Party Favorz

It's Super Bowl Sunday and I'm sure many of you are gearing up for the game.  As promised, I've got the next installment of the BPM Edition up and ready to go.  Should add a nice flavor to your pre-party festivities.  Don't have much to say at the moment 'cause got a lot on my plate today.  I'll be back sometime next week with Take 3 of this mix.  Until then...party hard and enjoy! Album : BPM Edition 2009 v1 | Take 2 Genre : Electro, Funky, House, Progressive Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:16:13.00 Track : 1 Title : Oye Como Va (Bassmonkeys Remix) Artist : Tito Puente Jr. & The Latin Rhythm Orchestra feat. India Track : 2 Title : Circus (Razor 'N' Guido Unreleased Mix) Artist : Britney Spears Track : 3 Title : Cherokee [Go With It] (Wez Clarke Re-Rub) Artist : Henry John Morgan Track : 4 Title : Dirty In The Club (Digital Dog Club) Artist : Ryan Ferrada Track : 5 Title : Windmills (Club Mix) Artist : Meck Track : 6 Title : Stay (John Dahlback Re-Rub) ^ Artist : JJ Flores & Steve Smooth feat. Colette Track

Finally, I'm beginning to get myself organized.  I finished re-stocking the Party Favorz shelves from 2008 that I had previously lost, though I'm certain about 1/3 of the songs have been overlooked.  However, at 2,081 songs meticulously re-organized and tagged for backup, my eyesight is just about gone and it's time to move on.  I should have it all backed up to DVD later today and then I'll restore the decades worth of club music from DVD backup, to its new home on my 1TB drive.  I have another that just came in and will be added to a raid for extra security. Then, I'll be doing monthly DVD backups as a third precaution after that.  I don't ever want to go through this again.  I'm still going to tear apart the external drive and see if I can't get it working long enough to run my extractor and recoup a whole host of other things I lost in the process, but that will have to wait until next weekend.  Right now, I need to stay focused on the mixes so I don't get behind. So, this weekend I'm dishing out the firs

I'm finally getting back to some normalcy around here, but still, have a long way to go.  I was itching to get back to mixing, so I stopped everything else to get this first mix up for the year.  I plan on diving in this Saturday and Sunday to get everything finished up, even if it means pulling an all-nighter.  Frankly, I can't stand to be disorganized, so this will be my primary objective after tomorrow.  Fortunately, I won some tickets to "Shut Up, Sweet Charlotte" at the "14th Street Playhouse" for Rick and I, so Friday I plan on just chilling and enjoying myself.  I think we'll head over to "Joe's on Juniper" afterward for burgers and some beer.  Should be a nice evening. As for the mix, the System Edition is pretty much what I'm feeling this time of year.  Sometimes deep and reflective while other times energized and rambunctious.  Not having too much time to scout around the different sites, I pulled everything on this mix from Beatport.  You'll notice a variety of styles from Deep, Tech, Minimal, Elec

Well, it's been one year, over 80,000 downloaded mixes (including two separate Podbean accounts that were eventually merged and a 4shared and Megaupload account that was later rolled into Podbean), and 200+ subscribers.  All I can say is WOW!  I never in a million years would have dreamt that people appreciate what it is I do for fun.  Now that I've gotten a good feel for the workings of this site and what people (including myself) like in the mixes, I'm hoping to make 2009 an even better year. I also want to thank those of you who have come through with your donations not only recently but throughout the year.  Without those donations, this site would NOT be possible.  After all, music isn't cheap when you do your best to support the artists and my Podbean account (which has now been upgraded to a business-level account, at least for the next several months while I get all of the links restored) costs money.  Frankly, I think everyone prefers the convenience of streaming and direct downloads that their servi

No doubt artists like Katherine Ellis and Amanda Wilson had a stellar year working with a variety of producers.  While not everything hit as well for Amanda, her releases in the latter part of the year were spectacular, particularly "Keep the Fire Burning" with the Outsiders.  That slice of heaven produces two top-notch mixes by Freemasons and the increasingly hot Wawa.  I expect this will be tearing up dance radio and the clubs in early 2009 here in the U.S. Katherine, on the other hand, could do no wrong.  Every project she lent her incredible voice to was pure magic.  From 7th Heaven's remake of "Ain't Nothin' Goin' On But the Rent (originally a number hit for Gwen Guthrie in the late 80s), Cerrone (amazing French disco producer from the late seventies still going strong), her very own band Bimbo Jones (betcha a lot of you didn't know she's part of their team) and everything in between.  God bless this woman, I worship at the diamond-encrusted altar she stands on. However, no one and I mean no one had a be

After finally having some beautiful weather for the past several days, the ATL is back to cold, wet, and dreary.  I guess I knew it wouldn't last, as it seldom does this time of year, but I'll take what I can get.  As we get closer to the end of the Top Dance Songs of the Year 2008, I just want everyone to know that these year-end editions don't necessarily represent my best mixing.  I only say that because when I have to work with a set list of songs with little room for deviation, it's not uncommon to run into some tunes that don't mix as well as I'd like. In particular, this mix starting around tracks 10 through 14 doesn't exactly thrill me, but the whole point of these mixes is to recap some of the biggest and best tunes of the year.  I don't think anyone's ears will be disappointed, and hey, if you prefer the songs with better mixing, everything here has shown up at one point or another on one of this year's countless mixes I've completed (sometimes more than once).  If it's not currently available, it w

2008 was an unprecedented year for politics.  The first serious black (Obama) and female (Clinton) candidates for President duked it out in a primary that received more votes than any presidential election in history.  Huge sums of money were raised like no one had ever seen before and had the Republicans salivating at the prospects of grassroots fundraising on the Internet.   This is also the year that the housing market took a nosedive setting off a worldwide recession and massive job losses all the while gas prices shot through the roof. Equally, gay rights/equality finally took center stage after the passage of Proposition 8 in California which barred gay marriage and effectively defined the institution as only being between one man and one woman.  Frankly, I don't care about the word "marriage" but I truly believe that gay people should have the legal right to become enjoined in some form of government-sanctioned matrimony, thus affording them all the legal entitlements that heterosexual couples enjoy, f

It looks like there wasn't enough for a 4th mix, so this will be the final installment of the Holiday Edition 2008.  There's some tough love going on in this mix, perfect for your peak-hour enjoyment.  Watch out for the Nicki Richards tune; quite possibly the first anthem for 2009.  Another one I'm really getting into is  Sweet Feet Music feat. Soul Sista Shakti with Jeanie Tracy & Pepper Mashay "Maybe God Is Tryin' To Tell You Somethin'".  Packed with exceptional mixes from start to finish, there's not a bad mix in the bunch.  I don't know what it is but there's something about Gays, God, and Gospel that melds together really well.  Expect a Klubjumpers remix as part of a 2nd round of mixes in early January. Speaking of Klubjumpers, check out the ultra HOT remix they turned in for the classic "I Can't Get No Sleep 2008" by India.  Careful, you may burn yourself in the process.  Altogether, this is one solid set from start to finish.  You'll notice a little bonus at the end of the mix by Kristine W.  Just a

I admit it, I recycled this pic from the one I used earlier for DJ Manikz.  However, his had a pumpkin with a Halloween theme; so I changed it up to fit the season.  In fact, the next cover will also be aped from one I did about three years ago.  I figured since no one had ever seen it, unless you've been browsing my Flickr site, then who would know the difference?  Besides, I'll change that one up as well.  Recycling is a good thing, or so I'm told...LOL. Moving along and trying to get these mixes knocked out before the weekend's up I now bring you the 2nd installment of the Holiday Edition 2009.  I may be late getting up the third mix tomorrow, but I'll do my best.  I've got some things going on so a little patience is all that I'm asking.  As a reminder, don't forget to submit your year-end picks via email.  I've only received one so far.  So, unless you want me and Discoball picking the year-end tunes, then you better get it in as soon as possible.  The deadline is Sunday and I will not accept anything af

It's looking like this might end up as a four-mix set, so I decided to go ahead and start rolling the mixes out for the Holiday Edition 2009.  I'm not completely sure about the fourth mix, but just in case...Anyway, I'll be putting these out each day through the weekend. As promised, I kept the mixes down in size, though I wasn't able to get this one under the 80-minute mark, I think everyone will live.  There are definitely several HOT tunes in this mix and I thought I might get back to my short reviews of each song; so here goes... Album : Holiday Edition v1 Genre : Circuit, Progressive, Tribal Year : 2008 Total Time : 1:27:09.00 Track : 1 Title : I Stay In Love (Jody Den Broeder Club Mix) Artist : Mariah Carey I wasn't really feeling the Ralphi mixes of this song, however I totally love that Jody is showing us a funkier side of his production skills.  In fact, he does it again on Leann Rimes' "What I Cannot Change".  However, since I didn't want to get to early hour in this mix, I opted for the Bronleewe

Seven mixes, two weeks, and 18+ hours of the latest in deep, electro, funky, progressive, and soulful house music later, I have finally finished the Christmas Trifecta!  I can assure you that I'll NEVER do this again.  There is way too much work involved in putting this much out in such a short period of time.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, initially this was just going to be the final Electro-Funk mix of the year, but it evolved into the final editions of Deep and House as well. Frankly, I'm just glad it's done.  I've got stuff going on all this week, but somehow, someway I plan on knocking out the Holiday Edition by the weekend.  It's looking like a three-mix situation and I'll do my best to keep everything around the 80-minute mark.  That generally involves a lot of editing on my part and I suppose it's something I need to get back to since I've always done that until recently. Anyway, I'm a busy bee, so I don't have the time to talk much about the mix or post-purchase links.  I just hope the powers

I'm going to be perfectly honest with you guys, my heart just isn't in this at the moment.  Hopefully, that doesn't reflect too poorly in this mix, but I'm afraid it might.  I still have a third take on this that will be posted tomorrow.  Maybe once I get to work on the Holiday Edition this weekend, I'll snap out of it.  Regardless, the songs contained in this mix, for the most part, are excellent.  My jewel of the moment is the Fred Conti mix of DJ Bradd & Pepper Mashay "Heaven".  I was listening to it on the road the other day and found myself hitting on the gas pedal.  Thankfully, I didn't get a ticket...LOL.  I'll be back tomorrow with the third and final installment of the Christmas Trifecta (Deep, House, and Electro-Funk).  Until then...Enjoy. Album : Electro-Funk Edition v9 Genre : Electro, Funky, House Year : 2008 Total Time : 1:53:51.00 Track : 1 Title : Oye Como Va (Bassmonkeys Remix) Artist : Tito Puente Jr. & The Latin Rhythm Orchestra feat. India Track : 2 Title : Sober (Bimbo Jones Club Mix) Ar

Geez, I feel like I've been running a marathon with these mixes...LOL.  At least, I'm in the home stretch with only one more to go.  This is a lot of fun, but it can sure wear you out.  Looking at my Podbean account, I'm going to have to start clearing some stuff out to make room for the rest of the December mixes (something I don't like to do).  As a result, the Blender Edition has been canceled.  In fact, after my next post on Tuesday or so, I plan on taking a week off before bringing out the Holiday Edition.  This gives me some time to focus on some other things that need attention (mainly my computer and workstation).  I promise to do my best to split the Holiday and Year-End mixes up into something more manageable and exercise some restraint and/or self-editing in the final mixes of the year.  Really. As for this mix, all I can say is WOW!  This is holy hotness smothered in some smooth soul and layered with some serious funk.  We get not one, but two seriously smoldering DJ Meme mixes whose brand of neo-

As promised, I've got the second installment of the Deep Edition v11 ready for delivery.  Whereas the first mix was tailor-made for the club, this mix takes a more laid back approach to the progressive sound.  It's kind of a chill mix, but not really.  There's definitely some slammin' tunes here, but not necessarily anything you would drop at 4 am in the morning unless you want to be pelted with beer cans...LOL.  Of course, it was intentional to separate the two different approaches out.  This way, after a long night of partying, you can go back and zone out using this mix as your backdrop. Keeping up the pace, I'll be back Sunday with the next House Edition followed on Tuesday with the final Electro-Funk mix.  I know, I know everyone is waiting for the Holiday Edition and I promise it's coming soon.  I'm just holding out to see if I can get my hands on some new Whitney or Deborah...hopefully the gods will shine their light on Party Favorz and make it happen.  If not, I've got a lot of great stuff for that mi

To suggest that this mix is over the top, excessive or, even egotistical would be an understatement.  The truth is, there are two times a year when the market gets flooded with new music; obviously during the summer and during the winter.  Why do you ask?  Because these are highly coveted times to have a dancefloor hit.  It's when people vacation, relax, let loose and escape all the bullshit realities of life.  To have a hit during these peak times generally translates into money.  It's pretty much that simple. Nevertheless, experience has taught me that oftentimes (especially in the U.S. market) there will be several key songs on this series that will not hit clubs, much less radio until February or March of next year.  We tend to be behind the rest of the world when it comes to trends and new music.  It is what it is and I don't see the brainiacs in the dance industry changing anytime soon.  Everybody wants to follow the tried and true old way of doing business and nobody wants to be the bellwether of danc

Just wanted to remind everyone that today is World AIDS Day.  Though I don't need a special day to remember those people I've lost to this disease, it's important if only to keep it on the minds of nations and to remember that we still have a long way to go.  Recent reports from the CDC show that the number of new infections in the gay community has substantially risen over the course of the past several years.  Perhaps it's because there is less of a stigma associated with the disease, or maybe it's the lack of education and sense of invincibility among younger gay people.  Either way, there's still no cure and no excuse for reckless behavior.  Protect yourself and protect the ones you love, WRAP IT UP! I want to dedicate this mix to a dear lost friend Orlando.  I'm sorry, I didn't find out until going home for the first time in five years only to find out you passed three years earlier.  Thanks to all of my "so-called" friends for letting me know ("lame" is a word that comes to mind and one of many reasons

We now resume our regularly scheduled programming...LOL!  I gotta tell ya, November has been one fracking-crazy ass month.  From Halloween, my birthday, the elections, protesting "No on Prop 8" and trying to get all of my doctor appointments, tests, etc. scheduled before I lose my health insurance at the end of the month has been no easy task.  I'm pleased to say that I got it ALL done!  That in and of itself is a miracle.  Then, there are the mixes, and boy oh boy have I got a banger for you guys!  Originally, I started out wanting to make a final electro-funk mix for the year. That's now evolved into three separate mixes with the same cover art (in different colors) for deep, house, and electro.  I was sitting on too much good stuff to let it go to waste.  In fact, as I dug deeper, I ended up going WAY over my music budget for the month.  Consider this a gift, because that won't happen again.  What I've decided to do is stagger the releases over the next couple of weeks.  For instance, today you get deep ta

I decided I wanted the Party Favorz site to match the residence, so I went ahead and decorated it on both fronts.  Actually, Rick and I don't put up decorations until the weekend of Thanksgiving.  However, we both agreed we needed some Holiday cheer sooner rather than later.  So, we pulled out all the lights and the wreaths and hung everything up with the precision and care of two old lady's that have been collecting ornaments since their first husbands died...LOL. The most special item is our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree that we bought back in 2001, the first year we moved to Atlanta.  We didn't have a lot of money to burn, but we were at Michael's (an arts and craft chain in the U.S.) and they had everything 50% off.  We knew we couldn't buy a real tree, and even if we did, my anal-retentive self would have had to make all the decorations by hand; something I did flawlessly with my ex, who kept all of them...bitch!  I digress.  Anyway, that also costs money.  So when I saw this little kinda ugly tree made

I've got a diversionary mix for your guys. I had forgotten that Arista had released Closer: The Best of Sarah McLachlan; a very comprehensive discography earlier this month and realized that no one made a mega-mix of her best mixes. Granted, this is not the kind of music I put up on this blog, after all, trance is not my thing. But, I am a HUGE fan of Sarah's and have always enjoyed the mixes that were created for her body of work. Looking around the net, I haven't seen anyone else do this. For that matter, I don't think I can recall ever seeing a Sarah McLachlan mega-mix. So, for the first time, here it is; a long time coming, but better late than never...ENJOY! Album : Sarah McLachlan | The Diva Series Genre : Progressive, Trance Year : 2008 Total Time : 1:11:38.00 I Love You (BT Mix) Hold On (BT Mix) Sweet Surrender (DJ Tiesto Mix) Fallen (Gabriel & Dresden Anti-Gravity Mix) Stupid (Hyper Remix) Plenty (Fade Mix) World On Fire (Junkie XL Club MixGM Edit) Silence 2008 (Niels van Gogh vs

The final installment of this series was a long time coming. I've said before that I don't like to spend too much time on my mixes, otherwise you end up with something that sounds forced. For whatever reason, I just couldn't wrap my head around this one and nothing was falling into place for me. It didn't help that several of the songs I wanted to use made for difficult transitions and would need to be keyed perfectly. In fact, this was supposed to be the third installment and the Take 3 the fourth. After several attempts, I put it to the side. Last night, I got up around 4:00 am and scrapped the whole mix and started from scratch. It's almost like a light went off in my head and the whole thing just magically came together. By 6:00 am the mix was finished. When I started putting the post together, I lost my new wireless connection that Comcast had just installed the previous day. After several attempts at re-starting, I got on the phone with them for what seemed like an eternity to get it working again. By 8