Here is Part 2 of Dan’s Summer Soundtrack Anthems that you DON’T want to miss! Continued from Part 1
8. K-OS – Fly Paper |Virgin Records America, Inc.|
Canada’s Kevin Brereton, otherwise known as K-OS (Knowledge of Self), is a man who invites all types of sounds into his world. K-OS does a great job of incorporating elements of funk, soul, rock and reggae into his intelligent rap sound. Fly Paper is no exception to K-OS’s philosophy. Despite the killer beat, bassline and reggae-esque guitar stabs on the upbeat, this track has a great sing along factor to it. The hook can be applied to so many everyday situations. Other great tracks off of Atlantis: Hymns For Disco are the anthem Sunday Morning and the epic Ballad of Noah. Joyful Rebellion’s The Love Song is another essential K-OS cut- if not a classic in its one right.”I’m not one to repeat myself,But if it ain’t broken,Don’t fix it.I see you burning all that midnight oil,But I’m caught between a rock and a hard place.That’s why I’m walking in the city with a hard face.Seems I’m afraid of being afraid.”
9. Omar S- Day |FXHE Records|
Day is a cut that the entire family can circle around- even grandma. The hook is a sampled vox sample, slightly longer than a cut, from The Supremes classic Come See About Me. Even though it’s a short sample, one can definitely hear the tambour of Diana Ross’s voice. This track is the epitome of the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) philosophy. Although rather simple and basic, this track gets away with it’s monotonous feel due its jacking beat and slamming bass line. The true beauty of this song, besides the classic vocal sample, is the subtly and delivery. Omar-S is a staple in Detroit’s most recent generation’s crop of techno and house producers. This type of sample-ladened, filtered house music is becoming relevant once again. Other recent and young producers who have mastered this particular vibe are Detroit’s Kris Wadsworth and Stuttgart, Germany’s Motor City Drum Ensemble (Danilo Plessow).
10. MSTRKRFT ft. John Legend- Heartbreaker |Dim Mak|
Master-craft is a Canadian group comprised of Death From Above 1979’s Jesse F. Keeler and Girlsareshort’s Al-P. They have remixed everyone from Justice to Bloc Party and continue to promote their indie based sound by collaborating by some of the music industry’s A-List. MSTRKRFT has a great ear and certainly doesn’t discriminate. They team up with John Legend to create such a great piece of music that just swirls around the icon’s melacholy voice and lyrics. This track does an even better job of bridging gaps and crossing over to the different realms and scenes of the music industry. Their debut album also features the cuts Word Up ft. Ghostface Killah and 1,000 Cigarettes ft. Freeway. Immensely interesting duo of rappers to choose from being that Ghostface and Freeway have very similiar, if not identical, voices, flow and delivery.
11. A Taste of Honey- Boogie Oogie Oogie (12” Special Disco/John Luongo Remix)|Capitol Records|
A Taste of Honey was an American disco and R&B group formed by Perry Kibble and Donald Ray Johnson. Along with being known for this awesome song, A Taste Of Honey was unique for the fact that they had two lead females, bassist/singer Janice Marie Johnson and guitarist/singer Carlita Dorhan. After being discovered by Capitol Records while on the road and doing USO tours, they began calling themselves A Taste of Honey, an ode to Herb Alpert’s super classic track. When the intro of Boogie Oogie Oogie comes on over the speakers, it immediately transforms the mood of the moment. The intro gives just enough time for one to prepare for the insanity to follow.
12. Pet Shop Boys- Domino Dancing (12” mix) |Parlophone| (1988)
Neil Tenant and Chris Lower are perhaps the great (synth) pop duo of all time. With a career that spans over 25 years, the Pet Shop Boys continue to make people dance and smile all around the world. While America struggled with their sexuality and the sounds of grunge, PSB toured the world and mastered their craft. They have sold over 100 million records world wide and since 1986, they have had 42 Top 20 singles and 22 Top 10 hits in the United Kingdom including 4 number ones. At the 2009 BRIT Awards, Tenant and Lowe received the Outstanding Contribution To Music Award. It’s also no small coincidence that there major influences are David Bowie, Liza Minnelli and Dusty Springfield. Domino dancing is a track that can be and is interpreted in so many ways. More often than not, in perverse ways. While the track is literally about Chris Lowe’s competitive nature and his love affair with dominoes, the video, although beautiful, says otherwise. After critics get done interpreting this great cut, they usually move onto the video and try to siphon that as well. This 12″ mix is better solely because it’s longer.
13. Gangstarr- Royalty |EMI Music|
A Premo beat has the ability to place its listener in a different time period or a different place. Guru’s voice, lyrics and delivery are nothing short of hypnotic. The vocal hook by K-Ci & JoJo round out this track quite nicely and one feels like you’re in an alternate universe. This is is one of those cuts that mean something to everybody depending on where one heard it for the first time. These are sounds that will never die and will always maintain their freshness.
14. Raekwon ft. Ghostface Killah- Criminology (Produced by RZA) |Loud Records|
One has a hard time thinking of a better, nastier and more ruthless of a combination than Pretty Tony and the Chef. When Tony Stark and Lex Diamonds spit over a RZA track, greatness and exemplar work is not far too behind. This tracks flows like no other and it sounds dope coming out of a boom box, stereo, car or club. The Tony Montana vox sample ups the intensity right before the bass drops in and the track is off to the races. One of those selections where one could have easily swapped in their favorite Ghostface and Raekwon track, especially off of Built 4 Cuban Linx, instead of this one- they’re all great.
There it is. I bet your brain and ears got quite the workout. One must understand that good shtuff is good shtuff- whether it is one’s cup of tea or not. Sliding any one of these tracks in your collection and/or set will most certainly cause havoc on the dance floor. With modern advances in technology and DJ software, the “DJ-Friendly-ness” of a track should be irrelevant. If there’s a will, great DJs will always find a way. Programming is foundation of being a disc jockey. Knowing the right thing to play or do at the right time is really a subjective topic, but the dance floor will always let you know. It’s important to make the mind dance as well as the body. Music could make the dumbest and dullest individual feel like an intellectual. The power (or burden) is in YOUR hands! I encourage one to dig deeper if you like these artists and see how far down the rabbit hole one can reach. Article brought to you exclusively by our author and editor Dan.
14. That’s right- fourteen tracks listed below. Not 10, 15, 20, 25, 50 or even one hundred. These fourteen tracks listed below are the epitome of summer tracks. We live in a world that is absolutely obsessed with the process of classification- whether it may be a system of applying certain genres (and sub-genres) or listing objects in multiples of 5 or 10. Who cares I say- this list is to provide one with summer sounds. I would also like one to forget about the concept of genres or tags. There’s no room for objectivity in music, as music is completely subjective, but there’s certainly room for diversity. Diversity is the hub of creativity. In a marketplace that has been over saturated with music and performers (NOT excluding DJs), one’s sound must be unique, particularly marketable and dance floor driven one way or another. By dance, I’m simply referring to the ability of a piece of music to groove. Sometimes, not even a “beat” is needed, just an overwhelmingly great sense of rhythm. As seen with the recent emergence of the UK’s dub-step sound, perhaps only a 2step rhythm or wonky bass line is needed. Dance is perhaps even more expressive at times then the most obscure music track we have lying around the shelf, wallet or hard drive. The only theme or correlations between these tracks are the ability to make that summer sunlight shine even brighter and stretch the smile even wider. That’s all. A majority of these selections were not technically “released” in the summer, but still invite one to dance shamelessly in the beautiful, warming and refreshing solstice. Leave your sense of shame back on that bookmarked naughty site you were most likely viewing and learn to respect art. These tracks will not be drenched in hyperbole but will absolutely be dripping wet of groove and rhythm.
Armand Van Helden is a legend in the American house community while A-Trak is an anomaly in his own right. A-Trak, otherwise known as Alain Macklovitch, was crowned the youngest DMC World Champion at only 15 years of age while going on to win 4 more championships along with each of the Vestax and ITF Championships. I’m sure one can say that hard work and determination eventually pays off, but also being the younger brother of Chromeo’s David Macklovitch, one starts to question genetics. Van Helden and A-Trak collaborate under the Duck Sauce moniker to produce a jackin’ ode to perhaps Van Helden’s beginnings.
Yes- we all know he created disco, was acceptable in the 80s and most importantly, gets all the girls but while not writing and producing tracks for Dizzie Rascal, Kyle Minogue, Chromeo or Sophie Ellis-Bexter, Calvin Harris is busy touring around with Faithless and Groove Armada. Harris is a man of many of these so called different “genres,” so let’s not even bother. Good shtuff is good shtuff. Calvin Harris is good shtuff and so is the lead track off of his latest release, Ready For The Weekend. What also separates Harris from the rest of his colleagues is his exceptional live shows- and by live, I am not referring to him hiding behind his MacBook Pro. This track has a great hook and his vocals are the icing on the cake. The Deadmau5 and Tiesto remixes may get all the attention, but the Burns Rewerk is the most proper remix.
3. Lady Gaga- Poker Face |Universal Music Group|
When you’re number one inspiration is David Bowie and you’ve been through New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, one is almost certainly bound for greatness. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta received the name Gaga from the Queen track Radio Gaga, after early collaborator and producer Rob Fusari said her vocal stylings reminded him of the late Freddie Mercury. Unfortunately, the “pop” label is falsely synonymous with poor vocals, artificiality, bad music and cheesy hooks. Once in a blue moon a gifted song writer and vocalist comes along that couldn’t be further from this perpetual “pop” pipeline. The 80s had the Pet Shop Boys and this generation has Lady Gaga. Gaga understands the principles of showmanship, integrity and image better than most in today’s market and her success os no small coincidence. Poker Face is almost as addicting as Gaga’s Grace Jones influenced outfits and Andy Warhol -esque mannerisms. Poker Face also exhibits the cleverness of Lady Gaga’s lyrics and song writing. Perhaps a page from Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tenant, the vocals will always be right up front, audible and sly.
4. The Juan Maclean- Happy House |DFA Records|
John Maclean is one of DFA Records’ flag ship artists. The Juan Maclean is John’s stagename and usually includes vocalist Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem. While a guitarist in the dance-punk band Six Finger Satellite, he met sound engineer James Murphy. While John Maclean would leave his band to obtain a degree at Providence College and teach English in New Hampshire, Murphy would persistently check up on his close friend and continually urge him to get back into music. Fortunately for us, John Maclean found his way back into the music scene and continues to give us great records. Happy House is perhaps the epitome of The Juan Maclean sound- warm and fuzzy. This track does a great job of instilling a feeling of joy and exuberance.
5. Laidback Luke, Sebastian Ingrosso, Steve Angello, Axwell- Leave The World Behind ft. Deborah Cox |Axtone Records|
The Swedish House Mafia…and the Phillipino turntablist from Holland. Kind of sounds like a descent sitcom. Laidback Luke and the rest of the Swedes have been on a tear lately. Everything they touch is gold. Each of these artists brings their own personalities to this epic track. The gorgeous Deborah Cox also lends her pipes to the collaboration. This is one of those peak time tracks that makes one just loose themselves.
6. Ramadanman & Appleblim- Justify |Apple Pips|
Laurie “Aplleblim” Osbourne and the young gun Ramadanman team up to bring a stellar, epic dub step track to the masses. After ensuring the success of the Skull Disco label, Appleblim went on to create the sub label Apple Pips. The track is definitely one of those cuts where you can hear what each of the collaborators brings to the session. Appleblim (and partner Sam “Shackleton”) are knows for their intricate, immaculate beats and rhythms, while Ramadanman brings the wall the of sound and melody to the party. Listening to this on a beach will definitely give your mind a full body workout.
7. Caspa & Rusko- King George |Aquatic Lab Records|
Caspa and Rusko join together to create the ultimate track combining elements from dub (step), reggae and other electronic influences. Also check out the track Soulful Geeza, also a collaboration effort by both of these artists. Both of these men have been pillars of the UK dub step, jungle and garage scene. There’s a lot of great things one can imagine doing while this track plays in the back ground.
Check back next week for the next 7 top summer soundtracks of 2009, brought to you exclusively by our author and editor Dan. Here is Part 2 of this update…
There are many steps needed to become a DJ. Some of which take time to develop and others just come with experience. Eventually, after fine-tuning your skills in front of a small crowd, you’ll reach a point when you’re ready to take it to the next level. This next step would be to package this up and figure out how best to present your talent to someone who’s never heard you before. This is where a demo comes into play.
A demo gives someone an idea of what style music you play and what you’re capable of bringing to the table. Although it should reflect what you are capable of doing live, it should also represent your best work, so it’s best to plan everything out ahead of time. Keep in mind that you are creating this set for people to listen to, at their leisure. A carefully planned set will show off your creativity and attention to detail, which is what sets us apart from other Djs.
Selection
Whether you’re making the set for yourself or someone else, try to stick to a theme, to help get an idea of what type of tunes will be needed. We all have tracks that are demo worthy, but not everything blends together.
If you want to throw down a mix of different styles, just remember the theme you gave the set and try to pick tracks with the same feel/mood. Meaning that certain songs, whether it be electro, house, techno, can have a dark, low-key feel to it. This same group can be a bit more bright/epic, so you’ll need to able to separate the difference. The best tool every DJ has is his or her ears. Train yourself to catch these subtleties and you’ll be able to do this on the fly with ease.
Now once you have the tunes that you would like to use, its time to trim the fat. Remember that the typical CD plays about 70 to 80 minutes of music, so try to keep your set within this time frame. With that said, go back and listen to your tracks again and choose the best of the best, leaving yourself about 12 to 15 tunes, or an hour worth of music. And don’t forget, the selection shouldn’t only be based off of which song you like best, but which best fits the set.
Arrangement
OK, ask yourself this question. Which track should be your opening tune and how is this going to end? You always want to lead off with something interesting, to grab the listeners’ attention. Either pick a track with a good intro or get creative and do something yourself, before the music kicks in. Try some vocal clips, sound efx and/or audio movie quotes, which can be found with a quick search on Google.com.
The opening tune shouldn’t start off too big, unless you know you’re going to keep that same energy from that point on, but that’s just my opinion. We all have our own opinions on what is or isn’t a strong tune. So whichever you choose, try to start off with something mellow. Save your big floor filers for the mid point, which would be the peak of the set, then try to end the set a bit toned down. Try a classic, well-known tune to finish up, or get creative and throw in some more audio quotes. It’s really up to you. Just give the listeners a clue that the set is ending, instead of finishing up on a high note, sounding as if there was more to follow.
Take notes!
Arrangement is a crucial part of the process, but I think this next topic is the most important. You now need to grab a pen and a pad and write down some cheat notes. You already have your opening and ending tunes, now you need to make the other tracks fit in, like a puzzle. This part of the process will help place them in the best possible order.
You’ll find tracks that mix perfectly together and some that do not. At this time, you should be trying to mix and match writing down what works best.
· Track 3 w/ track 7
· Track 5 w/ track 2
After that, figure out the best way to mix them, so that you’re sure they are phrased up and timed perfectly.
· Track 1: breaks at 3:52 / kick drum comes back in @ 4:25
· Start track 4 @ 5:12
· what ever works best for you
Some might call this cheating, but you’re recording a demo and you want this as clean as possible. This doesn’t mean you couldn’t do it live, if you were put to the test. In fact, it helps you get familiar with the track(s), making it that much easier to mix when you’re in front of a crowd. Taking notes helps ease the stress while you record and helps you put the puzzle pieces together, giving your set a good flow from beginning to end.
Recording
I’ll skip this section, since there are plenty of tutorials online, like the one linked below.
There’s just one rule you should always follow, and that is to keep the recording volume low. Not too low, but give yourself and the tracks, some room to avoid any clipping in the audio. You can always raise the volume later, as pointed out in the next step.
Editing
Now that the hard part is over, it’s time to listen to the set and figure out if you want to add anything to it. Here you can adjust the EQ, trim the dead air, add efx, drops and raise the volume, if needed.
Some more experienced DJs/producers multi-track and start layering songs or different elements onto the mix itself. If interested in this process, please follow the link provided.
After you’ve reviewed the set and all sounds good, it’s time to convert to MP3 format. Be sure to render the mix into a high quality 320kbps MP3 and 128 or 192kbps MP3 for web streaming purposes.
Packaging
All that’s left is to give you demo a title and type up the track listing. Don’t forget to add “For promotional use only” on the CD and Track listing covers. And if you’re going to be uploading this set to the web, you might consider making some kind of artwork to go with it, as it visually attracts listeners, getting you more download hits then expected.
In regards to the CDs, if you’re going to make the copies yourself, you might want to split the tracks up, so people can skip around if they wish to. If someone’s forced to scan through the set, just to get to the next track, they might not bother listening at all. So for this, you will need to create a cue sheet.
Cue sheets
A cue sheet is used to detail the layout of a CD, where to split the track and lists all the information for each song. For more detailed information about cue sheets or cue files, please follow the link below.
The following is a template I put together as an example, which can be created in Notepad.exe.
(Everything in red needs to be changed)
TITLE “Insert-you-album-title-here”
PERFORMER “Your DJ name”
FILE C:\EXACT-PATH-TO-THE-SAVED-MIX-FILE.mp3 MP3
TRACK 01 AUDIO
TITLE “TRACK-TITLE”
PERFORMER “ARTIST OF TRACK”
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO
TITLE “TRACK-TITLE”
PERFORMER “ARTIST OF TRACK”
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 03 AUDIO
TITLE “TRACK-TITLE”
PERFORMER “ARTIST OF TRACK”
INDEX 01 00:00:00
Continue until you have listed the tracks in your demo and remember to make all necessary changes, like track number and index.
TRACK 04 AUDIO TITLE “TRACK-TITLE”
PERFORMER “ARTIST OF TRACK”
INDEX 01 00:00:00
The track index is the point where the song changes on the CD, in MM:SS:FR (minute-second-frame) format. This is completely up to you, as to where this split should occur. Some place it before the mix and some after, just remember that a cue point is used to advance to the next song.
INDEX 01 13:42:12 (13 minutes, 42 seconds, 12 frames).
After creating the cue sheet, save the file in the format shown below.
YOUR-ALBUM-NAME.CUE
Both the cue sheet and mix should be saved in the same location, either on your desktop or specific folder. Once finished, open this file with your CD burning software and the program should do the rest. Not all burning programs can read a cue sheet, so you might want to review the manual and see if it’s possible. If not, you might want to invest in something with this feature, as it gives off a more professional presentation, if and when someone takes a listen.
Promotion
Now it’s time to start promoting your mix and the quickest way to get your demo out, is online. There are plenty of blogs and websites that encourage DJs to upload their mixes, such as Djforums.com. Also, social networks, like Myspace and Facebook, can be powerful tools for any DJ, so make sure your profiles are up to date.
The next step would be to start handing out copies to promoters, managers and anyone else you know in the industry. I would also recommend taking a few copies to small shops, with heavy foot traffic or anywhere you think your set would be welcomed.
Handing out a demo is about the same as walking into a business and dropping off a resume. Not only are you trying to get your music circulating, you’re also trying to network yourself as a DJ, so a demo alone won’t cut it. So before you hand anything out, you might want to introduce yourself and try to build some type of relationship with the person you’re speaking with, first. As for promoters and/or club managers, you may want to build a connection first, even if this means buying them a beer. Having them see you at their venue two or three times, before you approach them, will also go alone way. These steps will help avoid having your demo thrown in the trash, once you walk away.
Hopefully, you’ve made some kind of impression, after all this and your name is starting to get around.In this business, it’s all about who you know and crowd you can pull. So, after you’ve made these vital connections, go out and make some more. Just be sure to have another mix ready to hand out, when you do. Hopefully, your well-planned demos will help open some doors and get you speaking to the right people.
Based out of Miami, Rek Aviles is our syndicated writer with more than 15 years of experience in the industry. Catch him onfaderwave @ http://faderwave.net/index.php?day=6
With a million and 1 dj’s out there today, it’s hard to find the good ones — it’s like finding a needle in a haystack. Fortunately for us, we have minions scouring the internet every second looking for the good ones and we were lucky to encounter the houston based remixer, producer, DJ Dave Wrangler. Never short of new mixes and innovative remixes, Dave is indeed the life of the party, only if you are lucky enough to get a copy. Lucky for you, we have a link, courtesy of the man himself, DJ Dave Wrangler.
His first mix we are presenting is Life of the Party 2008 featuring a huge assortment of dance, house, rock, electro, and fitting any genre you can fit on a mix, like clowns in a car, but comfortably. Here’s the tracklisting of the goodies.
Life of the Party 2008
01. M.I.A. – Paper Planes (Dave Wrangler White Room Remix)
02. Pharcyde – Passin’ Me By (Dave Wrangler Remix)
03. The Chemical Brothers feat. Spank Rock- Keep My Composure
04. MGMT – Electric Feel (J-La’s BK Futures edit)
05. Biggie – Nasty Boy
06. Hercules & Love Affair – Athene
07. T.V. on the Radio – Staring at the Sun (Dave Wrangler Remix)
08. Hot Chip – Ready For The Floor
09. Black Kids – I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance (Twelves Remix)
10. B-52’s – Funplex (CSS Remix)
11. CSS – Alala
12. Tone Loc feat. Peaches – Wild Thing
13. Cool Kids – Miami Beach (Hydroz Metro-Dade Bass Mix)
14. Green Velvet – Shake and Pop (Hydroz Remix) blend w/Steve Aoki feat. Kid Sister
15. LCD Soundsystem – North American Scum
16. Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – Rich (Josh Patrick Remix)
17. Armand Van Helden – NYC Beat
18. Detroit Grand Pubahs – Sandwiches (Krafty Kuts remix)
19. Ghostland Observatory – Dancin On My Grave (Let There Be Vinyl Remix)
20. Prodigy – Smack My Bitch Up
21. LCD Soundsystem – Daft Punk Is Playing At My House (Soulwax Remix)
22. Klaxons – Gravity’s Rainbow (Soulwax Remix)
23. Men Without Pants – And The Girls They Go
24. King Khan – Torture
25. Cazals – Poor Innocent Boy
26. White Williams – New Violence
27. Santogold – You’ll Find A Way
28. 2pac vs. Tv on the Radio – Me Against The World (Dave Wrangler Remix)
1. Notorious B.I.G. vs. Peter Bjorn & John – Party & Bullshit (Dave Wrangler Remix)
2. Nas – I Can (Dave Wrangler Remix)
3. Pharcyde vs Ghostland Observatory – Passin’ Me By (Dave Wrangler Remix)
4. Notorious B.I.G. Vs. Ghostland Observatory – Nasty Boy (Dave Wrangler Remix)
5. Hercules & Love Affair – You Belong
6. Gang Gang Dance – House Jam (Hot Chip Remix)
7. TV on the Radio – Golden Age
8. Kid Sister feat. David Banner – Family Reunion
9. The Astroids Galaxy Tour – Around The Bend
10.Pase Rock – So Fuckin’ Disco (Reptoid Blend)
11.Greenskeepers – Fingerblasting
12.Ludacris vs Hercules & Love Affair – Stand Up (Dave Wrangler Remix)
13.Animal Collective – My Girls (Dave Wrangler Remix)
14.MGMT – Kids
15.Dances With White Girls – Everybody’s Got To Make A Living
16.Rage Against The Machine – Bulls On Parade (DJ Kue Remix)
17.Britney Spears vs Digitalism – Womanizer Dub (Dave Wrangler Remix)
18.Britney Spears – Circus (BitchSLAPhappy’s 3 Ring Circus Remix)
19.YO Majesty – Don’t Let Go (Photomachine Bounce Remix)
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tune and how is this going to end? You always want to lead off with something interesting, to grab the listeners’ attention. Either pick a track with a good intro or get creative and do something yourself, before the music kicks in. Try some vocal clips, sound efx and/or audio movie quotes, which can be found with a quick search on Google.com.
hem in the best possible order.
There are plenty of blogs and websites that encourage DJs to upload their mixes, such as Djforums.com. Also, social networks, like Myspace and Facebook, can be powerful tools for any DJ, so make sure your profiles are up to date.
