DMb | Dance Music blog

Looking to further your career in Dance Music as a producer or remixer? We recently came across Point Blank Music School and checked out the numerous programs they offer. I was impressed with the large assortment of classes working with some of the top platforms for Apple OSX: Producing with Ableton Live, DJing with Ableton, Logic Pro, Reason, and Cubase. They also offer classes in all the major genres of Dance Music like: Trance, House, Minimal, Electro House, Progressive, and Hip Hop as well as Songwriting, Mixing, and DJing classes. Their new Mixing Dance Music course looks especially interesting as the mix is one thing that really makes a track shine. In this course you get to upload tracks you created for the teacher to critique and give you pointers on how to get the most our of your sound. DJ Mag has awarded them the “Best Music Production & DJ School” for the past six consecutive years which is pretty impressive.

Check out their course catalog to see what’s right for you.

via: Point Blank Online Music Production School

This Valentine’s Day Weekend, if you’re in the Southern California area, is Lucent L’amour from the infamous Do Lab. You’ve seen them at Coachella, Burning Man, and their various other L.A. events. This year features musical performances from: Bassnectar, Stanton Warriors, N.A.S.A., Lazer Sword, and much more. Live artwork and more by: Lucent Dossier Experience, Andrew Jones, Pha-Droid, Stilt Circus, Marionettes, and more.

Even if you can’t make it out be sure to hop over to the website and grab the 2 FREE tracks they are offering up: The Pixies – Where is My Mind (Bassnectar Remix) and N.A.S.A. – Music (LA Riots Remix)

Check out the website for more info at: LucentLamour.com

Freeland is a new music group from the mind of DJ/Producer Adam Freeland featuring: Tommy Lee of Motley Crue played drums, Alex Metric co-produced it, Twiggy Ramirez plays bass. Joey Santiago of the Pixies and Tony Bevilacqua of Distillers/Spinerette play guitar. Plus there is a collaboration with Soundpool, Vocals from Brody Dalle (Distillers Spinerette) and Gerry from DEVO. Freeland’s new frontman Kurt Baumann also sings on four songs.

This Dubstep/Breaks/House MegaMix by Adam Freeland contains original and remixed tracks from their albums “Cope” and the double remix CD “Cope Remixed”. You can listen to the full-length tracks at www.Freeland.FM

Enjoy!

Download MP3

Mix Info & Tracklisting (more…)

As a disclaimer, if you ever get the chance to hear me sing karaoke take cover. While I don’t exactly have the voice of an angel I do enjoy watching others karaoke. When friends get together and have a few drinks it sometimes turns into a karaoke all-nighter. I recently came across this karaoke website that does the whole karaoke thing online with a huge selection of new and classic songs to choose from. I was really impressed by design of the site and its ease of use and features. My favorite is being able to use your webcam to record performances and play them back.

Drop in and try it out for free.

Website: Karaoke Channel Online

Here’s a free track from producer Dave Edwards for the DMb listeners.

Download MP3

Get more free music at: www.davedwards.com

DMB Rockstar DJ Series
This week we are launching a new series of mixes by DJs who are also part of a successful music group. To kick it off we have a mix from Hifi Sean who was also the frontman for the band The Soup Dragons who had several hits including “I’m Free” and “Divine Thing”. I really enjoyed this band when I was in high school and I’m was very excited when I came across Hifi Sean and learned that he was the voice for The Soup Dragons.

Hifi Sean has been DJing and producing remixes for many years now and has enjoyed several long residencies at some top nights around London and Scotland. This mix is part 11 of his Psychedelic House Music series. After you check out this mix be sure to jump over to his podcast or download some of other mixes on his iTunes page. He’s got a nice variety of Dark Deep House and a really nice chilled out House mix. Enjoy.

Download MP3

Mix Info & Tracklisting (more…)

Wanna DJ at Coachella? It’s simple, get some friends to generate power and you can spin a 30 minute DJ set. Read on…

From Green LA Girl:
You may remember Global Inheritance for its environmental theme park Environmentaland, public transit friendly concert series Public Displays of Affection, or its Re:cycled Tweets social media fundraiser. Thanks to the nonprofit, concertgoers have been able to get to Coachella by train, charge up cell phones with bicycle power and enjoy eco-themed art installations.

This year, Global Inheritance plans to make even more green noise at Coachella with the Sweat Shop, an initiative that gives eco-minded DJs a chance to spin on equipment juiced up by human power. Would-be DJs have to recruit a dozen friends to ride bikes and see-saws, turn hand cranks, and run on hamster wheels to power their music career, literally!

Have 12 friends ready to sweat it out at Coachella? Email sweatshopMIXER@globalinheritance.org with your website for consideration. If you’re chosen, you’ll need to reserve your spot with a $50 deposit — which will be refunded after you and your friends successfully power and perform your set.

via: Green Girl LA

It’s here again and besides the usual offbeat headliners the lineup looks pretty good this year. LCD Soundsystem, Passion Pit, Fever Ray, Wolfgang Gartner, MGMT, Hot Chip, Phoenix, Orbital, Miike Snow…

FRIDAY APRIL 16: Jay-Z, LCD Soundsystem, Them Crooked Vultures, Vampire Weekend, Deadmau5, Public Image Limited, The Specials, Grizzly Bear, Passion Pit, Echo and the Bunnymen, Benny Benassi, Fever Ray, Grace Jones, She & Him, Erol Alkan, The Avett Brothers, Calle 13, The Whitest Boy Alive, The Cribs, La Roux, Yeasayer, Lucero, DJ Lance Rock, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Proxy, Ra Ra Riot, Deer Tick, Wolfgang Gartner, Aeroplane, Iglu & Hartly, Sleigh Bells, P.O.S., Baroness, Hockey, Little Dragon, White Rabbits, Wale, Kate Miller-Heidke, As Tall as Lions, Jets Overhead, Alana Grace, Pablo Hassan.

SATURDAY, APRIL 17: Muse, Faith No More, Tiësto, MGMT, David Guetta, The Dead Weather, Hot Chip, Devo, Coheed and Cambria, Kaskade, 2Many DJ’s, Major Lazer, Dirty Projectors, Gossip, Z-Trip, The xx, John Waters, Les Claypool, The Raveonettes, Mew, Sia, Camera Obscura, Tokyo Police Club, Porcupine Tree, Old Crow Medicine Show, Aterciopalados, Bassnectar, Frightened Rabbit, Dirty South, Flying Lotus, Corinne Bailey Rae, Pretty Lights, Shooter Jennings, RX Bandits, The Almighty Defenders, Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros, Craze & Klever, Zoe, The Temper Trap, Portugal. The Man, Band of Skulls, Girls, Beach House, Steel Train, Frank Turner.

SUNDAY, APRIL 18: Gorillaz, Pavement, Thom Yorke????, Phoenix, Orbital, Spoon, Sly and the Family Stone, De La Soul, Julian Casablancas, Plastikman, Gary Numan, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sunny Day Real Estate, Yo La Tengo, MUTEMATH, Deerhunter, Infected Mushroom, Club 75, Matt & Kim, The Big Pink, Gil Scott-Heron, King Khan and the Shrines, Florence and the Machine, Yann Tiersen, Little Boots, Miike Snow, Talvin Singh, Ceu, B.o.B., Babasonicos, Owen Pallett, The Glitch Mob, Mayer Hawthorne, Local Natives, Rusko, The Middle East, Hadouken!, The Soft Pack, Kevin Devine, Paparazzi, Delphic, One EskimO.

Tickets for COACHELLA go on sale Friday, January 22 at 10:00 AM at all Ticketmaster locations and www.coachella.com. Three-day weekend passes are $269.00, plus surcharges. More details on layaway, camping options and up-to-the minute information, can be found at www.coachella.com.

Human Life are made up of veteran electronic music producers and musicians Joshua Collins (with more than 100 vinyl releases on labels including Urbantorque and NRK), Matt Wasley (a producer of solo work for the likes of Bedrock, Nettwerk and of several rock bands) and Rachael Starr (whose chart topping singles have been released on high profile labels such as Ultra, Azuli and BMI) and cut a fine life in cool, catchy, potent electro with pop vocals and strong song writing. Their sound combines the best of the underground and overground. As well as having a great live show, the group play a mean DJ set to boot. These sets show off their range of influences, from slow disco grooves to aggressive, thumping house music, electro coolness and all in between. Matt explains “when we DJ we try to share a little bit of what Los Angeles sounds like to us”. This mix is their sonic representation of the life and climate in Los Angeles during the winter months – from the cool early mornings to the warm, sunshine-filled afternoons, to the cold desert air filled nights. Mashing up classy nu disco, the most exciting new electro producers around, retro and upfront house music, filthy bassline and dubstep. Keep an eye peeled for their debut single “In It Together”, due out in May 2010. Enjoy.

Download MP3

Mix Info & Tracklisting (more…)

So it’s the 7th Annual Hard Dance Awards voting time. It seems the categories have changed a bit to be more region specific which really makes no sense at all and seems to be a ploy to try to add more categories to the awards. My suggestion for next year maybe also add categories for DJ and Producers that also divides them up my hair or eye color and maybe age or Mac or PC preferrence. Best US DJ with Black Hair, Brown Eyes Over 21 on a PC…ME!! But anyway, go vote so some DJs can increase the rates they are currently charging after they win. Where’s my whistle crew?

From the press release:
7th Annual Hard Dance Awards powered by Trackitdown.net has launched! (more…)