Author Archives: DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

Yolanda Be Cool and DCup We No Speak Americano

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Every now and then there is a song that we professional DJs get to play that no matter the crowd, venue or demographics, somebody will come running up and asking with their eyes wide open with excitement, “Who is this?”  Currently for me this song is Yolanda Be Cool and DCup We No Speak Americano. A fun, playful song with a hysterical video. I like the longer versions of the song better but this 2:12 version is OK too.

 

For those curious about the artists and producer that created Yolanda Be Cool and DCup We No Speak Americano, here is a bio:

 

“Yolanda Be Cool is an Australian electronic dance music duo who scored an international chart-topping hit with the house smash “We No Speak Americano” in 2010. Comprised of Sylvester Martinez and Johnson Peterson, the duo hails from Sydney, Australia, and is affiliated with producer DCUP (born Duncan MacLennan). Yolanda Be Cool made their commercial recording debut with the Afro Nuts EP on the Australian independent label Sweat It Out in 2009. The following year they teamed up with DCUP on the house track “We No Speak Americano,” which notably samples the 1956 song “Tu Vuò Fà l’Americano” by legendary Italian singer/songwriter Renato Carosone. Initially released on Sweat It Out and later licensed for release by numerous other labels, “We No Speak Americano” was an international smash hit in summer 2010, topping the charts in over a dozen countries, including most of Europe.” ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi

 

Enjoy, crank it up and let your body do its thing! And of course ask your local professional DJ to play Yolanda Be Cool and DCup We No Speak Americano for you.

Yolanda Be Cool and DCup We No Speak Americano Music Video

http://youtu.be/CR8logunPzQ

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

 

 

The B-52s Love Shack

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The B-52s Love Shack is one of the great party songs of all time for all professional DJs!

I remember when The B-52s Love Shack first came out and all the professional DJs I knew kept adding the newest remix of this as they came out in 12″ form. I think I ended up with three of four versions of The B-52s Love Shack plus the original album version. Today I only have three versions on my MacBook but I like all of them. Both back then and now, The B-52s Love Shack is one of those songs that works with most audiences when a professional DJ needs something to really push the event to the next level and bring out the playful side of all involved.

 

I had the opportunity to see the B-52s at what was fomrerly known as The Gsdrden State Arts Center many years ago with The Violent Femmes as the opening act. It was a great night and a lot of fun and The B-52s Love Shack was one of the highlights of the show.

 

“The B-52s (originally formatted with an apostrophe as The B-52’s) are an American rock band, formed in Athens, Georgia in 1976. From 1976, the group consisted of Fred Schneider (percussion, vocals), Cindy Wilson (vocals), Kate Pierson (keyboards, vocals), Ricky Wilson(guitar), and Keith Strickland (drums). Rooted in New Wave and 1960s rock and roll, the group later worked in many genres ranging frompost-punk to pop rock. The “guy vs. gals” vocals of Schneider, Pierson, and Wilson, sometimes used in call and response style (as in “Strobe Light,” “Private Idaho,” and “Good Stuff“), are a trademark. Presenting themselves as a positive, enthusiastic, slightly oddball party band, the B-52s tell tall tales, glorify wild youth, and celebrate wild romance.”

 

I thought it would be neat to take a quick look at who was part of that Athens music scene. This is what Wikipedia had to say,

 

“The success of Athens’ local bands is apocryphally attributed to “something in the water.” The contributions of Athens to rock, country music, and bluegrass have earned it the nickname “the Liverpool of the South”, and the city is known as a birthplace for both modern alternative rock and New Wave music. Athens was home to the first and most famous college music scene in the country, beginning in the 1970s. The formation of local bands like the B-52s, Ravenstone, Pylon, Widespread Panic, Indigo Girls, Love Tractor, the Georgia Satellites, and R.E.M. had brought Athens rock to national attention by 1980.”

 

Don’t you love the bee hive hairdos on The B-52s Love Shack?

The B-52s Love Shack Music Video

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Lupe Fiasco Superstar

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I was turned on to Lupe Fiasco when I was participating in a training for youth educators on utilizing Hip Hop in the classroom. The training was incredible. The teachers were excellent! I was able to use some of the techniques in the middle school that I was coordinating an after-school program for at-risk youth. The kids loved it. The funny part is I think I got more from the training, than the kids I brought the stuff back to. But that is not anything new for me. Lupe Fiasco Superstar was one of the songs we dissected and praised.

“To intervene and provide effective affordable assistance, the Hip-Hop Education Center (HHEC) was formed to fully promulgate and explore the potential of Hip-Hop pedagogy. Officially launched in June 2010 under the auspices of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education at New York University, and a generous donation from the Nathan Cummings Foundation.

The mission of the HHEC is to cultivate and support Hip-Hop scholars, teaching artists, cultural workers and activists, and social entrepreneurs to professionalize the field of Hip-Hop Education and inform the larger education sector. It achieves this through research and evaluation of programs, development of standards and best practices, documentation and archiving, community outreach and programming, leadership and teacher training, teacher placement, policy and advocacy development, and social enterprising.”

 

I find Lupe to be an inspiring writer and has the gift of being able to write and perform often hard-core songs with a light, Top 40 appeal and sound. Lupe Fiasco Superstar is an excellent example of this.

 

One of the last nights of the week-long training, the group of instructors decided they were all going to check out Lupe Fiasco, since he was in town performing not too far away. I passed. I wish I had taken their advice and gone to the show. Enjoy!

Lupe Fiasco Superstar Music Video

http://youtu.be/B6f9VXjWOwk

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill Turn Your Lights Down Low

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Two of my favorite artists – Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill on the same song.  To begin with, what a sweet melody and groove, few songs have the beat to match Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill Turn Your Lights Down Low with its cool rhythms and base line.

 

One of the things that I appreciate most about Lauryn Hill outside of her raw talent and passion is her ability to find songs that she cherishes and cover them with taste, respect and a new fresh sound. Unfortunately, many artists today just see dollar signs and make a remix of anything they think will sell. Lauryn is not like this and it shows in all of her covers with and without The Fugees, especially Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill Turn Your Lights Down Low.

“Nesta Robert Marley OM (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981), more widely and commonly known as Bob Marley, was a Jamaicansinger-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae bands The Wailers (1963-1974) and Bob Marley & The Wailers (1974–1981). Marley remains the most widely known and revered performer of reggae music, and is credited with helping spread both Jamaican music and the Rastafari movement to a worldwide audience.” Wikipedia

Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill Turn Your Lights Down Low is one of Bob Marley’s smooth, soulful beauties that never get old.

Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill Turn Your Lights Down Low has become one of the songs I play as a professional DJ to end the night in environments that it makes sense. A nice way to close down a gig and leave everybody with a smooth, warm feeling.

Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill Turn Your Lights Down Low Music Video

http://youtu.be/JREcKmXDeAs

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Which version do you prefer, Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill Turn Your Lights Down Low or the original Bob Marley version?

Rolling Stones Angie

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Rolling Stones Angie. I was in 7th grade.  I had crush on a young angelic creature named Licia. We talked on the phone almost every night. Licia was tall, beautiful, nice, genuine and most importantly, fun and smart. We used to talk about everything from music to science to social dynamics.

That night I was getting ready to ask Licia on a date, I was procrastinating waiting for the right moment to go for it. That moment came in the form of her favorite song, Rolling Stones Angie.

The Rolling Stones were near the peak of their popularity at the time. Mick Jagger was the international star that he is still known for today. Rolling Stones Angie is one of their best love songs – slow, simple and textured. The video lacks the creativity and polish we are accustomed to today but the song itself holds up well. If you have never heard it, Tori Amos has a haunting cover on her album Crucify.

“Released as a single in August 1973, “Angie” went straight to the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 5 on the UK singles chart. The song was also a No. 1 hit in both Canada and Australia for five weeks each and topped the charts in many countries throughout Europe and the rest of the world.”Wikipedia

Some radio stations made edits because of the length, down to 3 minutes, thereby omitting the longer Coda and the second instrumental sections of the song.

When I hear Rolling Stones Angie, I still think about Licia and that night on the phone sitting at our kitchen table hoping that a girl like her would go out with a boy like me, It never fails to produce a smile. Fortunately I still get requests for Rolling Stones Angie as a professional DJ and wonder if Licia still remembers that moment.

Rolling Stones Angie Music Video

 

Tori Amos Version of Rolling Stones Angie

http://youtu.be/kru916XfPGM

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Led Zeppelin Stairway To Heaven

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I was recently doing some searching online for remixes of Led Zeppelin Stairway To Heaven and other rock classics for a gig as professional DJ. Along the way I found several incredible versions of songs I did not know could be remade with such passion and fire, like Led Zeppelin Stairway To Heaven. It was a pleasant surprise. I was also impressed with some of the respect that these old classics have garnered by those who are musicians and producers.

 

What struck me the most was the actual original version of Led Zeppelin Stairway To Heaven. I did not know it was impossible to forget how powerful and creative a song can be. I have heard Led Zeppelin Stairway To Heaven so many times in my life I forgot what a gem it is. Familiarity breeds contentment, they say. In stepping back and listening to the rhythms, melodies and lyrics I acknowledged what a risk producing a song like Led Zeppelin Stairway To Heaven must have been for them at the time. Or maybe the inspiration was high enough that they did not even realize what they had come up with. I am grateful either way that Led Zeppelin Stairway To Heaven made it to my turntables, CD players and now my MacBook after all these years as a professional DJ.

Here is the original Led Zeppelin Stairway To Heaven:

http://youtu.be/BcL—4xQYA

Led Zeppelin Stairway To Heaven Remixes and Covers

Here are some of the remixes of Led Zeppelin Stairway To Heaven I found that I thought were interesting, I think they are all legal to listen but maybe not download:

Far Corporation Stairway To Heaven:

Mash-up of Stairway to Heaven and Marvin Gaye Ain’t No Mountain Enough:

And Syko Beats Hip Hop Instrumental Version:

Which do you like the best?

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Club Nouveau Lean On Me

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Club Nouveau Lean On Me. It was my one and only summer sleep-away camp experience. I was not a happy camper. I did however enjoy the days we had art. The art shop was nice and full of layers of used paint on the desks and all kinds of fun stuff to play with. My favorite part of art class at summer camp was the radio that sat on the end table next to the door.  It seemed every day that we were in the art room making who knows what kind of awful ‘paintings’, Bill Withers was on the radio. Some days it was “Lean On Me” and the other was “Ain’t No Sunshine” but it was always the bright spot of my day.  It is one of the classic Soul gems from the 70’s that every good professional DJ uses at liberty. Club Nouveau Lean On Me offers a fresh new sound to the old classic.

 

It is rare that a remake of such a classic can be even close to the original. In this case, I have read debates about which version is better, Club Nouveau Lean On Me or Bill Withers. The fact that there is even a discussion says how great the Club Nouveau Lean On Me version is.  I appreciate the fact that they made it their own with a different sound without losing the original feeling.  “Lean On Me” is now a classic in two generations and maybe a third someday. Club Nouveau Lean On Me is from The Album Life, Love & Pain in 1986. Club Nouveau Lean On Me made it to number one on The Billboard Hot 100 Charts for two weeks!

Club Nouveau Lean On Me:

http://youtu.be/XhBLfTULccA

Which do you like better, Club Nouveau Lean On Me or Bill Withers Lean On Me?

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina Stereo Love

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It was a rather large Internet Café that was also a coffee shop and fast food restaurant in Tashkent, Uzbekistan that I visited quite often making arrangements to return to Korea on my way back to The USA after eighteen months abroad! I first heard Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina Stereo Love there.

Almost every time I was in this establishment, in the background I could hear this incredibly interesting song with what I thought was a Turkish beat in the middle. The soft gentle rhythms contrasted well with the hard-driven but clean beats. I was aching to know whom and what this song was but could not find anyone who spoke enough English to ask. I would hear Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina Stereo Love in stores and buses all over Tashkent and everywhere else I visited in Central Asia. I left that part of the world hoping someday I would find Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina Stereo Love.

 

A few months ago, a young woman whom I am a close friends with was writing me about some things going on in her life. After we completed the serious part of our emailing, she said she wanted to turn me onto some great new stuff she was listening to. It turned out she was sending me an mp3 of Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina Stereo Love – the song I was searching for with no avail! Since then Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina Stereo Love has become an American hit on radio and clubs one year later for professional DJs everywhere.

 

It seems as if Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina Stereo Love was an international hit in Europe and Asia last year before finally making its way to The States, in my case, better late than never. He is a Romanian singer, writer and professional DJ. Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina Stereo Love comes from an Azerbaijan modern classic, not a pop or dance song at all.

 

Last night I was walking home from the gym and heard Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina Stereo Love playing out of three different cars while passing by. It made me smile and remember my time in Central Asia and how the Internet has helped artists make their way around the globe in ways we never thought possible in twenty years ago. This professional DJ is happier for this growth in technology and being able to find and play Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina Stereo Love.

Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina Stereo Love:

When and where did you first hear Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina Stereo Love?

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Third World Try Jah Love

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Third World Try Jah Love is a great, fun, feel-good song with awesome rhythm and melodies. It was partially written by Stevie Wonder and he arranged and produced it. For a short time, this song was popular in the club scene with many professional DJs and among open-minded rock listeners. Reggae had not really made its way like it is today in The States except for Bon Marley and Peter Tosh.

 

In case you are interested, “Jah”, from the title Third World Try Jah Love, is from the Hebrew word that is the unmentionable name of God translated into Rastafarian Culture although taken from Hebrew.

 

This version of Third World Try Jah Love is not as good as some others but at least you get to see the band jam and get a feel for Third World Try Jah Love. I invite you to search and listen to the longer studio version with the piano intro for professional DJs. Crank it up and rock!

Update, I was able to find the longer version!

Third World Try Jah Love:

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Elvis Presley Suspicious Minds

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I was at a family wedding this weekend. The band played many great songs well but I was left remembering the Elvis songs the most. One of the singers had sideburns like Elvis and some similar style of representing himself. It was fun and the band was good, especially on Elvis Presley Suspicious Minds.

 

I remember when I was kid and the first 7-Elevin opened down the street from us with all their Slurpees and everything else that made being a kid fun. Next to the counter, there was a large album rack stuffed with really only two artists; The Beatles and Elvis Presley. I was still young and did not understand the full scope of the popularity of either of them. I guess no one did really. At the time, I did not know that Elvis made albums, since I knew him as an actor who sang in all his movies. Funny to look back now and realize how small-minded that was. Elvis Presley Suspicious Minds.

 

He was on the radio all the time and if not there, on the television. He was everywhere.

 

About 20 years ago I visited Graceland. It was an uncomfortable experience. I felt like I was spying on a man’s life and legacy without his permission. Seeing his stuff and bedroom before the age of papparazzi, felt intrusive. Truly sounds hysterically funny in a time when not only is seeing a celebrity’s house while they are not in it commonplace, today we can actually see them when they are in it! Even their bedroom and bathroom while present! If this is so out of hand as it is today with the celebrities we have now; what would it be like if Elvis was alive today? He was really the first artist that had cameras following him night and day and no one really since till this decade, not even Michael Jackson or Madonna had a following of media like Elvis Presley.

 

It is sad seeing his photos before and after alcohol took its toll on him.  How many of our great talented performers are we going to lose due to not being able to properly handle fame and fortune? What responsibility do we have in their demise? Jimi, Janis, Keith, Marilyn, Lindsay, Brittany, Paris just to name a few. Of course, not all that are listed qualify as ‘great’ but fame and its trappings have had such a detrimental impact on their lives. When is enough, enough? Elvis Presley Suspicious Minds

I stil get to play Elvis Presley Suspicious Minds as professional Wedding DJ on a regular basis.

Elvis Presley Suspicious Minds:

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ