Big Band

Archive for March, 2011

If you love clubbing and great music then perhaps it is time that you gave DJing a try. Many of the basic mixing skills can be picked up in a few months and although it takes years to fully master the medium it is something that everyone with a passion for music should try. The most important thing after all if picking tunes that really gets people going. You can then work on how to build a set and work hard on the techniques involved in making the transition between tracks seamless.

Nowadays the range of DJ equipment that is accessible to beginners has never been better. Technology has caught up with the music industry and there are now new and exciting ways on which to share music. DJs can now keep their music in MP3 format and even mix the songs using artificial mixing equipment that emulates the traditional record player setup. It also means that many aspiring DJs can make a name for themselves on the internet by sharing their efforts to friends via the internet. This can result in some DJs forming a massive fan base before they have even played live.

It has as a result never been more popular and with thousands of DJs becoming household names there are a few DJs that are achieving superstardom. Here are my favourites that would fall in this category.

Armin Van Buuren

The Dutch DJ Armin Van Buuren has become one of the leading Trance DJs in the world and he regularly gains enormous crowds for his club performances. Like most DJs he started very young and was fanatical about music. He used to spend all of his pocket money on music and would create tapes for his friends and family to listen to which included his favourite tracks of the moment.

His uncle introduced him to a computer program and he was then able to cut, mix and create his own music tunes from songs that he had collated. Alongside following his passion for music he took a degree in law but was able to follow his passion as he gained an enormous fan base and began to earn some money. He now has a weekly slot in one of the most prestigious of clubs in the club island of Ibiza. Here he has residence in Amnesia.

DJ Tiesto

Probably the most notorious of all the DJs in the world Tiesto has turned his passion for music into a multi-million dollar machine. The first DJ to ever sell out a stadium of 25000 people two nights in a row he has achieved a whole host of landmarks for DJs. He has set the benchmark for DJs at unprecedented heights by DJing for enormous events such as the Athens Olympics opening ceremony. He has even managed to break into the US commercial market where his delirium song was the first ever dance tune to hit the American daytime radio stations.

He has continued to change and modify the sounds that he plays and unlike some DJs is continuously trying new things. Perhaps this is why he has achieved such longevity in the industry. He has even been nominated for a Grammy and is highly regarded throughout the world. He regularly appears on the top ten list of DJs for the mixmag magazine.

Music downloading has never been more popular today. Almost everyone you see on the streets have their music players filled with great songs, which they can listen to throughout the day. And while most of these downloads are recently released singles or albums, it is not a guarantee that these titles are on top of the music download charts. So how do they list the top 10 music download?

MP3s, WMAs, and other music format can be downloaded from different online sources. So even if the song is so popular with downloaders, it is not necessarily an online chart-topper. How is it so? It’s because the official top 10 music download list is compiled by record companies and their affiliate online distributors. In short, only legal download counts-downloads through file-sharing and independent music sites are not included. The good thing about this trend is that more often that not, the official top 10 music download runs parallel to online music downloads in general. This means that one will see the same sets of songs for both official and unofficial online charts-with only a slight difference in the song placing.

But experts believe that topping the online charts would not exactly turn to record sales. Let’s face it, listeners have discriminating tastes for their music. And in a music album composed of more than 10 singles, it’s just not that practical. After all, they will only have three or four favorite songs in there. This is the reason why music download is at the forefront of the music industry because more and more people are choosing to legally download singles rather than buy the whole album. Yes, there are still a number of people-especially diehard fans-who would go to record bars and buy the complete album. But there is a big turnaround between downloaders and record owners. And to think that those who would buy music CDs will convert the songs into music player readable format anyway. In most cases music moguls release a single on the net prior to the album’s official release. This was what happened with Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”, where a lot of users downloaded it weeks before the band’s album was released. Music downloads is also a good form of marketing. It has been the playing ground for new artists-their songs have been popular among listeners even before they get to know the artist who sang them.

As said earlier, most of these downloads are recent releases and download charts vary every week. In recent weeks, Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” leads all music downloads. This is followed by singles of Ne-Yo and Chris Brown. These two artists are successful both in music downloads and record sales-not to mention sold out concerts. New Artist The Ting Tings entered the music-downloading scene with their eponymous single, “That’s Not My Name”. The songs from these artists are all part of the top 10 music download.

Not sure what’s happening with me on this one, but it seems like the more I listen to it, the better Faceless gets. Faceless simply stated is one of their best CDs to date.

It’s a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I’m more than happy to announce that’s exactly what I must say about this one. There simply isn’t a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all, with each song standing tall on it’s own.

Faceless has a nicely varied, mix of 12 tracks that are very well written and brilliantly performed songs by these clearly outstanding musicians. With many of the songs displaying a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Clearly drawing from what I can only imagine are their own real life experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions of love, and the pain of failed relationships can certainly be heard.

Overall Faceless is an outstanding release. Quite possibly Godsmack’s best to date. Really spectacular from beginning to end. If you’re even mildly into Rock music you’ll enjoy this album.

While the entire album is really very good the truly standout tunes are track 4 – Make Me Believe, track 8 – Releasing The Demons, and track 12 – Serenity.

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 – Straight Out Of Line. This is a great track!

Faceless Release Notes:

Godsmack originally released Faceless on April 8, 2003 on the Universal Records label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Straight Out Of Line 2. Faceless 3. Changes 4. Make Me Believe 5. I Stand Alone 6. Re-Align 7. I F****** Hate You 8. Releasing The Demons 9. Dead And Broken 10. I Am 11. Awakening, The 12. Serenity

Godsmack: Tony Rombola (vocals, guitar); Robbie Merrill (vocals, bass); Sully Erna (vocals); Shannon Larkin (drums, percussion).