Music, style, and life. We are mGrooves. We are 4groovers…

It’s a simple story really. And as such begins like most stories, seemingly inocuous.

About two years ago, through a mutual DJ and friend I was introduced to this fan of House music, another aspiring DJ. She was a fan from the early 90′s; her interest had not waned. Her love of House music had pushed her to the point where she was determined to start deejaying herself and shortly thereafter–and unlike many of her peers–producing.

Yes, there were some missteps. Inevitably, there almost always is. But here she is today, actually licensed and published. The side of the road and the expressways are littered and crowded with people who have been around for much longer. They are the first to be the type to beat their chests, and rasie their hands as if they are gods gift to spinning music–many times the crowd nor the very music they play does not deserve such ovations. Yet, here she is licensed and published.

And to think at WMC 2010 (our first face to face meeting), we chatted and in the course of which she lamented about the difficulty of starting to producing without much music experience. And worrying that she didn’t have the skill set to make the grade.

Six months and mountains of fortitude and passion later…

It is what prompted me to admire that she, “is one of those rare DJs who actually exude that true spirit of House music. What a refreshing talent she is.”

Melanie has her song “Rastafari” appearing on DJ Divas compilation, along side some certainly more experienced female producers as far as years in the biz. Certainly not just another pretty face wearing headphones, Mel represents our music, House music well…, very well.
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The rest of my BSB (Brand Spankin’ Bought)….

Fries & Bridges – Just Because
Edmund – Full of Funk
Joshua Heath – Neighbour Noise
Jeroenski & Jorn feat. Alexandra Prince – Set Me Free
Treasure Fingers – Lift Me EP
Baracus – Imagine / Jaws Remixes
Soul Deep Inc. – The Underground
Ranno Vollman & Sean Jay Dee – Trombone
Erik Bo – Love UK EP

-s

So we were in Ocean City, MD for a quick get away. After being rained out the first day, the second day was much better. Since it was after the crowded season, it was nice to be able to casually walk the boardwalk with out being jostled about.

Now even I will admit that beach towns are perfect place to be out-of-this-world; and I am all for cutting loose with in reason. But take a look at this!!!! I had to blur the license plate to protect the not-so-innocent…

The car is named Legacy, but those graphics are just way too much.

Those of you who know me are aware that I am also quite a Subaru fan and a STi driver. The big ‘push-cart’ wing–that is functional I might add–notwithstanding on my STi, this is just over the top. Hence, I want to demonstrate how one can make things out-of-this-word by being classically and purposefully understated. Yes, it may seem like an oxymoron, but it is not.

A couple of years ago, I entered into this contest to remix the Thrushes song “Heartbeats”. I was selected to be a part of the iTunes download (only) collection of excellent remixes. The approach to production I took was decidedly Bjork-like. I took the airy guitars and converted them to ‘space’. I re-played some of their parts using synths and keys; added a muted drum beat. And Viola! (No you don’t have to scream like a tacky used car salesman to ‘kickass’.)

It seems that some don’t remember (or ever knew) that subtlety is just as powerful as being bombastic. The more important element is timing. Along those lines, I’m really sick of every john or jane who ‘blows it up’ every time they do the pound or dap greeting–that is the tap of two fists between friends for all of the uninitiated out there.

Timing can make or break a mix, or a single song; it can go from great to awful quicker than you can say “OH. MY. GAWD.”

So a word to the wise out there. When you are at that point where you think you are too cool and you are about to do that one extra trick, don’t! All your ‘cool points’ will evaporate.

With that, here is my latest BSB. What are you buying these days???
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DJ Le Roi feat. Donald Sheffey – Hooked On You (Incl. Rocco Mixes)
Argy, DJ Said, Jerome Sydenham – Thick & Thin
The Realm feat. Choklate – I’ll Let It (Aki Bergen, Seiji & Greg van Bueren Remixes)
Tiger Stripes and Exodus – Together Forever (Make It House)
Kabale und Lauhaus – Since You Looked Into My Eyes
JR from Dallas – Sneaky Freak
Various Artists – Da Sizzla EP
Leonardus – D.I.S.K.O.

Stylo's Getting Into Things

Well I seem to always get into things. I really don’t plan it–it just happens. Does this ever happen to any of you?

So what am I into now? Well, several.

But one is you will find me contributing in a variety of ways from time to time to the blog, 801Studio. This new blog by Tunde will feature her short ‘stories’. These stories will only be in photo form with no words or captions besides. So it is up to your wonderful imaginations to fill in the proverbial blanks with detail. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Well comment on the submissions and lets see…

I have also almost completed my new home studio. I’m excited about this because I can get back to the production work that was started some weeks ago that since has started gathering dust. But even among the construction dust, some music work has been occurring.

Here is what I’ve been getting into music-wise:

Pafuera Telaranas – Bebe
Broken Bells – Broken Bells
Point – Cornelius
In Love With A DJ (Incl. Baggi Begovic Remix) – Ron Carroll and CeCe Peniston
David Penn presents Tried & Tested EP Vol 1
Summer Breeze (Raw Artistic Soul Mixes) – N’Dinga Gaba feat. Sahffi
Funky Twins Ep – Erik Bo
Looking 2 Bounce EP – Demarkus Lewis

-s

I have been fortunate to deejay to along side some very interesting and talented people.  Some of these individuals are more noteworthy than people might expect and are often overlooked by the uneducated or the uninitiated.  Make no mistake, there are superstars right in your backyard.

Adam plays tourist in San Francisco

One doesn’t find these gems by following crowds to the usual suspects like Lady Gaga or David Guetta; real fans of music, while they might enjoy some of that type of work, look past such uber-personalities.  If one has done this, you might have come across Adam Abouraya.  (See http://www.abouraya.com/)

Applying his craft in cities across the globe, he has played along side some of the those same personalities that some roll off their tongues as if they are next door neighbors. He is.  Adam is also a ScandalDC resident.

We, ScandalDC, will be gathering to help him celebrate his birthday at Gazuza Lounge (1629 Connecticut Av NW, Washington, DC) on Thursday, July 8th 9PM.  Why don’t you join us…

-s

***

Here is what one might hear in one of my upcoming sets:

BSB – Brand Spankin’ Bought

• 4Hero & DJ Marky, The Kings Of Drum + Bass
• Donn T, Look At (Matthew Bandy Mixes)
• Gangster Sampler
• Marlon D, U.C. Anthem (10 Year Anniversary Remixes)
• Osunlade pres. Nadirah Shakoor, Pride (Incl. Johnny D Mixes)
• Inland Knights, Raise Up
• DJ Gregory and Gregor Salto, Canoa
• The Heavy, How You Like Me Now

Stylo

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Change will come...

So here we are at mGrooves plotting the next steps. I was all ready to ramp up some more remixes, edits, etc and all the while concocting changes to this blog space, the attached websites, and mulling the wonderful changes in my personal life.  And then BOOM!

Much of it came falling apart…

I, along with many of us fans of electronic music, have witnessed the likely passing of a local Baltimore iconic landmark, Shorty’s, and thus the loss of the monthly home of Lust4Life for the past 3 years; and the strange halting of ORG after what seem a steady and progressive rise.  In short, the passing of older and newer.  This has been coupled with the destructive hacking of mGrooves and Lust4Life that rendered the website nearly unusable.

So now the re-arranging takes on a whole new scope.  And that is quite alright, albeit initially frustrating.  It now presents an opportunity to fix some tricky issues and to re-emerge wearing brand new clothes.  As the Semisonic song lyric goes in Closing Time, “every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end…”

With that idea, this is step one of an end of an older beginning and the beginning of some future end.  The blog has been reformulated.  I have used some of the old categories, In The Lab, Say What?, Where Ya At?, and Bleeding Ink.  But a new category has been added, BSB – Brand Spankin’ Bought.

Step two will be to integrate podcasts with this blog, thereby making them more accessible. Video podcasts (e.g. Scandal Guerrilla Video) will also be carried through this channel.  Other syndication will occur through Facebook and other public blog rolls.  Some cross publication between this blog and other blogs will occur as well.

Step three will be the launch of Lust4Life as a monthly podcast.  Will we be searching for a new home for the monthly?  Absolutely!  In fact the search has already begun.  In the mean time, you can still hear some of your favorite Lust4Life guest deejays along with some new peeps too.

Then we will be turning our attention to the over all websites of mGrooves and Lust4Life, and our email lists.  There will also be changes made to our mGrooves and Lust4Life merchandise store.  But stay tuned for those changes.  They will all be announced through this space.

All in all, we still want to bring you the best in high quality electronic music, parties, and people.  We see every set back as an opportunity to rise again and shine like a phoenix.

Feel free to comment and to send me feed back.

-s

Stylo

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