Back!

Posted By: Shagz
Date:

I'm back! I'm tired! But it was worth it. Made lots of new friends, saw some really amazing things, had a lot of good nights dancing on beer slicked floors (and in some cases, tables), saw how inventive and strange Mother Nature can get and generally had a mad good time.

I'm dumping all my pictures (or at least the good ones anyways) up on Flickr. I've done about 150...and I have another 600 to go. :P It's going to take a while...

Heard lots of amazing music on my travels...Big songs for me:

• World, Hold On by Bob Sinclair
• Deja Vu (Freemasons Mix) by Beyonce
• Pictures (Tonite Only Remix) by Sneaky Sound System
• Put Your Hands Up For Detroit by Fedde Le Grande
• Changes (Dirty South vs. George B Rework) by Chris Lake
• I See Girls by Studio B

If you took the time to listen to any of that stuff, you'll notice there's a running theme (except for the first two): dirty electro bass bizness. I hated the whole 80's electro thing when it started to pick up, but I figured something out: while Toronto took electro and added it to rock or took it all the way back to the early house or minimal techno roots, the rest of the world just took the best parts - dirty disco basslines - and modernized it. I'm wondering if it's time to move out of the funk/organic breaks world...Hmmm...

Oh!! And The Host is coming to Canada on March 30th!!! You *must* see this movie!!! :D

 1 comments have been posted about this article

Leavning town...

Posted By: Shagz
Date:

...and heading to Auz! In the air this Tues, Feb 13, for a month long vacation down under and few days in Tokyo to boot. Really looking forward to it, I've been wanting to go to Australia for a few years, since I met my first Aussie while touring Europe, and now, not only am I finally doing it, but I'm going to get a little bit of Asia in there as well! :)

At any rate, things will be pretty quiet here while I'm gone. I'll try and check in at some point and make a post or two on the road, we'll see how it goes.

Anyways, have to get packing! See you in a few weeks!

 No comments have been posted about this article - Why not post one?

DJing with Wiimotes!?

Posted By: Shagz
Date:

DJs are gamers/geeks too. (Special thanks to Mike for the tip)

I've seen lots of really cool things being done with the Nintendo wiimotes as people have hooked 'em up to do things on their computer, things like controlling Half Life 2 or playing simple drum patterns by firing off samples. And while the concept being presented here isn't necessarily a stunning *technical* achievement, it certainly is an achievement of innovation on top of innovation; seeing the possibilities and executing them. (and then making a YouTube video and cashing in on the novelty)

Part of me is totally geeking out right now. The other is shrinking back in revulsion, screaming. You can dance while djing! You can make djing look like you're dancing! But then again...you're dancing while djing! :P It's both totally cool and totally uncool...

...and I'm totally jealous that I didn't think of it first, and this guy is going to get mad famous in about 15 mins. Anybody wanna take bets on how long it takes before this guy either a) appears on a major late night talk show or b) spins at a major late night dance club?

I may be over reacting...actually, I know I'm over reacting. I only saw this video 3 mins ago and I'm using the <strong> tag a lot in this post. Time will tell whether this is just novelty or the next evolutionary leap.

Friends and I have talked about this kind of thing before, where a dj could actually be in the middle of a crowd with ipods strapped to their chests, mixing stuff, but here we're taking things much farther, where your motions and particular button presses have meaning. Like, it's kinda cool, but at the same time...

I think the Wiimote would make for a wicked effects controller/sample trigger, and indeed, people are already doing this with Nintendo's little wonder. But to actually dj with it...I dunno. In the hands of the right kind of showman, it could probably rock. In the wrong hands, you just end up looking like a doofus.

While we wait for the dust to settle, I'm going to go fold my arms in the corner, hiding my feeling of inadequacy behind a wall of skepticism and old timer "poo poo"ing, while secretly calculating how long it will take me to get to the mall on a saturday morning.

 No comments have been posted about this article - Why not post one?

RIP, Godfather of Soul

Posted By: Shagz
Date:

As many of you may have heard, James Brown passed away on Christmas morning at the age of 73. Perhaps you may have known from the sound of a million hip hop heads, funk brothers and soul sisters crying as one.

It could perhaps be argued that modern James Brown lost his musical relevance ages ago - it's not like you can go out a buy a new James Brown record - but what he did, as a singer, band leader and producer, 40 years ago has echoed like thunder through out our musical pop culture for decades. Whether it's the hits like Papa's Got A Brand New Bag or I Feel Good, or the ubiquitous The Funky Drummer (arguably the most sampled break of all time), or even just that distinctive James Brown "Huh!", his sweaty, passionate musical genius has permeated and influenced almost every corner of western pop culture. He can be heard parading around K-Os' B-Boy Stance, pepping up rom-com movie trailers and montages, or being used to hock cell phones and SUVs.

I have no doubt that James' music and influence will continue to reverberate for some time to come, perhaps an eternity, be it in the musical DNA being passed from one generation of hip hop producers to the next or just being enjoyed wholesale at the center of wedding receiption dance floors.

Way back in 1991, dutch rave group LA Style said: James Brown is Dead. Sadly, it has finally come to pass.

 2 comments have been posted about this article

Merry Christmas!

Posted By: Shagz
Date:

Just checking in remotely on boxing day to wish you all the best of the season! Hope Santa was good to everybody and you were likewise good to those you love. (and maybe even those you don't love) Take that feeling and make sure you keep it going for the rest of the year! :)

I was hoping to spend some time updating the site while I was back home for the holidays, but Tillsonburg doesn't have any wi fi coffee shops, which are so ubiquitous in Toronto. It'll just have to wait 'til the new year.

My brain is still a little fried from egg nog and I'm suffering from turkey hangover, so I'll stop here.

Again, best wishes to you and your collective families, be they by blood or by spirit, and enjoy the holidays.

Cheers,
Stephen (Shagz)

 6 comments have been posted about this article