On the Monday following the game I recieved a phone call from an Angelina. She had found my phone in the stands while cleaning and found it in her heart to call me to report it found!! That very day I considered replacing it at a cost of $280 with new 3yr contract with our friends at Rogers Communications.

A used iphone 4 on the Craigslist/Kijiji market could easily fetch $250-$300 cash and Angelina instead opted to do the right thing and track down the original owner, something that not many would do.

When we met up for the exhange I handed her some giftcards as a small token of appreciation. I am hoping this email will give her some additional recognition by her employer for her extreme act of kindness.

Yours truly,
Season Ticket Holder...

This was the response from Fan Services.

Dear John Moerman,

Thanks for your email and taking the time to write in with high praise.  We just received your email from Michelle Risi who has passed it along to Angelina and her boss.  We are glad your iPhone was returned safe and sound and we hope to see you at BMO Field again soon!

Sincerely,

Fan Services 

Here are a few tips that can save you from losing your phone for good:

1. Turn on "Find My Iphone" in settings...location services.

2. If you are a rogers customer register your phone at www.rogersphonefinder.com

3. If you are really bad with your phone purchase a "wireless leash" from http://www.zomm.com/

Don't do what I did which was ignore 1 and 2 above.  Dumb dumb dumb. Right when I noticed it missing I could have borrowed my friends smart phone and it would have told me it was in the vicinity of the stadium.  Instead I assumed it was in the car.  My friend who was at the game with me said "wouldn't it be great to have a device that beeps when you leave your phone behind?" or something to that effect.  That is where the wireless leash from zomm comes in.

All I have to say is that I am pretty lucky.  Question is what would you do if you find a valuable smartphone?

You may notice that I have labeled this post under "coolness."

Thanks again Angelina!



Ode to Adam Yauch

With the recent announcement of Beastie Boys Adam Yauch passing at the age of 47 due to cancer the twitter space was flooded with tweets remembering "MCA."

 

On Saturday night I thought it be appropriate to pay my own homage to the influential rapper by including some of his tracks in my set. A few weeks ago my sister in law was in New York and she bought me a T-shirt that said "You Gotta Fight For Your Right to Party". Those words of course were made famous by a track from the Beastie Boys debut album "Ill Communication" in 1986.

 

Words of Wisdom made famous by the Beastie Boys

 

As I drove down Main St to the bar the street was packed...I guess it took the warmer weather to get people out of hiding. The bar itself was also very busy on the night. Normally I start off my set with some laid back tunes but this time around I decided to change things up and started off with another track from Beastie Boys debut album "Brass Monkey." The reaction from the crowd was most positive...I think I caught everyone by surprise.

 

A special shout out to Sean who was celebrating his birthday and Thanks to all his friends...the rowdy locals ;) for making it a fun night....

 

This is what I played from the Beastie Boys:

 

"Brass Monkey"

"Jimmy James"

"Fight for Your Right to Party"

"Girls"

"Paul Revere"

 

Not going to add the set list tonight.  Let's just leave it at the 5 Beastie Boys tracks...well ok maybe one more (epic track):

 

"White Lines" by Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel

 

 

RTC 12th Annual Gala

On Friday my friend Carmen invited me back to Dj the Richmond Training Centre's 12th Annual RTC Gala.  About 180 parents, friends, honoured guests (Richmond Hill Mayor David Barrow and CBC commentator PJ Kwong made it out!) and figure skaters filled the Sheraton Centre North for the annual fundraiser. 

This was my second time DJing the event and this time around just like last did not disappoint.  Both parents and kids were ready to party and it didn't take long for the dance floor to fill up.

The set list was very top40 heavy given the younger crowd.  Doing these types of events with a large age gap can be tricky.  Music with sexual references and profanity is pretty much the norm these days so you have to be care full in your music selection.  Luckily being a member of the ZIPDJ music pool  downloads come in many flavours including clean edits without swearing.  I cringe when I ref hockey and there is a young lad playing music off his smart phone during stoppages in play....yes Eminem is great...but he uses the F word a lot!

As soon as the party started glow sticks were handed out and the lights turned off.  With my small light set-up the dance floor was rocking right off the bat and stayed that way well past most of the kids curfews!

It is apparent this is very tight nit group of individuals.  The support for each other was apparent throughout the night especially during the awards ceremony.  I guess you have to be.  Figure skating being an individual sport can put a lot of pressure on an athlete therefore support is all you can rely on sometimes when battling through adversity.

In all it was a great group of people last night and I hope to work with them again in the near future.

Here is the set list.  Unfortunately no pics...

1 - Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 featuring
2 - I Got That Feeling  - Black Eyed Peas
3 - Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO
4 - Sexy And I Know It  - LMFAO
5 - We Found Love  - Rihanna
6 - Feel So Close (Extended Mix) - Calvin Harris
7 - Shake Senora  - Pitbull ft. T-Pain
8 - Good Feeling  - Flo Rida
9 - Levels  - Acivii
10 - Hello  - Martin Solveig
11 - Only Girl (In The World)  - Rihanna
12 - Back in Time - Pitbull
13 - Give Me All Your Luvin - Madonna
14 - The Time (Dirty Bit)  - Black Eyed Peas
15 - Dynamite  - Taio Cruz
16 - Club Can't Handle Me  - Flo Rida
17 - Firework  - Katy Perry
18 - Give Me Everything  - Pitbull
19 - Don't Stop Till You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
20 - Village People - Y.M.C.A
21 - Rasputin - Boney M
22 - Boyfriend - Justin Beiber
23 - Love - Jennifer Lopez
24 - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyonce
25 - Young, Wild & Free - Wiz Khalifa
26 - Just Can't Get Enough  - The Black Eyed Peas
27 - Life Of The Party - Aleesia Life Of The Party
28 - On The Floor  - Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull
29 - Beautiful People  - Chris Brown
30 - Without You  - David Guetta 
31 - Sexy Chick - David Guetta
32 - If We Ever Meet Again  - Timbaland
33 - We No Speak Americano - Yolanda Be Cool VS D Cup
34 - Bon, Bon  - Pitbull
35 - I Know You Want Me  - Pitbull
36 - Suavemente (Kiss Me)  - Nayer ft. Mohombi & Pitbull
37 - Oh My Gosh  - Usher
38 - Selena Gomez & The Scene - Love You Like A Love Song
39 - Ghosts N Stuff  - Deadmau5 ft. Rob Swire
40 - Whip My Hair  - Willow Smith ft. Nicki Minaj
41 - Dance (Ass) - Big Sean
42 - Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
43 - Night Fever - Bee Gees
44 - All Night Long - Lionel Richie
45 - American Boy (Remix)  - Estelle ft. Busta Rhymes
46 - Crazy - Alanis Morissete

Sci-Fi Spectacular with the TSO

So last night Tasha and I headed down town to check out "Sci Fi Spectacular" at the Roy Thompson Hall, part of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's "Pop Series" concerts. TSO's website states that the pop concerts "highlight popular music with an orchestral flair." This I can attest too since I have seen this and several others in the series including "Christmas with the Canadian Brass."

There is definitely a more candid approach with very well spoken and entertaining conductors who are definitely adding "flair" to the performances. For example last night conductor Jack Everly pulled out a hidden mini light saber and used it as a baton for his last performance of the night "End Title" from Star Wars. Who said symphonies had to be all serious? That's the stigma anyways. One just has to watch an Andrew Rieu concert to see that is not the case.

Stormtrooper on Patrol at Roy Thompson

This is what the website had for the description of the concert:

George Takei, alias Lieutenant Sulu of the Starship Enterprise, is your host for an awesome programme of out-of-this-world favourites! You'll hear sweeping themes and dynamic suites from Star Trek, Star Wars, E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and more, plus a nostalgic medley of vintage sci-fi television themes.

I think the pops series was started to spark an interest for the younger generation... I mean what 20 somethings go to see the symphony? But to go and see and hear music you can relate to performed live...now you are talking! Yesterday I saw a sign for "TSOundcheck" a project aimed at introducing the TSO to the generation Y not only offering great concert packages but offering them at an affordable price. Both worthy attempts to fill the seats...

The concert last night was great! Hearing these theme songs live is mesmerizing and seeing the instruments that produce some of these beautiful sounds that you hear is simply incredible. I've heard the Star Wars theme medley performed live three times and during one of the softer parts...dare I say it...almost brings tears to my eyes. It is not just that it is Star Wars...but just the sound that I hear that provokes the emotional response. A few years back we saw Lord of the Rings - The Symphony and throughout the concert it was the same.

All I can say is that it is a complete 180 to what I hear on a daily basis whether it be top40, EDM or house music. Swapping out the bleeps and bloops with real instrument sounds can be quite refreshing. Of course all types of music elicits some type of response (I still get goosebumps when listening to some great electronic tracks) but for me...for some reason no where near as much as a live symphony or an opera singer. Now that I think about it "All I ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera comes to mind.

TSO Getting to Perform...

Anyhow...this is what was performed last night:

1. Main Title from Star Wars: Suite for Orchestra - John Williams
2. Lost in Syndication - Various (Arr. by Jack Everyly of TV Sci Fi Theme Songs)
3. "Adventures on Earth" from E.T. - John Williams
4. Somewhere in Time - John Barry
5. "Superman March" from Superman - John Williams
6. Star Trek Through the Years - Various (Arrangement Calvin Custer)

Intermission

7. Op.30: Intro (2001 A Space Odyssey) - Richard Strauss
8. Suite from Close Encounters of the Third Kind - John Williams
9. "Cantina Band" from Star Wars Saga - John Williams
10. The Day the Earth Stood Still - Bernard Herrman
11. "Duel of the Fates" from Star Wars Episode 1 - John Williams
12. "Throne Room" & "End Title" from Star Wars - John Williams

As a kid I watched Star Trek the original series. I wasn't a die hard fan or anything but hearing George Takei (Sulu) say those famous words "to boldly go where no one has gone before" and then hear the TSO play the theme song was a real treat. Soprano Kristen Plumley joined in and sang along with the symphony dressed in 70s Star Trek attire complete with those famous short skirts ;)

Unfortunately this concert was only a two night showing and is now done. But I am sure they will do something similar in the future. If so make sure you check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Live long and prosper and may the force be with you.