Tonight PRINCE returns to Edmonton at Rexall Place for his cross-Canada tour! Since the late 1970's, Prince has produced 10 platinum albums, thirty Top 40 singles, and sold over 80 million copies worldwide! Be certain to hear his 80's and 90's classics as well as some covers at tonight's show!

 

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This coming FRIDAY DECEMBER 16th I'll be spinning at Haven and The Common. Come enjoy some good eats from Corso 32, drinks, and downtempo / hip hop before you head to Red Star and The Common!

HAVEN 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY (AFTER PARTY @ RED STAR)

http://www.facebook.com/events/215229918552908/

http://havenshop.ca/

THE COMMON

http://www.facebook.com/events/328477283836412/

http://djjuniorbrown.com

 

 

 

 

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Tonight Saturday November 26th is the relaunch party for Parlour Magazine in Edmonton City Centre's Pedway. This event is to celebrate the return of Parlour Magazine and all the new winter gear from local designers and retailers. The fashion show will include new winter gear from Coup Boutique, Gravity Pope, Urban Fashion Group, and feature Sid Neigum (www.sidneigum.com) Genette Salgado (www.genettesalgado.com) and Malorie Urbanovitch. Myself and Kris Harvey (Axe & Smash) will be spinning before and during the fashion show! 

After party at HALO featuring Dan Dacosta

 

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It was 32 years ago today, July 12, 1979 , that one of the most infamous ballpark promotions of all time took place in Chicago at Comiskey Park: DISCO DEMOLITION NIGHT! A popular Chicago disc jockey Steve Dahl had been fired from a local radio station when the programming shifted from rock to an all disco format. The Disco Demolition Night was conceived and promoted by Dahl and Mike Veeck, son of the Chicago White Sox owner. Veeck invited Dahl to blow up thousands (over 20,000) of disco records in the middle of the field between games of a double header against the Detroit Tigers. All fans who brought disco records were charged only 98 cents admission. Over 75,000 spectators and fans scaled walls and bum rushed the stadium to watch disco records go up in flames! After all the records blasted into to flames, the record crowd at Comiskey Park began storming the field, knocking over the batting cage, climbing foul poles, and starting bomb fires. It was mass mayhem! People say that this was the death to disco! Today people are still talking about it and playing disco music. Here is a disco / nu-disco mix I did a while back BALEARIC BOOGIE: VOLUME 2 with imagery and samples from the Disco Demolition Night. 

 <span>BALEARIC BOOGIE VOLUME TWO by DJ Junior Brown</span> 

1979 Disco Demolition Night, Local News Coverage http://youtu.be/MpQfCcsqQ0E

BALEARIC BOOGIE: VOLUME 3 COMING TO YOUR SPEAKERS SOON

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This past Saturday (from 1pm-11pm) 104th Street hosted the 3rd Annual Alfresco Block Party. Filled with hundreds of people of all walks of life eating food from local restaurants, drinking wine, hanging on patios, checking out models on the catwalk, and dancing to DJ's and live bands! Mother Nature blessed us with great weather to top this event off. Thank you all who attended and who helped put this amazing event together, I'm looking forward to participating in the years to come!

Thanks to Karin Locke for these great photos http://www.karinlocke.com/

 

 

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Here is For Those Who Know... @ Halo May 2011 (PART 2) 

11. Azari & III - Reckless With Your Love (DJ Sneak Gangstaz Mix)

12. Craig Hamilton - Over You

13. Jeremy Joshua - Thinking About Your Face

14. Black Rose - Anthem

15. Olene Kadar, D-Low - Baby Keep It Up (Ian Pooley's Mix)

16. Francis Jilla - Dreams (Fleetwood Mac edit)

17. Sonny Fodera - Work

18. Dasunlounge & Inland Knights - Weekend

19. Cajmere & Gene Farris - Edge Of The Looking Glass

20. Quell - Army Of Lover (Miles Maeda)

21. Derrick Carter - Suzy Can't Give You More (DJ Bang Re-Edit)

 

TO DOWNLOAD TO YOUR COMPUTER: CLICK (DOWNLOAD) THEN RIGHT CLICK ON THE LINK AND SELECT "DOWNLOAD LINKED FILE"

 

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Finally I've got another mix for y'all, perfect timing for summer time activity (whatever that might be). I still like the raw and organic way of DJing and making mixes, by going into the booth a just pressing record using 2 turntables and 2 CDJ1000's. Here is my latest mix recorded at HALO Sunday May 29, 2011 (PART 1). Enjoy it at a loud volume! 

 

I had to split it in 2 part because unfortunately I cannot exceed 100mb uploads. So now you can download each part and burn them to CD.

 

PART 1:

Intro

1. Hercules & Love Affair - My House (Derrick Carter Remix)

2. Chez Damier - You Ain't Dancin (Brett Johnson Edit)

3. Sonny Fodera - Contact

4. Dimitri Max - Waffles (Jeremy Joshua Mix)

5. Aldo Cadiz - All She Is

6. Monoman - Watch Your Back

7. Jeff Haze - Mindfood - (Hector Moralez)

8. Filterypen - After Laughter

9. Rubix - That Rhythm 

10. Iz & Diz - Strong 

 

TO DOWNLOAD TO YOUR COMPUTER: CLICK (DOWNLOAD) THEN RIGHT CLICK ON THE LINK AND SELECT "DOWNLOAD LINKED FILE"

 

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Every time I've played out in the past few months I've been dropping Azari & III "Reckless With Your Love" (DJ Sneak's mix) http://youtu.be/b2V21LA1y7Y. This track gets a consistent response of hands in the air and people shouting "you just give it up, you just give it away". Who knew Azari & III (pronounced "Azari" & "Third") was a Canadian grown group from Toronto? Dinamo Azari and Alixander III gained popularity spinning warehouse parties in the underground scene of Toronto then to releasing their first single "Hungry For Power" for Trax Records. Since then they have had the likes of Chicago's DJ Sneak, Jamie Jones, and Tensnake to remix their tracks. Azari & III have also remixed for other big names like Quentin Harris and Australian Indie Electronic group, Cut Copy. Check em out!

Azari & III "Hungry For The Power" (Jamie Jones Remix)

<span>Azari & III - Hungry For The Power [Jamie Jones Remix] by PurplePR</span>

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Halo won BEST DANCE CLUB in See Magazine's Best Of Issue 2011. Thanks to nights like For Those Who Know and The Mod Club. Thanks for all your support over the years! 

http://www.seemagazine.com/article/city-life/best-edmonton/best-of-edmonton-g...

 

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The date has been confirmed! Saturday June 11, 2011 will be the day of the third annual Alfresco 104th Street Block Party. Throughout the day and night, the street will be filled with a mixture of people tasting food and wine, hanging out on patios, dancing to DJ's and live bands, and checking out fashion shows and live performances. Once again this year's charity is E4C's Edmonton School Lunch Program, which is an organization dedicated to supplying nutritious food to needy children all over the city. There will be food vendors from MRKT, Corso, Sabor Divino, Pampa, Elm Cafe, and Tres Carnales. An outdoor wine tasting tent by Devine Wines and licensed patios by Blue Plate Diner, Tzin Wine Bar and Tapas, and Lit Wine Bar. Plus fashion shows from the new woman's boutique Coup, C'est Cera, Fridget Apparel, Eye Care, and Blunt Hair. This year I'll be sharing the deck's with one of my favorite local DJ's, Dane (Danksoul - Treehouse - The Common) and we'll be spinning a wide variety of funky block party music! RAIN OR SHINE

It's about bringing the downtown community together for a great cause!

 

 

 

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JAPAN WE CARE @ RED STAR

THURSDAY APRIL 7, 2011

"The compassion the Canadian people have demonstrated over the past week through their generous support to the Canadian Red Cross is incredibly uplifting at a time when we are dealing with a such an immense humanitarian tragedy. This financial support is very much needed and continues to be welcomed to help the hundreds of thousands of lives that will forever be changed by this disaster." 

Satoshi Sugai 
Director International Relief Division 

 

*A message from the Japanese Red Cross website*

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Many people are getting their outfits, bodies, lungs, livers, and brain cells ready for the 2011 Coachella Music Festival next weekend. Were getting ready by hosting a Pre Coachella Party @ Halo this Saturday April 9th. Featuring some local favorites from Dusty Grooves, Polyesterday, Dbz & Kgz, Austin Mcmahon, and Axe & Smash. Each DJ has selected 2 artists to play music from the Coachella 2011 dance tent roster. IT'S TIME TO SHAKE AND POP!

GREEN VELVET

Green Velvet, initially created by house don Cajmere (AKA Curtis Alan Jones) as an outlet for his non-vocal productions and frequent DJing gigs, grew to become even more popular than the man himself, thanks to club singles like "Preacher Man," "Answering Machine" and "The Stalker." Each were infectious, undeniably fun records with simple vocal taglines and a wonderful sense of humor. Jones, who had nurtured the Chicago house renaissance of the 1990's with his Cajual Records, gained immense success in 1993 with the Cajmere single "Brighter Days" (with vocals performed by Dajaé). Later that year, he formed the sub-label Relief Records mostly for instrumental tracks by himself and others. Besides releases from DJ Sneak, Gemini and Paul Johnson, Green Velvet figured on many of the early Relief singles, including its first, "Preacher Man" as well as "Flash" (also released on the British label Open), "The Stalker" and 1997's hilarious "Answering Machine." Jones began to do supplement his Green Velvet DJing schedule with quasi-live gigs as well, and released his first LP in 1999. His self-titled release on F-111 one year later compiled a dozen of his earlier club hits, and the proper sophomore production album "Whatever" appeared in 2001 on his own Relief label. 

Change has been a constant theme throughout the successful career of Green Velvet, but as he has crossed genres, explored themes from the comedic to the serious and changed monikers, the common thread running through the music he has made for nearly two decades is its roots in and dedication to the Chicago House sound. 

His first transformation came when he left master's degree studies in chemical engineering at UC-Berkeley to turn a hobby into a career making music, influenced by the sounds he had been exposed to as a science-fiction-loving, video-game-playing kid whose father was a part-time Chicago DJ. 

As Cajmere, he released his inaugural Underground Goodies EP in 1991 on his Cajual label, keeping true to the early House sound. He quickly followed it up the next year with the smash hit "Coffeepot (It's Time for the Percolator)." 

Not one to rest on his success, he soon changed things up, teaming with vocalist Dajae for "Brighter Days," a more mellow House tune, this one released by Emotive. That pairing would be his last with a female vocalist until his recent partnership with rapper Kid Sister for "Everybody Wants." 

The 17 years in between those two projects witnessed an incredible array of electronic music emanating from this prolific artist, as well as a second label under his direction, Relief. Adopting the persona Green Velvet (not to mention a Day-Glo shock wig) for his techno-oriented pieces and DJ appearances, he became the champion of new wave Chicago beats through the '90s-known best for hits such as "Preacher Man," "Flash" (a No. 1 U.S. dance hit in 1995), and 1997's laugh-inducing "Answering Machine." The decade ended with his first album, Constant Chaos in 1999. The new century brought a compilation album, Green Velvet, during a brief signing with Warner Bros. Records' short-lived F-111 imprint, and a production album, Whatever, on Relief. The punk-inspired Whatever explored darker themes than his previous work, including racism ("When?"), drug use ("Genedefekt" and "La La Land"), alienation ("Sleepwalking") and bending to authority ("Gat"). 

"La La Land" went on to become by far the biggest selling track of his career. His live act expanded as he began playing a keytar, with two other musicians-Nazuk and Spaceboy-backing him, playing heavily distorted synths. 

The last decade also saw Green Velvet become a fan favorite across Europe, playing to huge crowds at festivals in addition to live radio appearances and club gigs. Numerous side projects and remixes under various names also added to his seemingly nonstop musical output. 

In 2005, Green Velvet released his third album, Walk In Love, which stayed true to the House sound, with a few pop- and punk-oriented tracks for good measure, including "Come Back" and "Pin-Up Girl," both of which featured a live guitarist. 

The ongoing evolution in the music, career and life of the artist born Curtis Alan Jones in Chicago has been and will continue to be fascinating to watch and experience for his many followers. 

RIVA STARR

Riva Starr couldn’t be hotter right now. Stefano Miele - aka Riva Starr - has smashed out of the blogosphere with his unique patchwork of styles, swiftly establishing himself as one of the most unique and recognisable producer / DJ today. 

Riva – with his love for re-inventing any music that inspires him – has coined the term “Snatch!” to describe his very personal bootleg remix technique, snatching and pick-pocketing any music style and making it his own. Also known as “Mezcla” - the Spanish word for blending or fusion - Riva’s music moves from mood to mood, genre to genre, but always leaving his cheeky, wobbly footprint. His eclectic love of contrasting sounds reverberate through his productions – Disco, Folk, Electro and Balkan beats are all thrown in there… 

“I’m a house DJ… My house style is like a magician’s hat; you can put your hand in there 
& you won’t know what will come out of it.” (Riva Starr – Time Out London)

With an impressive catalogue of releases and remixes on key dance labels such as Made 2 Play, Get Physical, Dirtybird, Kindisch and Southern Fried; Riva’s diverse, but always distinctive sound has helped him notch up a fan-base that ranges from Annie Mac to Pete Tong, Tiesto to Riccardo Villalobos, Carl Cox to DJ Sneak, and Groove Armada to Sven Vath. His remixes are as diverse as his own productions, already including The Gossip, Derrick Carter, Usher, Thomas Schumacher, Plan B, Dennis Ferrer, Lionrock and Estelle. But no matter how diverse his productions and remixes, there is always an inimitable thread that is unique to Riva. 

“The Riva Starr sound has many different angles to it; It’s funny, sometimes it’s grotesque and sometimes it’s bouncy & dark, it really reflects my personality.” (Riva Starr)

Riva’s recent album “If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade” (Made 2 Play), was released in January this year to critical acclaim. Drawing inspiration from the Balkan music scene, Riva showed his depth of musical knowledge - using the brilliant Noze on ‘I Was Drunk’ – whilst showcasing his directorial talents in the self-edited video release – a montage and homage to Balkan director Kusturica (over 800,000 hits on YouTube and counting). The single has already gained huge support on Radio 1 and the DJ elite and having been recently snapped up by major label Positiva, is due for release in August 2010. 

Riva’s Miami Defected compilation (March 2010) featured his remix of Dennis Ferrer’s ‘Hey Hey’ (arguably one of this year’s most talked about remixes), and was the perfect opportunity to showcase Riva’s dynamic sound and made one of Defected’s biggest compilations of the year. 

Snatch! (well of course!) Records, was launched in April 2010, and has already made a huge splash with releases from Donk Boys, David Keno, Riva’s own ‘Splendidub’, and Thomas Schumacher. You have to watch Riva’s incredible ‘Splendidub’ video, which again he made himself on Ableton… another YouTube sensation – sheer brilliance. 

2010 was an insane year for Riva – he properly rocked all over the world… With an enviable energy, Riva has DJ’ed at every major club and festival including Cocoon; Space, Ibiza Rocks, the Radio 1 weekender & Pacha in Ibiza; UK festivals Glastonbury, The Big Chill, Creamfields & Love Box; Europes Dance Valley and Pukkelpop aswell as Fuji Rocks & Womb in Japan. 

It’s no wonder Riva was named as “Player of the Year” in IDJ aswell as Mixmag’s “Star of the Year”… 

2011 is going to be just as massive for Riva, with a compilation mix on the cards, aswell as his own artist album, a slew of new productions and exciting signings for Snatch! 

http://www.coachella.com/

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It's been a DECADE! Halo has been promoting underground dance culture since 2001.

 

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On Derrick Carter's latest Fabric 56 album he ends the Chicago house mix with his remix of Abraham Inc's "Moskowitz" Abraham Inc. is an unprecedented collaboration between three cultural visionaries: DAVID KRAKAUER, champion of klezmer music and world-class clarinetist; legendary funk trombonist and arranger FRED WESLEY, celebrated for his work with James Brown and George Clinton; and hip-hop renegade and beat architect SOCALLED – Abraham Inc. heralds a time when boundaries are eroding, mutual respect is presumed, and musical traditions can hit with full force without concession or appropriation. Backed by a three-piece horn section led by Wesley plus musicians who collaborate frequently with Krakauer and Socalled – and the result is an all-out klezmer-funk dance party! 

The 56th instalment of fabric’s series comes from the Chicago pioneer Derrick Carter. A much-lauded musical hero of the early 90s house music movement, his sound was branded ‘boompty boomp’ after the original musical ability to get people moving. One of the forefathers of house music, Derrick has since stuck to this steadfast style within his music, often reworking and interpreting tracks to fit his own musical sensibility.

“I produce all the time. I put a few specials on my fabric album from my private stock. I re-edit a lot of things. I have a different dancefloor vision. I like to think of it like sports tuners. They get a nice car and it works well enough but they tune it so that it fits their needs. Better performance, add some growl! It’s the same thing, I fix it up so it works for me, so when I play it, I get more power at lower revs, so to speak.”

After starting two other house music labels, Derrick joined forces with Luke Solomon and Chez Damier (who later stepped aside to do his own project) to create Classic, one of the most well known record labels of our times. Famously starting at release 100, it counted backwards until it reached number one, at which point the label folded and countless house music classics were etched into its history such as Isolee ‘Beau Mot Plage’ and Derrick Carter ‘Where You At’. Prior to and since, Derrick has worked with a plethora of musical legends, many of which appear on this mix as it weaves through the tapestry of his career and interests.

“I am into interesting art, art that’s relevant to my time period – some modern stuff, pop stuff, some new kids doing interesting things, some weirder “green / eco” stuff. There’s one artist, Gabriel Dishaw, who marries two of my larger passions, which are shoes and art. He makes kicks out of recycled computer parts. I’ve got a pair of “Pentium Blazers” made out of circuit boards, heat sinks, wires and such. I also collect some Haring, some Warhol, Banksy, D*Face, Cody Hudson, and Herman Miller prints. Things that I like to think are going to be my retirement fund. At some point when the bottom falls out of this shit! You know, I said that about 10 years ago and I’m still holding on”

fabric 56 perfectly captures what makes Derrick Carter a truly original house music master. The dynamic chugging beats flow effortlessly throughout the seventeen tracks, many re-edited especially for the project or if not reinvented through tight accapellas and undiscovered samples. Vintage classics such as Cajmere’s ‘Percolator’ and Green Velvet’s ‘La La Land’ thread into contemporary and unreleased material such as Almost September’s ‘Love’ and the amazing ‘Moskowitz Remix’ by Abraham Inc. Derrick shapes this mix with his light and tactile touch, creating a flowing ball of energy, at times loose and others intricate, but always engaging.

“I was trying to get as close to a set as I could. One that spans time and goes from maybe 10 years ago, to some stuff that’s not released, to some stuff that won’t be released other than on this album. That’s how a real set is for me, I have some new stuff, some old stuff, some special stuff. I tried to give it that kind of treatment so it’s authentic, and real and valid and present. It’s Derrick. All day.”

Tracklisting

01 Jody ‘Fingers’ Finch – Jack Your Big Booty (Derrick’s BHQ Acid Vocal / BHQ Bonus Of Beats) [Let's Pet Puppies]
Green Velvet – La La Land (Derrick Carter ‘D’s BHQ Business’ Remix) [Cajual]
Dennis Ferrer – Church Lady (Tommy Davis & DJ Spen Bom Bom Bom Tool) [Defected]
02 Almost September – Love (Derrick’s BHQ Remix) [unreleased]
03 DJ Sneak – Respect Bonito (Justin Long Remix) [Magnetic]
04 Nick Garcia – Playin’ Tricks (Hector Moralez Remix) [The Bomb Digital]
05 Scope – 8 Track [Large]
06 Cricco Castelli – First Love [NRK]
07 Osunlade pres. Nadirah Shakoor – Pride (Johnny D Remix) [Strictly Rhythm]
08 Iz & Diz – Cosmid [Vizual]
09 Roger Sanchez – My Organ [TNT]
10 Scrubfish – Testify To The Soul Provider [Flapjack]
11 Olene Kadar feat. D-Low – Baby Keep It Up [Defected]
12 Cajmere – Percolator (Derrick Carter Bonus Mix) [Cajual]
13 1200 Warriors – HardDrum (B-Boy Mix) [1200 Traxx]
14 Tripmastaz – Back on My BS [Magnetic]
15 Piek meets Stan Garac – La Gondola [Clarisse]
16 Légo – Bang Bang [Poontin Muzik]
17 Abraham Inc. – Moskowitz Remix (D’s BHQ Re-edit) [Table Pounding]

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Old Funk and Soul album covers always had some amazing designs and art direction. When I was younger I always loved digging through my dad's record collections and getting inspiration and sometimes having a laugh. I Recently ordered Funk & Soul Covers from Taschen and it has over 500 legendary covers from the golden era in black music. Here are some of my favorites 

FUNK & SOUL COVERS TASCHEN LINK

http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/popculture/all/06752/facts.funk_sou...

 

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He's back to the North! Hailing from Chicago / San Francisco the legendary Mark Farina is back in Calgary on Friday April 1st at Flames Central. Last time Mark played at Flames Central he transformed the massive sports bar into a massive dance floor for over 1200 people. I'll be warming up the dance floor with Ryan Hoyle (Aqua Audio) and having many drinks with Mikey Daroza. You definitely don't want to miss this HOUSE party!

http://www.djmarkfarina.net/

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Monocle is definitely my new favorite magazine. Launched early 2007, Monocle has got bit of Wallpaper, Vanity Fair, and Foreign Policy combined into one magazine. The Magazine provides a global perspective on international affairs, culture, design, and travel. 

CHECK OUT THE MONOCLE WEBSITE http://www.monocle.com/

MONOCLE IS AVAILABLE AT 29 ARMSTRONG http://www.29armstrong.com/

MONOCLE RETAIL

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Maurice "Moe" Ryan has moved back from the West and is ready to give his West Coast house Flavor next Saturday March 5th. 

We are proud to introduce the Easy Love crew to their first For Those Who Know Saturday night. Miyuru Fernando and Optimixx Prime (Birthday Party!) will be closing out the night providing the dance floor with some house and electro.

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Here is a new ad for Mrkt (10542 Jasper Ave. Upstairs). Promoting that it's open for lunch and dinner!

 

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