Herbie Hancock on the Cleveland Show:

I recently watched the Cleveland Show’s “Birth of a Salesman” and besides being hilarious, it paid respects to the great Herbie Hancock. Before I wanted to write anything about it, I came across Brandon’s posting on the hulu website which is exactly what I was going to say, put into much better words.

“I love that Cleveland Show highlighted Herbie Hancock and one of my favorite songs of all time. “Rockit” is one of the most influential songs ever recorded. Grand Mixer DXT spawned a whole generation of future DJs with this performance at the 84 Grammys, including Q-Bert, MixMasterMike, Cut Chemist, Z-Trip, etc. etc. etc. It was that performance of “Rock It” that stole the show on a night when Michael Jackson won seven awards (if you watch that performance, at the very end, you can see Michael and Brooke Shields in the front row, joining the crowd in a standing ovation). Speaking as a turntablist, pounds of respect to the Cleveland Show.”

Thought this would be interesting to share: Best of DJ Charts – October Edition by beartport. This monthly list of tracks is complied by analyzing all the DJ charts submitted to Beatport. The goal is to provide a definitive list of what tracks are getting played in clubs by the industries top performers. The 50 tracks below highlight beats that are currently rocking dance floors around the globe. Gotta love what Beatport has done for the industry.

1		Tarazu / Backroom Honey Backroom Honey – Original Mix	Saeed Younan	2009-09-14 Viva Music
2		Zircon / Orange Orange – Original Mix	Deetron	2009-09-23 Music Man Records
3		Bird Brain EP Vocal Chords – Original Mix	Claude VonStroke	2009-10-07 dirtybird
4		Sun Step EP Whole Life – Original Mix	Oxia	2009-10-02 8Bit
5		Drive It Mad Max Mad Max - Super Flu’s Home…	Marcus Meinhardt Super Flu	2009-09-21 Upon You Records
6		Dusty House Room 2 Chase The Mouse – Original Mix	Joris Voorn	2009-09-10 Rejected
7		Funk Phenomena (Starkillers… Funk Phenomena – Starkillers…	Armand Van Helden	2009-09-29 Henry Street Music
8		Beach Kisses Beach Kisses – Joris Voorn…	Dosem Joris Voorn	2009-08-19 Green
9		I Called U (The Conversation) I Called U – ATFC’s Heated…	ATFC	2009-09-14 Defected
10		Sun Step EP Sun Step – Original Mix	Oxia	2009-10-02 8Bit

Masta Hanksta has a new album out called The American DJ, inspired by his experiences as a DJ in his last 20 years in the industry. The American DJNow being distributed digitally through iTunes,Amazon,Napster and E-Music. I heard part of his album and if you’re looking for some dope beats to rap over, you definitely need to download his album. Here is some information about the album from Masta himself,

My inspiration for this album is all music and all types of DJs hip hop ,trance,r&b ,salsa something that can be played in a club and be enjoyed by all people.

American DJ was created to honor all DJs and there craft.

Here’s a video of him a while back sportin our goods:

Here is a Biography of Masta Hanksta:

Masta Hanksta (born 3 March 1969) is the performing name of Henry Rivas a Mexican-American DJ, Composer and Artist of many mediums.

Henry AKA Masta Hanksta was born and raised in Northern California and is one of the most influential DJ’s of his time. A true pioneer in the Dj game with over 27 years of music experience. Hanksta was one of the youngest DJ’s to hit the streets in 1982.

Growing up poor in San Francisco’s Mission district in Early 70’s Hanksta Parents his six brothers and two sisters struggled in in a two bedroom apartment. until his Father Julian Rivas a migrant farm worker saved up enough money to buy a house in Daly City Where Hanksta would spend most of his childhood.

He began his record collection in 1977 when he was just 8 years old. Hanksta would walk to a near by Record Factory outlet with his older brothers and spend his weekly allowances on a 45” records.

In 1982 He heard a Disc Jockey on the radio by the name of Cameron Paul from a local station called KSOL. That is when Hanksta first realized he wanted to be a DJ. He began to experiment with his record collection using his mothers old turntable which was built into the cabinet.

His first gigs where garage parties for a local gangs in his neighborhood. He would use a wooden Sanyo turntable and a dual cassettes deck player attached to a radio shack mixer.

Hanksta and his brother began charging 50.00 a gig they soon saved up for better equipment and in 1985 they purchased there first pair of Technics SL-1200 turntables along with a Numark Mixer which he still uses to this day.

Working under the name MOB productions (Masters of Beats) Such famous DJ names like Dj Qbert and Mix Master Mike DJ Chuey Gomez AKA ChuDog from the California music channel have attended some of Hankstas gigs and have played at some of His wild and outrages house parties.

At the age of 15 Hanksta would become one of the youngest DJ’s in Northern California to perform in some of San Francisco’s premiere bars and nightclubs. Hanksta once dominated the DJ Scene in Northern California with as much as three bookings per day. He refused to join the battle scene but remained on top for most of his career. Hanksta fell a victim to drugs and alcohol and was forced to step away from the Club scene.

Hanksta graduated from Jefferson High in 1987 and obtained his bachelor degree in Computer graphics in 2002 from the Academy of Art in San Francisco.
After taking a 15-year break from being a DJ Hanksta has returned to the DJ scene and is now producing ,writing and creating his own style of music.

Hanksta just released his 3rd CD The American DJ.

Which is now being distributed digitally under his own independent record label Hanksta Records©

For those who like the 90′s and were born in the 80′s, this track is a remix on the anthem from the 90′s by SNAP. I remember playing this one and the roof just went OFF! Here’s a little bit about the people behind the remix:

Andrew Friendly teams up with Boombox resident and all-round London DJ legend Rokk for a cheeky cover of Snap’s classic, restyling it into a nu-disco workout.

Andrew Friendly has recently featured in MixMag, DJ Mag, M8 and plenty more with his band Milke, or on his own projects.

This track is already getting plays of Kissy Sellout on Radio1 and support and nods from Who Made Who and Trevor Jackson, this is a tasty slice of analogue warmth and 80′s pads, with the hooks filtered and vocals stripped back.

I had a great opportunity to interview Andrew Friendly and here’s what he had to say:

dbmlabs: Out of all the other 90′s tracks, why did you decide to remix this track?
I’m loving the 90’s vibes at the moment though, my mispent yoof! I remember this track being pretty cheesy back in the day, but when you listen to just the bass progressions with the top line synths, they’re quite cool, it has a slightly hypno-disco feel about it, so we decided to lift those bits, and just add a smattering of vocals over the top. The breakdown is great too, quite dirty in a Moroder kind of way, so it all leant itself nicely to some new-disco vibes. I also love the fact that Snap were a really homophobic band, with Turbo B saying some pretty rank stuff (which is central to why they disappeared), and we’ve twisted it around, and made it sound like something that would work really well in the disco clubs of New York in the late 70’s. It kind of sounds like the cover predates the original! ha ha.

dbmlabs: What hardware/software did you use to produce this track?
Protools, for all the softsynths, recording and programming.
Vocals are recorded on a Rhode NT2a. Really nice. And through a TL Audio Ivory valve compressor.
I’ve got a bunch of analogue synths, and we tried out some vocoder options through a Korg MS2000, but we didn’t use them in the end.

dbmlabs:How long was the production time?
This took a bit longer than I wanted, because it was a collaboration, so you’ve always got to be sensitive to the other person. I think we spent three or four days on it.

dbmlabs: Anything cool coming up in the next couple months you guys want to share?
I’ve got another Andrew Friendly track in the pipeline, I want to have that finished in the next few weeks, but most of my energy is going into Milke, so that’s the priority. We’ve got LOADS in the pipeline there, including collabs and some really big name remixes, and we’ll be working with Philip Zdar on a track, and should be releasing a single in France before the end of the year. More coming soon!

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.

1. Duck Sauce (Armand Van Helden & A-Trak)- aNYway |Fool’s Gold Records|

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.

2. Calvin Harris- I’m Not Alone |Ultra Records, Fly Eye Records|

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…