Performance

Performance / Promoting / Venues — Comments Off
3
Oct 10

To Have A Party At Ibiza

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketThe absolute contrast to ceremonious traveling abroad with obligatory tours of museums and slow sightseeing walk of historical centre is crazy party-tourism, that means going to another country on purpose to have fun, hung up and to join the club life of local youth.

Parties and performances last on resorts all day and night long; therefore it is easy to lose the sense of time and reality in an impulse of impetuous fun.The world capital of party-tourism is considered to be the Spanish island Ibiza situated in the southwest of Mediterranean Sea. Here gather groups of teenagers and the Dj-s from all over the world in search of entertainment and amusement.

The cleanest beaches with white sand, the tender sea, the green meadows and foothills, the freakish and tiny architecture make this island one of the best resorts of Europe.The life of the island twists around the life of the clubs, which number is way bigger than the number of municipal buildings. Loud lively music of any kind is heard here literally from each corner, and discos are organized directly in the streets.

The tourist season proceeds from May till October, but even in winter there are enough foreigners on Ibiza. The opening of club season takes place at the end of May in the club “Es Parades” and abates only to the beginning of September. By and large the amateurs of quiet beach rest have no reasons at all to come here during summer: in the crowd of inveterate party-goers they will obvious be outsiders. Continue reading →

Industry Trends / Performance / Venues — Comments Off
30
Sep 10

All About Los Angeles Bars

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketL.A. has a lot to offer. The City of Angels is always on-the-go and seemingly driven by glitz and glamour. And if you’re willing to fight the traffic, you’ll find some of the world’s best restaurants, shopping and attractions – from studio tours to museums, from beaches to piers.

L.A. is the epitome of big, bold and beautiful – and most of the hobbies in this town hover around “the scene”. So, if you’ve had your share of the beach, head inland to tour the star-studded Sunset Boulevard or Melrose Avenue – and keep your eyes out! Since the restaurants and bars drive the social hustle n’ bustle, you’d better allow yourself that afternoon power-nap if you want to keep up with the cool kids.

Remember: the stars come out at night – this is LA after all. This town seems to shimmer after sundown… you can rock it out on the Sunset Strip or club it up in Hollywood. So, if you like your bars cool, your martinis dry, and your restaurants scrumptious, make sure you’ve got your wallet, your appetite and your energy for your night on the town Hollywood style.

Here’s our insiders guide to some of the best restaurants and nightlife options. Know this: fights broke out between our editorial staff when somebody foolishly suggested we limit our journeyPod Picks in L.A. to only 10 Restaurants and 10 Bars Continue reading →

Celebrity Business / Performance — Comments Off
13
Aug 10

A History Of French Electro Music

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If there is one sound that has come to represent something about quality in today’s dance music industry, it is the French sound. You can’t go to a club today without hearing those distinctive filters, that unmistakable disco vibe, and the crisp, sharp beats. French electronic music has established itself as more than a fad; it’s about quality through experimentation, and it’s showing no signs of going away.

As with all house music, it began with disco. By the late 1970s, disco music had developed into a definable genre, and the 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever shot disco into the public spotlight. The fundamentals of house music today can be traced back to legendary nightclubs such as The Paradise Garage and Studio 54, where disco’s short lived notoriety really took off. As disco eventually found itself demoted to smaller venues, the likes of Frankie Knuckles were developing something new. Although Frankie stayed close to disco’s roots, other DJs were pushing a sound influenced by alternative genres: reggae, euro pop, hip hop, new wave, etc.

House music became an underground revolution, and as it began to move away from focusing on songs for radio play, the tracks got longer, the basslines more inventive, and the parties more vibrant. With the advent of drum machines in the 1980s, house music began to take form. Continue reading →

Industry Trends / Performance — Comments Off
12
Aug 10

A brief history of Trance and Techno Music

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketTrance music is generally characterized by a tempo of between 124 and 148 bpm, featuring repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and down throughout a track, often crescendo or featuring a breakdown.

Trance music became popular as it was played by the early “superstar dj’s”, like Sasha, Paul Van Dyk, and Paul Oakenfold. Trance music relies on sequencers, synthesizers, and electronic effects for its sound.

Tracks

Tracks are exquisitely unique and spacious in a limitless manner. While it is not a greatest hits compilation, it collects radio edits and rare versions of some of his best tracks. The music is rhythmic and stark–a few drums, three flutes, a pair of castanets, and the voices of the followers are all you’ll hear on these title less tracks–and the sound quality renders an experience imperfectly dimmed by the years.

It all started around 1999 when the first minimal tracks and artists were being established, though it took a while for the trance side to really get going, but once it did, it really got into full flow. Continue reading →

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10
Aug 10

London – Clubbing Royal

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketFunk, Hip-Hop, Soul, Swing, Rock, Jazz, House, Reggae, Latin, Drum ‘n Bass, Techno, Bigbeat, Trance, Metal – make your choice. This is what the clubbing scene in London has to offer. There is so much to see in London like the Clock Tower, Madame Tussaud’s, and Piccadilly but nothing even remotely compares to what nightlife in London has to offer. Home to some of the greatest rock and pop bands in the world, music seems to be alive in every corner, every street, and every brick in the wall.

The place to visit is Camden Town, which has a history of rock and roll. Clubs in Camden will offer you a heady concoction of Beer and underground music making it an unforgettable experience. If you are in London, you can’t miss Call the Office. It offers you an eclectic mix of contemporary, alternative, and classic rock that will get you high. It is one of the favorite clubs for those who believe that clubbing is their only and true religion. Live performances and Jamming sessions by Canadian bands like Nickelback and Tragically Hip and local bands like Angry Agency and Acacia have been a part of the club’s repertoire. Continue reading →

Performance / Venues — Comments Off
3
Aug 10

Miami – The Club Land Of North America

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketMiami can easily be termed as the clubbing capital of the world especially with the various genres of music and people coming together for one mega party. Miami never sleeps, and the DJs at various clubs will make sure that you don’t too. Shots of Vodka, Martini, and Tequila are the favorites and will give you enough strength to head bang till morning. Clubbing in Miami is not just an experience; it is a way of life. In Miami, there are no bands, there are only cults, and there is no religion except music. The clubbing atmosphere is electrifying and all-consuming.

Club music in Miami is forever experiencing a continuous process of evolution through experimentation and fusion. If you don’t catch up, you will be left behind and washed out. Clubbing in Miami is not just about dancing or head banging through the night, it is also about drinks, dope, and damsels. If you are lucky, you may end up shaking a leg, or two with the who’s who of Hollywood. The best place to find your favorite Hollywood superstars and icons is at Rok Bar located in Miami Beach. It is owned by former rock star Tommy Lee and is dedicated solely to rock & roll. You can relive the charm of classic rock unplugged, or scream your throat hoarse with heavy metal bands play their metallic best. Continue reading →

Advice / Career / Music Business / Performance — Comments Off
26
Jul 10

How Do You Get There When You Don’t Know What THERE Is?

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketSo you want to be a multi-platinum selling rock star making millions. Woo hoo! Great goal! But these days DIY (You-It-Yourself) has become mainstream, a way of life for many independent artists. So those dreams of getting signed to a major label are so far beyond the horizon it is really not an option anymore. So what now?

You want to get THERE but what is THERE?

Many people I talk to equate success and getting THERE to making music full-time, getting their songs into film and TV, going on the road and selling enough CDs and merchandise to support themselves financially. That is awesome. But unfortunately some indie artists have no clue as to what they really want. They are tired of their day job and want to make a change. They dream about the day they can quit and do music full-time. They dream but don’t act.

So how do you get there? Continue reading →

Performance — Comments Off
24
Jul 10

The Death Of Dance Music? Get Over Yourself – My Last Respects To Bandwagons Of The Past

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketTime and Time again, one of my friends will say to me, “You’re still listening to Dance Music? When are you going to grow out of that, there hasn’t been anything new in years?”… Me: “No, you haven’t heard anything new in years”.

“And listen to what?” I always say. “That crap you have in your glove box?”

I run into people and friends all the time that “Used to” listen to Dance Music, and claim knowledge of the most popular and listened genre of music in the world, but in all reality, they just really jumped a bandwagon at the time the radio was playing a lot of C and C Music Factory, Black Box, KLF, Pet Shop Boys, and every Top 40 artist had to have a “Club Mix” and thought that they were in “The scene” for a time period.

Then radio moved on to the “next big thing” and like sheep, they went with it, or reverted back to what they were listening to before. The fact of the matter is, Radio, MTV, and other mainstream outlets play what image they think they can sell you, not what’s really good, or popular. They create popularity. That is their business.

The Death of Dance Music has been predicted by one writer or another over the last 25 years Continue reading →

Advice / Career / Performance / Promoting — Comments Off
20
Jul 10

Hot Artist & Band Press, Promo Kits!

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketWho’s been signed this time, was a common question and theme at William Morris Agency while I was there as an agent. While the agency was always on the lookout, of course with the major heavy weight record labels, knowing which artist would ultimately get the deal was not always an “in the bag” known quantity. As one of the younger up and coming agents, I often learned many valuable lessons from some of the most seasoned and quite honestly almost intimidating agents, not because of personality conflicts, but because of their breadth of both knowledge and weight within the industry. One of the most valuable lessons that I learned from these agents was all things being equal, image and their press kits were as much a part of the deal signing as the actual music performed by the acts. If that’s one of the keys, especially in the beginning phases of a “baby act” trying to break in to the music industry, then why do we see such half hearted attempts and mediocre press kits and promo material out there? I don’t know if I can answer those questions, but I will certainly try to help you gain some insight into what a quality crafted press and promo kit ought to look like.

You would think that with the age of the computer and with very affordable software that press kits would get better. “Flashy” perhaps, but the actual depth of the material being offered into today’s press kits is usually the same with very little emphasis on the needed verbage and elements and filled with the same old clichés of where they grew up, this that and the other. It’s got to be more than that if you want to grab the attention of music industry professionals. At ReelMusician.com we are bombarded by this type of press kit day in and day out, knowing that some of these acts are fairly credible, but without the right image and marketing materials, that being their press kits, that they probably won’t make it. So what does make for a solid press kit? Let’s look at some ideas and concepts. Continue reading →

Advice / Music Business / Performance — Comments Off
18
Jul 10

The Digital DJ Licence

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketIn a world which has gone completely mad, and a country which already forces it’s mortals to pay twice for the same thing, the powers that be at PPL have put their collective heads together and decided to get a piece of the action. Somebody somewhere woke up one morning and thought ‘Hey, how can we make consumers and Mobile Discos pay ongoing annual fees for the material which they have already legally bought’ and decided that in order to create some additional revenue it would charge DJ’s £200 ($350) a year purely for the right to convert one type of media (which they have already bought) to another type of media purely for easier archive and playback purposes.

Yes, fellow Dj’s the age old rumour that you can back up your original CD’s to MP3 format for use on a Hard Drive or Digital based player legally in the UK is FALSE! . Doing so is illegal and likely to risk prosecution despite it being perfectly legal and acceptable in many other European Countries, and America either under Fair Use conditions in local copyright acts or the Home Recording Act of 1992 (U.S.A). So in other words, UK based DJ’s are being singled out, penalised and getting the raw deal once again.

The Digital DJ Licence costs you £200 ($350) and this gives you the right to back up original CD’s to MP3 or other digital format for storage and playback on Hard Drive format (upto a maxium of 20,000 tracks) for use on a PC or Laptop, however like anything else there are conditions and several flaws.

Q) I have a Digital DJ Licence so surely I am now fully covered

False!. The first and perhaps most largest flaw in the Digital DJ Licence is the fact that the PPL licence is only half the story!. In order to remain fully legal you also need permission to convert the tracks from Continue reading →

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