Tag Archives: Rhode Island Multicultural Wedding DJ

Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill Turn Your Lights Down Low

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina Stereo Love

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

Daddy Yankee Descontrol

Posted on by

“Uncontrollable”. Daddy Yankee has been the one to crossover Reggaeton to mainstream markets, long overdue but welcome. He has done for this genre what Bob Marley did on a much larger scale for Reggae through Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder and then again later with The Fugees. Daddy Yankee Descontrol is an example of this, Gasolina was more successful commercially in The USA.

 

The hard-driving beat and rhythm force people to dance and move even when they do not want to, Daddy Yankee Descontrol is another professional DJ’s dream. It is no wonder that his music has begun to bridge the gap between several genre. It can be mixed with really any faster beats and music with enough ‘umph’ to not wilt next to the powerful energy of this song. The video for Daddy Yankee Descontrol was shot in NYC while he was here performing in the area.

Daddy Yankee Descontrol:

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Panjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz

Posted on by

I find it both confusing and invigorating when a musical genre somehow steps into another market where others have tried unsuccessfully. The latest example of this isPanjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz, a song rooted in Bhangara.

 

Bhangra is a form of dance and music that originated in the Punjabi Region.  Bhangra dance began as a folk dance conducted by Punjabi farmers to celebrate the coming of the harvest season. The specific moves ofBhangra reflect the manner in which villagers farmed their land. This dance art further became synthesized after the partition of India, when refugees from different parts of the Punjab shared their folk dances with individuals who resided in the regions they settled in. This hybrid dance became Bhangra. The folk dance has been popularized in the Western World by South Asian communities and is seen in the West as an expression of Indian and Pakistani culture as a whole. Today, Bhangra dance survives in different forms and styles all over the globe – including pop music, film soundtracks, collegiate competitions and even talent shows. And now Panjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz.

 

Its is not surprising to me that Panjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz has made its way into the Hip Hop and Dance club market, it is a fun song to dance to and easy to mix for a professional DJ. What does surprise me is that Jay-Z is involved in this song and how his name attached immediately makes it a hit. As if the thousands of Bhangara and Bhangara/Hip Hop songs before did not matter till an American pop star was featured. This is nothing new to the pop music market in America. Till The Beatles included Ravi Shankar in their recordings, the Sitar was not known very much in the West and certainly not in pop music. I think it is great that more folks are hearing different forms of musical styles globally, one of the positive uses of the internet. I have recently had the opportunity to professionally DJ a Punjabi event and most of the music was traditional and popular Bhangara. Panjabi MC has many great songs, check this out as well as other popular cross-over stuff like Bhangara Two Step!

I think it is great that more folks are hearing different forms of musical styles globally, one of the positive uses of the internet. I have recently had the opportunity to professionally DJ a Punjabi event and most of the music was traditional and popular Bhangara. Panjabi MC has many great songs, check-out Panjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz, as well as other popular cross-over stuff like Bhangara Two Step!

Panjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz:

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Scissor Sisters Comfortably Numb

Posted on by

When listening and watching this video Scissor Sisters Comfortably Numb on You Tube today, I was struck by the passion and voracity that people who chose to comment shared their opinions on this and the original version by Pink Floyd. It does not seem important to share my particular opinion, but what does some important is how personal the comments are! It is as if you we were stealing somebody’s only child from them, not a subjective comment on a pop song covered from classic rock legends. Why is this?

 

Why do we feel so emotionally charged about sharing our feelings about music?

 

What about music facilitates such force and even anger or sexuality?

 

Why are we insulted by someone disagreeing with our musical taste?

 

What do Pink Floyd think of this version of Scissor Sisters Comfortably Numb? Are they happy that more than thirty years later people still find value in their music or downright offended at the lightness of such a heavy, inward song?

 

Does it matter what they think about Scissor Sisters Comfortably Numb?

Will the ‘genre wars’ ever end?

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Queen and David Bowie Under Pressure

Posted on by

Another ground-breaking music video. Queen and David Bowie collaborate to make this song and video. It portrayed what real poverty and stress are through the use all kinds of clips. It really gave the viewer an opportunity to experience ‘pressure’ through the lyrics and the images. Unlike most videos at the time, they were not as focused on being cool or sexy but actually sharing a message with grace and force.

 

Of course, Queen and David Bowie  were not the first to do so, nor the last. At the time, it stood out from the rest of the pack. The production quality of the images were of the highest level. Music, songwriting and lyrics were right up there as well. This is one of the music videos that those in the business use as a barometer for what is possible with some creativity and skill.

 

It is rare such visionary artists are willing to share billing like this. Queen and David Bowie were both on top of the industry and could have made something flashier or more commercial but they chose to funnel their collective popularity and talents to make something that mattered. I wish others would do the same. Music has always had its share of artists that give their time and energy to support social issues. This is just an example of one of the better efforts in that regard.

“Why can’t we give love, give love, give love?… This is our last dance. This is our last dance.”

It is interesting how the sound quality and production sound just like the stuff being produced today. A professional DJ can mix Queen and David Bowie with current stuff and there is no drop-off in audio quality or technology. I do, and people seem to like it!

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Walk This Way

Posted on by

Walk This Way. Run-D.M.C. was a Hip Hop group from Hollis, in Queens, NYC. Founded by Joseph “RUN” Simmons, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, and Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell, the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of Hip Hop.

 

They were the biggest act in Hip-Hop throughout the 1980s and are credited with breaking Hip Hop into mainstream music. They were the first group in their genre to have a Gold record and be nominated for a Grammy. The group was among the first to show how important the MC/DJ relationship was. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked them number 48 in their list of the greatest musical artists of all time.

 

Walk This Way, the song and video became one of the biggest hits of the ’80s, reaching number four on the Hot 100, and cemented Run–D.M.C.’s crossover status. It also resurrected Aerosmith’s career. More than this, it was really the bridge between rock and Hip Hop in the mainstream that allowed their followers to try both genre as viable and important.

 

As a professional DJ, I remember when RUN-DMC were first commercially released. They blew me away with their force and passion in both beats and lyrics. It was not long after that they became regulars on my turntables and the clubs I was working in at the time. It was fun to see how people reacted to hearing their stuff for the first time. I knew then that they had tapped into something special. When they recorded “Walk This Way” with Aerosmith, they cemented themselves as pioneers again. There are those that say they were the ones who birthed the so-called Golden Age of Hip Hop. To me, they were the ones who made Hip Hop relevant and important to the music industry and music in general.

Walk This Way

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ