DAY 3: WHAT INSPIRES?

Inspiration is hard to come by when living in a chaotic world where all seems unstable and the constant that is you feels as if you are consumed by what surrounds you. Here in New York City we often succumb to the habit of shutting our universe with music, a way of escaping the true realty of what is a chaos filled, loud and seemingly busy city. As a DJ I have learned rather than using music as a way to shut my world out I use it to make sense of life in this city, to bring peace to my mind and notice the beauty that is life. My inspiration consists of a dose of great music, and a abstract way of reality. This alludes to my next point, tomorrow I will be visiting the Lincoln Center to view a performance which I will be blogging about here. Tonight I bring to you a picture one that inspires me one that moved me. In chaos it is what to me seems calm to calamity. Along with that my recommendation of a old cd that got me through many nights: Sasha : Involver. To all my readers have a good night-

DJMNIMAL

DAY 2 : TRACK & LOCK

Recently, I have been fascinated by the Monochrome function on my camera, I have been working on a project where I photograph train stations and findings in these stations. Inspired by the rustic pieces that make up a station I have found ground in darker, deeper and rougher sounds for my inspiration I have been listening to the likes of Laurent Garnier, Martin Buttrich and Marco Carola & Tiesto. These artists have displayed a significant amount of applied bass, cut-through sounds that make a mix into a perfect flow of music. At the train station I have been able to photograph seemingly normal everyday things that we come across but I have been able to put it into a new perspective a new light, that make it beautiful in my eyes. Enjoy some of the shots and check out some of the artists mentioned with the links provided. I am providing you my reader with these tracks to hear and allude to the sound and mixes that I am working on for a future mix that will be posted on here.

Photos from The Train Station:

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One of my favorite remixers moonbeam collaborated with Tiesto on the following track:

Rachael Starr * To Forever * (Moonbeam Remix …

Check out flashback:

https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/artist/detail/8501/laurent_garnier

Check out around the Bay:

https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/artist/detail/2604/martin_buttrich

Check out Marco Carola’s Play it loud:

https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/artist/detail/10141/marco_carola

NEW START: DAY 1

ATTENTION DEAR READERS OF DJMNIMAL:

So dear readers it has been quite a while since I’ve written on here, captured by a monotonous life of work and school, I have unfortunately been unable. But I have taken on new projects and I will soon begin to display them on here, for one I will be expanding my creativity to a new found hobby : photography. I have actually not put any of my work if you will… any where and I will choose here to display my first picture here which you will have already have found on top of this post, from an album called The Trainstation also links to my photography along with new mixes and music reviews will be soon posted here. It’s all about a new start here in New York City, it’s springtime. REJOICE.

-DJMNIMAL

MUSIC THE WAY ITS MEANT TO BE HEARD

Where did all the good songs go?.. Being plagued today by so much auto-tune and synthesized songs, electronic filled beats that belong on the jersey shore (we all fall right in that category as we walk down the street listening to kesha).. truth be told we tend to forget all those good songs, that were just simple, a lead, a guitarist and a drummer. Granted there is a lot to be argued in terms of what is musically considered artistic, there are many artists in todays day and age that do produce magnificent and good song worthy material, but as society becomes less and less social and we are introduced to more and more technology we retreat from what good music is actually considered. Do you remember the last time you actually listened to the radio.. I don’t either. Nonetheless this why I started this blog to tell you what about music and music the way its meant to be heard. Not implying that you don’t use your iPod, Iphone etc.. those are amazing inventions that have facilitated the amount of music and the exposure that we have to music. What I am implying is that you listen to music, quality music worthy of listening to here are a few Artists to get you started on that. Music the way its meant to be heard!

BACK ON TRACK

Hello dear readers, I know that I have not written on here recently, but I would like to assure you that I have much in stock for you, I have recently been working on school, work and music and I am getting back on track, today wednesday I am beginning my back on track with a listening to Hotel Costes Vol. 14. If you are not familiar with the Hotels Costes series by DJ Stephane Pompougnac let me unveil what is one of my favorite listenings of my generation. Based of the famous Hotel in Paris, the Hotel Costes volumes are a culmination of lounge music that is distributed by the Hotel Internationally. So for an international take of lounge music, I recommend Hotel Costes to add to your playlist, ipod and next dinner party!

 

ONE EIGHT ELEVEN | SATURDAY ESSENTIAL MIX

A  proper Saturday evening mini-mix for your listening pleasure from yours truly.

http://soundcloud.com/djmnimal/one-eight-eleven

-DJMNIMAL

JULES JAZZ : A TAMBOURINE, A TRUMPET AND A BANJO.

I walked into the quaint yet aesthetically edgy bar in the famous new york street St. Marks place located in the lower east side. Walking in you could sense that you had entered into something different. The decor in the bar is that of a french bistro, with their menu written very beautifully on a chalkboard. Amber lighting and tree lights in white filled the air with a pleasing atmosphere. And as for tonights headliner,  Jessy Carolina and The Hot Mess.  Jessy Carolina and The Hot Mess is a New York City based ensemble specializing in early american roots and jazz music from the late 1800’s to the 1930’s.

We entered the bar at the third installment of a three part segment of their regular tuesday performance at Jules Jazz.  Jessy Carolina a very simplistic yet intriguing character, comes near the bar and orders herself a glass of Pinot noir, with wine glass in hand a washboard around her neck and tambourine on the other hand she comes near by what I am guessing is the Hot Mess. A cello player, a banjo player, trumpet player and yes you guessed it a clarinet player. They begin with a slower rendition of I ain’t got nobody and nobody cares for me.

When Jessy after a well deserved introduction enters the song you hear what is one of the most interesting voice I have heard in a long time. She truly feels the music when she sings, its almost as if the music and her are one with a high pitched yet raspy and utterly amazing high note she develops a sound that can only be depicted as odd, different and magnificent. The band proceeds to take you through a musical journey of jazz by displaying interesting solos, but most of all  and amazing display of showman ship by the banjo and trumpet players.

I would like to extend you an invitation to visit Jules Jazz to check out the awesomeness that is Jules Jazz. It was here that I realized that calling the month January the month of Jazz was the correct decision, sipping on a nice slow gin based drink, and listening to the likes of Jessy Carolina & The Hot Mess makes for what was a perfect jazz night in January. Exactly what I envisioned. Now through on Miles Davis, Billie Holliday and Dizzie and hit Replay.

-DJMNIMAL

Jules Jazz located at 65 St Marks Pl New York, New York.

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AN INTRO TO JAZZ IN JANUARY.

Hello readers, it has been a few days since I have written to you guys. I promised that this month I would bombard you with Jazz in what I like to call January Jazz. Being that I am a hard working dude by day, I have been a bit caught up and unable to write to you guys. But tonight on a interesting friday for me, I have decided to write this entry.  Listening to the likes of Michael Jackson, and although he is considered the King of Pop, he has such soul love and appreciation for music through his music that I felt compelled to write about this Jazz experience at my first New York City Jazz bar Jules Jazz.

 

JANUARY JAZZ

Happy New Year! To all my DJMNIMAL readers, I wanted to begin this year by trying something new and something a little bit different, being that I live in

New York city, the city of lights the city of glamour. The city of jazz, the month of January is the month to embrace all that is warm, energetic and soulful. What more to that than jazz, not knowing much of the genre I am vowing to learn as much as I can about it this month. This is why I chose January to start with something different something new yet old, and soulful a genre with deep roots, meaning and beautiful. Percussion, wind and strings are all heard throughout this genre. Not only is categorizes as one genre but there are plenty of sub genres that accompany : New Orleans Dixieland dating from the early 1910s, big band-style swing from the 1930s and 1940s, bebop from the mid-1940s, a variety of Latin jazz fusions such as Afro-Cuban and Brazilian jazz, free jazz from the 1950s and 1960s, jazz fusion from the 1970s, acid jazz from the 1980s (which added funk and hip-hop influences), and Nujazz in the 1990s .Although I would have loved to start today with a Sunday night at the NOHO star to begin my adventure, due to the fact that this feat falls at the bringing of a new year rather than throwing my self in I decided to listen and digest jazz music and only from the best. So tonight I will give you a list of who I will have the lovely pleasure of listening to.. which will soon be followed by a list of movies that I will watch, along with one of my inspirations for this feature in my blog. To all my jazz lovers and music lovers, heres to a great new year and lets not forget to hit replay.

 

-DJMNIMAL

Here is the list of the artist’s playing in my ipod right now :

Miles Davis

John Coltrane

Billie Holiday

Dizzy Gallespie

Cannonball Adderley

Dave Brubeck

TOP 20 FOR 2010

This year brought along a wave of deep latin rhythms and drum-based inspired electronic, house and techno music, filling dance floors with vocal samples both old and new and latin chants from post eighties music. Vocals were prominent in the line up for what is 2010’s best electronic music. Duck Sauce (Armand Van Helden & A-Trak’s collaboration) brought along a strange but catchy and rhythmic track called “Barbara Streisand” which caught my attention with its disco-friendly synth, which samples 1979’s “Gotta go Home” by German Disco group Boney M.  and a Heavy 808 drum that percolates throughout the track that is sure to make you want to dance. Not only was sampling heavy in 2010, but also bringing along analog instruments was evident, as it is in Edward Maya & Vika J’s “Stereo Love”.  Also sampling and remixing older techno tracks was a clear indication that electronic music had reached a status that is no longer necessarily underground, as shown in the Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Crowd Remix of Technotronic’s “Pump up the Jam”.  Well heres is to more great music which I expect to see in 2011. Here I present to you the Top Twenty of Twenty Ten.  Along with this chart you will find my very own mix of this playlist feel free to download and play at your own new years party . Until next year, don’t forget to hit replay.

-DJMNIMAL

Top twenty songs of 2010

Part 1

1. Duck Sauce – Barbara Streisand (Original Mix)

2. Stereo Love (Molella Remix) – Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina

3. Gregor Salto, DJ Gregory – Canoa (Original Mix)

4. Dennis Ferrer & John Jacobsen – Hey Hey

5. Pump Up The Jam (Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Crowd Is Jumping Mix) -Technotronic

6. Hey (Nah Neh Nah) Vs. Vaya Con Dios (Milk & Sugar Dub Mix) – Milk & Sugar

7. Carlito (Original Mix) – Mark Reeve

8. Malo (Sgt Slick Remix) – Avicii

9. Tonco Tone – Chocolate Puma

10. Cordoba (Original Mix) – Franky Rizardo

Part 2

11. Feel So Good (Original Mix) – MC Flipside, JoeySuki

12. Gospel (Super Flu’s Antichrist Remix) – Format B13. Balanceo – Rene Amesz

14. Without Love (D.O.N.S. & Mikael Weermets Remix) – Rene Amesz & Baggi Begovic

15. Dont Turn The Lights On (Aeroplane Remix) – Chromeo

16. Song for a girl – Moonbeam

17. Jaana (Original Mix) – Kaiserdisco

18. Millennium (Amo & Navas 2010 Remix) – Juanjo Martin Feat. Rebeka Brown

19. Go Loco – Sascha Braemer

20. La Mezcla (Original Mix) – Michel Cleis