VOCAL DANCE EXPERIENCE

Suprise Saturday Treat for my listeners! This completes an almost 3 year old request.

Love, peace and music...always

...dj Tim a

Tonight's 80's night at Bobby's, so as I was putting some sets together to mix, I go nostalgic and threw this together.

Those of you waiting for requests, thanks for your patience. Work and life have been hectic, but I think June and Pride will bring inspiration.

luv, peace and music, always...

...dj Tim a

TAKE 2!

Apologies to those of you who downloaded the previous unfinished track, or those of you who saw my post on Facebook, MySpace or Blogspot, and then had to wait while I dealt with computer issues. A double whammy this week!!

Arguably the best track on Kelly Clarkson's new LP, "All I Wanted".

Hope this works for those of you requesting it.

luv, peace and music always...

...dj tim a

OK OK OK OK OK!! Where do I recommend you go when you visit Chicago for the weekend? (Besides Bobby Love's, where of course you'll see me and get your cock-tail on!)

When you are in Chicago, late nights, the place to go is Charlie's, 3726 North Broadway. Leaps and bounds the best music to get hooked up to, and the best dance floor to get hooked up on, in Boystown. It is the place to be at 2AM onward, at least on Fridays and Saturdays.

I am convinced that the resident dj, LuLu, is one of the best mixers in the U.S. Not only are his transitions articulate and flawless, each song is acutely atuned to the next. Better yet for the drooling masses, he manages to keep the dance floor busy with chart topping music you can sing and dance to. And unlike most Boystown djs, he will juggle in requests!

Anyway, I pulled his arm and he agreed to do some mixes for my podcast. Here is Volume 1.

1)Feel So Good- Sean Ensign
2)Shattered Glass- Britney
3)Send Me An Angel- Elijah feat. Estela Martin
4)Perfect Day- Cascada
5)Touch You Right Now- Basic Element
6)Sweet Child of Mine- Electrofish
7)My Life will Suck without you- Kelly Clarkson
8)Untouched- The Veronicas
9)The boy does Nothing- Alesha Dixon

love, peace and muzik, always....

dj Tim a

REPOST IN FULL HQ!

And a note, I know I only do remixxing as a non-pro, amateur hobbyist, but I have to say that the official remixxes so far, suck!

"YOU KNOW THAT I'VE GOT ISSUES, but YOU'RE PRETTY MESSED UP TOO!"

Yes, thanks Sophie, this is obviously not Night Ranger, it is Kelly Clarkson's latest chart topper. I did this amateur remix of it, because I was tired of waiting for official mixes. I have done some additional editting and uploaded it HQ. This sounds great at the bar (and at the other local clubs playing it - Charlie's -thanks LuLu-, Hydrate, Roscoe's and even Sidetracks according to a friend).

peace, luv, and music, always...

...dj Tim a

REPOST IN FULL HQ!!

Getting back to the 80's with the rock band 'Night Ranger', who had most of their success in the early part of the decade with a string of hit albums, singles and modest MTV success. They are most remembered for the prom-anthem "Sister Christian". The track I have remixed here was a hit from the same album 'Rock In America'. And while it was a bit formulaic, I remember it as one of my own personal favorite break-up songs. Despite the peppy melody, the lyrics are laced with relationship angst. This remix marks a bit of a milestone, as I am entering my fourth year in production. But also, I am now using new software and add-ons, that as I learn and become more familiar, I should be able to release better and higher quality tracks. ALSO, I am excited to announce that I now have listeners in over 110 countries, worlwide. AWESOME - WELCOME!! Keep the requests coming...I will let you know if I can not work on a particular song for whatever reason (so long as you leave me an e-mail request). With the new software, I am now more willing to take on ballads, so I will revisit some past requests for consideration over 2009. To Stonedog in Hong Kong, hey, one of the reasons I got this software was because I was not able to do the song you requested (Gloria Estefan - Coming Out of The Dark), because my previous software trashed the vocals through editing. It just wouldn't work. I am going to try to pump out a track a week as well as new mixxed sets, check in regularly! The Spring Mix will be next up. I have to make room on my archive, so go through it and download what you don't have now. I will be retiring about two years worth of material to make room for 2009 and 2010. luv, peace and music, always ...dj Tim a

NOW IN FULL HQ!!

For regular listeners, you might have noticed I axed quite a few posts. The primary purpose has been to make more room for seasonal mixes and higher quality posts.

The regular seasonal mixes (as with the Spring Mix below) will still be in the deluxe quality. If you want it in full HQ, with track division, you have to e-mail me (deejaytima@gmail.com) and we will have to work out some way for me to mail it to you.

The 80's remixes and other original remixes will now be full HQ - previously only available by e-mail...I will now maintain my archive such that old material will be shelved for new material. EVERYTHING will remain available by e-mail.

Here is "Separate Ways" by Journey - I made a few audio adjustments as well as posting it in full HQ.

love, peace and music...always...

dj Tim a

Keeping with the 80's rock, break up song theme, I am posting a very old, old, OLD, (OLD!!) request from a couple Canadian listeners. They actually requested this two years ago. 'JOURNEY' had a string of hits in the late 70's and 80's, including "Any Way You Want It", "Faithfully", "Open Arms" and perhaps their best known track and anthem "Don't Stop Beleivin". At one time, basically considered a vehicle for vocalist and song writer Steve Perry who became a successful solo artist in the 80's, Journey has actually stuck around as a regular act for summer touring and has put out new music and greatest hits compilations from time to time. The band is almost unrecognizable now, with few if any original members. They did reunite in the 90's and put out a hit record with several nominally successful singles, including "When You Love A Woman". But while their albums have consistently gone platinum, they have faded away from the mainstream.

There's not a single 80's collection that is complete without the Eurythmics. Their story is, and particularly the story of Annie Lennox is one of the few from the decade that is almost more compelling then their music. And that is not to say anything bad about their artistic impact - with hits like "Sweet Dreams", "Missionary Man", and this track, they made a bigger impact on 80's music than most.

And even in the drippiest, syrupy pop songs, Annie Lennox manages to effect the music with raw power and emotion. Perhaps one of the most soulfully impactful albums of the 90's was her solo effort 'Diva', which was Lennox at her vocal peak, tearing into hits like "Why" and "Little Bird" in a way that made you really feel the lyrics.

I always try to avoid the novelty of truly classic songs...too easy. Few of the tracks I have worked with were any more than top 20 or top 10 hits. While this track only reached number 4 on the US charts, I consider it to be one of the classics.

At 130 BPM, I have kicked it up and given it a euro-disco trip.

luv, peace and music...always

...dj Tim a

EDITED FEBRUARY 2nd, 2009 - RETRACTION

The song "YOU" is by Schiller, featuring 'Colbie Caillat', but do not tell that to my I'Tunes library.

NOT MY USUAL CUP OF TEA LISTENERS!

For those of you who have followed this site for the past three years, it probably comes as no shock that I am not a big follower of trance music.

However, I am a big follower of Music Box Mix (http://musicboxmix.blogspot.com), which is a blog that features a lot of dance music maxi singles and promos. For about two years now, they have kept me pretty well on the tip of what is playing in the clubs on the East Coast. Their previews, comments and links help me decide what I am going to buy and sometimes what I mix in my sets.

So, all of the sudden, practically out of the blue, one of the resident bloggers (Louie - see hot pic on the left when you visit the site!!) starts chatting with me about music - he likes a couple of the mixes I have done recently...blah, blah blah - I write back about how gaga I am over Music Box Mix...blah, blah blah, he posts some of my mixes, and oops, I make the mistake of telling him I owe him a favor for all the good things their site does for me.

And BAM - of course, he hits me with - GOSH, please remix this gorgeous Trance ballad, "YOU", (by Schiller, featuring Colbie Caillat). Probably one of the biggest challenges I have ever attempted. You know, I don't use a studio...don't use keyboards (yet), or much original instrumentation, just a laptop and headphones - slice, and dice, and equalize and slap it on Podomatic!

Ballads are hard enough, for my particular style of remixing, let alone songs like the original version of "YOU", with very low BPM and a lot of mid-range orchestration. The work I did to remix it took about 36 hours all together (obsessed!). The original is a GORGEOUS song, gorgeous vocals, and near flawless production. It is available on I-Tunes, so check it out.

But, with all that being given, I did tell him I owe him a 'favor', and Louie (so far as I can tell) is a pretty cute and sweet guy! So, hopefully I did not demolish this one to much...hopefully this counts towards that favor...

Hey, I tried, but if this is not up to par, I am sure we can come up with an alternative favor!

luv, peace and music, always...

...dj Tim a

Listeners and subscribers in Chicago know, we are done with winter already! Apparently this is the first real winter here since before I was born, and if that is the case, I would like to thank global warming. BRUTAL!! (I wonder how many degrees further below zero it could of gotten without global warming!)

Anyway, it has me pondering many things. First of all, welcome to all my new subscribers from around the world. Second, thanks to all the listeners forwarding me material to consider for one of my mixes (be it a remix or set mix). On deck right now for remixing is Kiss, U2 and Gloria Estefan; all by request.

Also, I am putting my set lists together for the Spring Mix '09 and 80's Reinvented Vol. 5. Before I do that though, some housekeeping!

1. Don't forget, if you have not already added it to your library, Winter Mix '09:
http://medianation.podOmatic.com/entry/2008-11-27T07_04_15-08_00

2. Also, I will be Spring Cleaning my archives as I am nearing my storage limit. I will continue doing re-posts so new people can listening to my vintage mixes. Best way to check out the older stuff is to scroll to the bottom and click next page. There are about 7 or 8 pages of posts, so have fun with that!

3. Feel free to e-mail me if you have new records you want me to review, or mixes to consider for posting. I have had a couple djs send me original material, and that's great. Keep it coming. Please don't take offense if I don't use it in my set mixes, but that doesn't mean I won't spin 'em and give you feedback.
E-mail me:
deejaytima@gmail.com
MySpace me:
http://myspace.com/dj_tim_a
Follow my Blogger Page:
http://vocaldanceexperience.blogspot.com

4. KEEP THE MUSIC ALIVE, BECAUSE MUSIC KEEPS US LIVING!
Please support the artists. I present lots of promotional stuff on this site, as well as original remixes. But I always purchase the original material. That's what keeps these artists working. My biggest sources are I-Tunes and http://borderlinemusic.com.

luv, peace and music, always...

...dj Tim a

PAULA ABDUL vs. BRITNEY SPEARS

Saturday January 24th, I will be hosting Britney Spear's comeback party at Bobby Love's in Chicago (3729 North Halsted for those of you interested in joining us). I wanted something new and different, just for fun. This mash-up combines Paula Abdul's #1 hit, one of 5, from the 1988 album 'Forever Your Girl'.

That album took 62 weeks to chart, and none of the singles charted until spring of '89, when perhaps her best known track, "Straight Up", raced to the top of the charts.

"Cold Hearted", has a very similar theme to Britney's recent chart topper "Womanizer", and the tracks seemed appropriate to spin together.

LUV, PEACE AND MUSIC...ALWAYS!

...dj Tim a

UPDATE: February 22, 2009...I have now permanently archived this track...it will only be available by e-mail request at deejaytima@gmail.com.

Posting another classic, again for the benefit of new subscribers.

Like Kelly Clarkson in recent years, Debbie Gibson had a scrap with her record label in the 80's. When she was discovered, the label wanted her for her decent looks and pop-tastic vocals. But she had written and produced her own demo, and had to sell her label on her song-writing capabilities. Eventually she caught the attention of Atlantic and re-recorded her demo professionally in a studio in four weeks. The album produced 4 Top 5 hits.

She didn't just want to sing, she wanted to write and produce. And her biggest hits were all at least co-written by her.

This was her biggest dance pop hit from her debut album 'Out Of The Blue'. This mix is some of my vintage remix work, but its fast, fun and for those of you who remember the 80's, sure to generate some nostalgia!

luv, peace and music, always...

dj Tim a

For the benefit of new subscribers, over the next couple weeks, along with new mixes, I am going to post some of last years most popular downloads.

This track from is from one of the few 80's girl hair bands, The Bangles, and one of my favorite songs. The lyrics say it all.

luv, peace and music always...

...dj Tim a

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy face lift!

Subscribers may have noticed a few changes to this site. First of all, I have changed the name. Not that I am having a mid-life crisis. I wanted to reboot things a bit, and have the title of my Podcast match more the genre of music rather than myself.

Obviously I have also made a few visual changes, as I will continue to do from time to time. Similarly, I have refresshed my favorite links, which remain to be those sites and blogs that I myself regularly visit. If you have a link you want me to check out, just e-mail me, deejaytima@gmail.com.

Also new, I have started a Blogspot page, which will really only be an extension of this podcast. It represents an effort to make this podcast more easily available to a wider range of listeners. The nice thing about this is that you can sign in and become a follower, which means we can actually see each other, chat through gmail and do several other things that are not possible through Podomatic. You can view this page at http://vocaldanceexperience.blogspot.com.

Eventually I believe the Blogspot page will include my music review blog, which is presently posted at http://myspace.com/dj_tim_a. This is where I talk about the mixes I post, as well as news and reviews of new albums of interest. Some of you already know I keep the MySpace page fairly well updated and I will continue to do so at least through 2009. Subscribers to my blog on MySpace (and friends) will notice that page has had a facelift as well.

On a side note, I do not visit and update Facebook as much. Frankly, it tires me. Too much clutter, too much nonsense, too many "applications" and other crap that just takes up time I could be working on music. MySpace is much more manageable.

And the music is all that really matters to me. But any feedback, suggestions and requests, are always appreciated.

Luv, peace and music, always.

...dj Tim a

Venus was indeed her name...an 80's classic. Just gave it a bit of a face lift.

luv, peace and music, always....

...dj Tim a

P.S. I remastered this on 12/4 adding some minor effects in the intro. Nothing major.

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