Shortest Route to the Dance Floor: 5 Essential Top 20 Lists

By Jay Maxwell

I have always enjoyed following music charts and listening to weekly top 40 countdowns. When I was a radio station DJ in the 1970s and 80s, I would scan all the charts during my air shift to see what songs were moving up the lists and which ones had already peaked. Some songs had incredible staying power and would remain on the charts for weeks on end while others would barely crack the top 40 and then fall into oblivion.

Each year, mobile DJs around the country look forward to the annual Mobile Beat Top 200 to compare that list to their own experiences. Many long-time favorites are always expected to be in the Top 200. And often a new song like “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas comes on the scene that you bet will not just be a seasonal favorite, but will remain on the chart for years to come. You may also look at the chart and wonder how one of your most-played songs did not make the top of the charts. Or maybe there are songs on the chart that you had not thought to try out yet.

LICENSE TO THRILL

Personally, the one thing I enjoy more that reading charts is creating them. Often I am a bit lost for an idea for a chart theme. However, for this issue I decided to create five top 20 charts that are useful for those times when the client leaves the playlist entirely up to the DJ. I appreciate and welcome input from our clients and give them both a paper version and an electronic version of a play list booklet with about 2000 songs to begin their song selection process. Lately though, it has been surprising how many clients do not give much input into what music they want to hear and leave it entirely up to us. For those times, it is useful to rely on what “always” works until you can size up the crowd to see what particular music they want to dance to. After playing the obvious choices of “The Cha Cha Slide,” “The Cupid Shuffle” and “The Electric Slide,” the direction a DJ takes the party in is a question that each of us must be ready to answer at every party. That is essentially the reason for this issue’s charts—to give some reminders of the basics to start a party and to keep the party energized throughout the evening.

CHARTING PARTY SUCCESS

The Boogie’s Best chart contains some of the all time great songs with a strong danceable beat. From the disco period of the 1970s to Lady Gaga and Flo Rida singing today’s thumping tunes, this chart is a must-play list for solid action on the dance floor. Any of these songs would be like adding kindling to a fireplace, sure to start a fire on the dance floor and make the party hot. Just like adding kindling to start a fire, you don’t add more kindling to keep the fire going. Instead you add solid wood. So, after playing Brick House and Super Freak, add either some more 70s disco or early 80s music to the heap to continue the flame. When the spark and sizzle begin to wane, then add another piece of Boogie to again intensify the action.

Although not quite as funky, the Good Time Grooves contains selections that every seasoned pro knows are essentials to a good party. It’s interesting that all the songs are over 20 years old, but they are just as much a part of the party scene today as the day they were first recorded. There has never been a time when I played “Shout” that people did not get on the dance floor. If it’s the type of party where the guests seem glued to their seats, I’ll play “Love Shack” or “Play That Funky Music” and the glue miraculously melts away and like magic, people suddenly appear on the dance floor. Some of these songs have stood the test of time for nearly 50 years and all these jams will most likely still be rocking the good times 50 years from now.

No matter how hopping the party happens to be, there will be times when you want to flavor the event with a few slow songs. Keep in mind that there will be some guests who will only dance to slow tunes. So have the Top 20 Slow Songs handy. There are few guarantees in the world of the mobile DJ, but this list is a near perfect way to ensure that the floor will be packed with couples arm in arm when any of these romantic cuts are spun on your players. It is recommended to play two slow songs in a row before going back to a party beat that will again energize the floor.

Party Pleasers is a unique genre you can use to “wow” your crowd. Most of these songs were not written specifically for dancing, but nonetheless have become staples for creating a party atmosphere. The majority of these songs fall into categories like sing-a-long, air guitar fest, or “let’s just jump around and get crazy” songs. It’s rare that a party is started with these tunes, but instead they are saved to spice up the event once the party is in full swing. Play “Jessie’s Girl” and “Your Love” back to back or try another great combo of “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Livin’ on a Prayer” and then take the credit for totally taking the party over the top.

The final list, Don’t Ask, Don’t Play, is included to get an “amen” from everyone reading this article. These are songs that you hope people “don’t ask” for so you “don’t have to play” them. Some of these songs, like the Chicken Dance, Girls Just Want to Have Fun or the Hokey Pokey you would gladly play only if they are requested. But others on the list you hope no one ever asks to be played. My all time worst song has to be “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” True, no one has ever asked for that song at an event; but, it’s one of my worst fears that, when everybody is dancing, the father of the bride comes up and asks for this six-and-a-half-minute song about the sinking of an ore vessel where all 29 men drown. Recently at a wedding someone asked me to play Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” It’s an event to celebrate a couple’s happiest day of their life, and someone wants to hear a song about a man stuck in prison because he shot a man just to watch him die. Strange, but true.

It is essential to know what music to play as well as what music not to play. What you want at every event is to get people on the dance floor by playing the absolute best party music ever recorded. Whether the music was originally a hit 50 years ago or recently hot on today’s Top 40 radio stations, you should always be ready to spin the tunes that will please the crowd when they yell that famous line, “Play something we can dance to!”

[ 2 of the 5 lists from this article are included below. Subscribe to access the rest in MB's online edition, or purchase a back issue of MB #129, July 2010. ]

BOOGIE’S BEST
	SONG	ARTIST	YEAR
1	BILLIE JEAN	MICHAEL JACKSON	1983
2	I GOTTA FEELING	BLACK EYED PEAS	2009
3	BRICK HOUSE	COMMODORES	1977
4	WE ARE FAMILY	SISTER SLEDGE	1979
5	LOW (APPLE BOTTOM JEANS)	FLO RIDA	2007
6	SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT)	BEYONCE	2008
7	SEXYBACK	JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE	2006
8	HEY YA!	OUTKAST	2003
9	BOOM BOOM POW	BLACK EYED PEAS	2009
10	SUPER FREAK	RICK JAMES	1981
11	BABY GOT BACK	SIR MIX-A-LOT	1992
12	YEAH!	USHER	2004
13	LETS GET IT STARTED	BLACK EYED PEAS	2004
14	KISS	PRINCE	1986
15	PUSH IT	SALT-N-PEPA	1988
16	CALIFORNIA LOVE	TWO-2PAC	1996
17	BUST A MOVE	YOUNG M.C.	1989
18	JUST DANCE	LADY GAGA	2008
19	GET LOW	LIL JON-YING YANG TWINS	2003
20	IT TAKES TWO	ROB BASE	1988

GOOD TIME GROOVES
	SONG	ARTIST	YEAR
1	BROWN EYED GIRL	VAN MORRISON	1967
2	SHOUT	OTIS DAY	1978
3	LOVE SHACK	B-52’s	1989
4	CELEBRATION	KOOL & GANG	1981
5	OLD TIME ROCK & ROLL	BOB SEGER	1979
6	SWEET HOME ALABAMA	LYNYRD SKYNYRD	1974
7	YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT	AC/DC	1980
8	PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC	WILD CHERRY	1976
9	TWIST	CHUBBY CHECKER	1960
10	THRILLER	MICHAEL JACKSON	1984
11	BUILD ME UP BUTTERCUP	FOUNDATIONS	1969
12	STAYING ALIVE	BEE GEES	1977
13	DON’T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH	MICHAEL JACKSON	1979
14	BOOGIE SHOES	KC & SUNSHINE BAND	1978
15	DECEMBER ‘63 (Oh What a Night)	FOUR SEASONS	1976
16	RESPECT	ARETHA FRANKLIN	1967
17	TWIST AND SHOUT	BEATLES	1964
18	GET DOWN TONIGHT	KC & SUNSHINE BAND	1975
19	SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED	STEVIE WONDER	1970
20	ABC	JACKSON 5	1970

Promo Only Hitlist Music Chart for May 2010

Per Your request, The Promo Only Hitlist Music Chart for May 2010.

This Chart along with previous charts are available for viewing at http://www.promoonly.com/magazine/hitlist.php

NEW: PLEASE NOTE WE HAVE ADDED THE BPM OF EACH SONG PER YOUR REQUEST!!

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Chart Compiled from National Airplay Charts and Promo Only Feedback.

Sections indicate top hits and their locations on Promo Only cds and

dvds.

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May 2010 – AUDIO Hitlist Music Chart

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May 2010 – VIDEO Hitlist Music Chart — BELOW AUDIO HITLIST

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Radio Top 40

# TITLE ARTIST – Promo Only Main Radio – ISSUE DATE

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# Title Name Artist BPM Issues

1 Nothin’ On You B.o.B Aka Bobby Ray f./ Bruno Mars 104 MSR0410

2 Break Your Heart Taio Cruz 122 MSR0210

3 Rude Boy Rihanna 87 MSR0310

4 Hey, Soul Sister Train 97 MSR0210

5 Your Love Is My Drug Ke$ha 120 MSR0510

6 Breakeven The Script 94 MSR1109

7 OMG Usher f./ Will.I.Am 130 MSR0510

8 Need You Now Lady Antebellum 108 MSR0210

9 Naturally Selena Gomez & The Scene 132 MSR0210

10 Not Myself Tonight Christina Aguilera 120 MSR0510

11 Tik Tok Ke$ha 120 MSR1009

12 Young Forever Jay-Z f./ Mr. Hudson 70 MSR0410

13 Eenie Meenie Sean Kingston f./ Justin Bieber 121 MSR0410

14 Solo Iyaz 130 MSR0310

15 Billionaire Travie McCoy f./ Bruno Mars 87 MSR0410

16 I Made It (Cash Money Heroes) Kevin Rudolf f./ Birdman & Jay Sean & Lil Wayne 93 MSR0210

17 Haven’t Met You Yet Michael Buble 122 MSR0210

18 Say Aah Trey Songz f./ Fabolous 93 MSR0310

19 Bedrock Young Money f./ Lloyd 74 MSR0210

20 Impossible Shontelle 90 MSR0210

Modern Rock

# TITLE ARTIST – Promo Only Modern Rock – ISSUE DATE

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1 Lay Me Down The Dirty Heads 85 MRR0310

2 Between The Lines Stone Temple Pilots 137 MRR0410

3 Resistance Muse 135 MRR0110

4 Savior Rise Against 226 MRR0709

5 Mountain Man Crash Kings 78 MRR1209

6 1901 Phoenix 144 MRR1109

7 The Royal We Silversun Pickups 146 MRR0809

8 Sweet Disposition The Temper Trap 130 MRR0110

9 This Is War 30 Seconds To Mars 160 MRR0410

10 Give Me A Sign Breaking Benjamin 78 MRR0110

Urban

# TITLE ARTIST – Promo Only Urban Radio – ISSUE DATE

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# Title Name Artist BPM Issues

1 Over Drake 76 UR0610

2 Rude Boy Rihanna 87 UR0210

3 My Chick Bad Ludacris f./ Nicki Minaj 85 UR0410

4 Nothin’ On You B.o.B Aka Bobby Ray f./ Bruno Mars 104 UR0110

5 Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready) Alicia Keys 86 UR0510

6 Neighbors Know My Name Trey Songz 60 UR0610

7 Everything To Me Monica 112 UR0310

8 Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home) Usher f./ Plies 96 UR0110

9 Lose My Mind Young Jeezy f./ Plies 78 UR0610

10 I’m Back T.I. 77 UR0510

Rhythm

# TITLE ARTIST – Promo Only Rhythm Radio – ISSUE DATE

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# Title Name Artist BPM Issues

1 Nothin’ On You B.o.B Aka Bobby Ray f./ Bruno Mars 104 RR0210

2 Rude Boy Rihanna 87 RR0210

3 My Chick Bad Ludacris f./ Nicki Minaj 85 RR0410

4 OMG Usher f./ Will.I.Am 130 RR0510

5 Over Drake 76 RR0610

6 Break Your Heart Taio Cruz 122 RR0210

7 In My Head Jason Derulo 110 RR0110

8 Say Aah Trey Songz 93 RR1209

9 Winner Jamie Foxx f./ Justin Timberlake & T.I. 90 RR0510

10 Say Something Timbaland f./ Drake 80 RR0110

Country

# TITLE ARTIST – Promo Only Country Radio – ISSUE DATE

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# Title Name Artist BPM Issues

1 The Man I Want To Be Chris Young 71 CR0110

2 Gimmie That Girl Joe Nichols 81 CR1209

3 Ain’t Back Yet Kenny Chesney 107 CR0410

4 Backwoods Justin Moore 79 CR1209

5 Keep On Lovin’ You Steel Magnolia 80 CR1009

6 The House That Built Me Miranda Lambert 82 CR0410

7 Unstoppable Rascal Flatts 78 CR0210

8 Crazy Town Jason Aldean 91 CR0410

9 Water Brad Paisley 97 CR0510

10 Hell On The Heart Eric Church 123 CR1209

Dance Radio

# TITLE ARTIST – Promo Only Location – ISSUE DATE

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# Title Name Artist BPM Issues

1 Naturally Selena Gomez & The Scene 132 DR0210

2 Stereo Love Edward Maya f./ Vika Jigulina 127 DR0310

3 Heartbreak On Vinyl Blake Lewis 128 DR0110

4 Gettin’ Over You David Guetta f./ Fergie & Chris Willis & LMFAO 130 DR0510

5 OMG Usher f./ Will.I.Am 130 DR0510

6 Hate To Love Alex Sayz f./ Evi 128 DR0210

7 Sweet Disposition The Temper Trap 129 DR0310

8 Hey, Soul Sister Train 126 DR0410

9 Happiness Alexis Jordan 128 DR0410

10 Rude Boy Rihanna 126 DR0410

Contemporary Christian

# TITLE ARTIST – Promo Only Location – ISSUE DATE

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# Title Name Artist BPM Issues

1 All Of Creation MercyMe 86 CC0310

2 Get Back Up tobyMac 92 CC0410

3 Forgiven Sanctus Real 85 CC1009

4 Healing Hand Of God Jeremy Camp 73 CC0110

5 Something Beautiful Needtobreathe 96 CC0110

6 Better Than A Hallelujah Amy Grant 75 CC0310

7 Hold Us Together Matt Maher 86 CC0210

8 Beautiful, Beautiful Francesca Battistelli 66 CC0410

9 Until The Whole World Hears Casting Crowns 79 CC1009

10 More Like Falling In Love Jason Gray 90 CC0110

Latin

# TITLE ARTIST – Promo Only Latin – ISSUE DATE

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**** TROPICAL LATIN

1 Estúpida India 88 TL0410

2 Mi Niña Bonita Chino Nacho 120 TL0310

3 Stand By Me Prince Royce 128 TL0110

4 Descontrol Daddy Yankee 93 TL0310

5 Dile Al Amor Aventura 124 TL0210

**** POP LATIN

1 Waka Waka (Esto Es África) Shakira 127 PL0710

2 Mientes Camila 57 PL0210

3 Guapa Diego Torres 140 PL0610

4 Cuando Me Enamoro Enrique Iglesias f./ Juan Luis Guerra 126 PL0710

5 Colgando En Tus Manos Carlos Baute f./ Marta Sanchez 120 PL0110

**** REGIONAL LATIN

1 Ando Bien Pedo Banda Los Recoditos 55 RL0410

2 Soy Enamorado Los Titanes De Durango 110 RL0510

3 La Peinada (La Peinadita) Chuy Lizárraga Y Su Banda Tierra Sinaloénse 154 RL0510

4 Sin Evidencia Banda Sinaloense MS De Sergio Lizárraga 50 RL0210

5 Te Recordaré Trono De Mexico 135 RL0410

**** CARIBBEAN SERIES

1 Descontrol Daddy Yankee 93 CRB0310

2 Loco Jowell And Randy 115 CRB0510

3 Cuando, Cuando Es J-King Y Maximan 121 CRB0210

4 Besos De Amor Flex 100 CRB0310

5 Mala Conducta Alexis & Fido 88 CRB0210

Dance/Club

# TITLE ARTIST – Promo Only Location – ISSUE DATE

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# Title Name Artist BPM Issues

1 Pyramid Charice f./ Iyaz 128 MSC0610

2 Dust In Gravity Delerium f./ Kreesha Turner 124 MSC0510

3 Freeze Bimbo Jones 128 MSC0410

4 Rude Boy Rihanna 130 RC0510

5 Something Like A Party School Gyrls 130 RC0510

6 Rocket Goldfrapp 131 AC0410

7 Gettin’ Over You David Guetta f./ Fergie & Chris Willis & LMFAO 130 RC0610

8 Take Control Julissa Veloz 130 MSC0310

9 Waves Of Change Samantha James 127 AC0410

10 Rise! Vernessa Mitchell 130 MSC0410

11 Break Your Heart Taio Cruz f./ Ludacris 126 RC0510

12 Sweet Disposition The Temper Trap 130 AC1109

13 Pretty Mess Erika Jayne 128 MSC0610

14 Not Myself Tonight Christina Aguilera 128 MSC0610

15 Insomnia Mike Candys & Jack Holiday 130 MSC0610

16 Let Me Sip My Drink Robbie Rivera f./ Fast Eddie 128 RC0510

17 Alligator Tegan And Sara 126 MSC0610

18 Be My #2 R. Kelly 125 UC0610

19 Insomnia Mike Candys & Jack Holiday 130 MSC0610

20 Finally Found Late Night Alumni 126 RC0410

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May 2010 – VIDEO Hitlist Music Chart

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Video

# TITLE ARTIST – Promo Only Videos – ISSUE DATE

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1 This Afternoon Nickelback 80 HV0610

2 OMG Usher f./ Will.I.Am 130 HV0610

3 Rude Boy Rihanna 87 HV0410

4 Baby Justin Bieber f./ Ludacris 130 HV0410

5 All I Do Is Win DJ Khaled f./ T-Pain & Ludacris & Rick Ross & Snoop Dogg 75 HV0510

6 Ride Ciara f./ Ludacris 65 UV0610

7 Over Drake 76 HV0610

8 Ain’t Back Yet Kenny Chesney 107 CT0510

9 Animal Neon Trees 148 HV0610

10 Giddy On Up Laura Bell Bundy 108 CT0310

11 American Honey Lady Antebellum 86 HV0610

12 My Chick Bad Ludacris f./ Nicki Minaj 85 HV0510

13 Blah, Blah, Blah Ke$ha f./ 3OH!3 120 HV0510

14 Freak Estelle f./ Kardinal Offishall 128 HV0510

15 I’m Back T.I. 77 UV0610

16 Hey, Soul Sister Train 97 HV0210

17 Memories David Guetta f./ Kid Cudi 130 HV0410

18 Roger That Young Money 79 UV0510

19 Beamer, Benz Or Bentley Lloyd Banks f./ Juelz Santana 89 UV0610

20 Naturally Selena Gomez & The Scene 130 CL0510

“Games Without Frontiers” Remix Contest

Indaba Music’s Community Invited to Remix Peter Gabriel’s Classic “Games Without Frontiers”

Winner Will Score Flight to London for Session at Gabriel’s Real World Studios & Have Remix Released as a “Scratch My Back” iTunes AA Digital Single

Indaba Music, the leading online destination for music creation, is thrilled to announce that Peter Gabriel has invited fans and fellow musicians to “scratch his back” by remixing his classic track, “Games Without Frontiers.”  The “Games Without Frontiers” Remix Contest will launch at http://www.indabamusic.com/featured_programs/show/remix-peter-gabriel on May 20th at 3 pm EDT, with a six-week submission period followed by a two-week public voting period.  One lucky Grand Prize winner will be flown to London to spend a day mastering their remix at Gabriel’s Real World Studios.  The winning version of “Games Without Frontiers” will then be released as an official digital single on iTunes.

With this competition, Gabriel is continuing his interest in crowd-sourcing talented collaborators through technology, while Indaba community members have the opportunity to team up with one of music’s biggest names. In the spirit of Gabriel’s recent Scratch My Back album of cover songs, the “Games Without Frontiers” Remix Contest fits right in line with the singer’s interest in a non-traditional covers record. Scratch My Back is the first part of a series of song exchanges in which Gabriel and other leading artists reinterpret each other’s songs, and finds Gabriel performing personalized versions of tunes by David Bowie, Radiohead, Lou Reed, Neil Young, Arcade Fire, and more.  Many of these artists, in turn, are recording reciprocal covers of Gabriel songs, which will follow on the forthcoming sequel, I’ll Scratch Yours.

“I have always been fascinated with the craft and the process of putting together a good song,” said Gabriel.  “I always wanted to do an album of other people’s songs; but rather than do a traditional cover record, I though it would be much more interesting to have a song exchange project, in which I would ask some of my favorite writers if they would swap tunes.”

“Peter is always up for hearing other peoples’ ways of doing music,” explains Gabriel’s longtime collaborator and producer, Richard Chappell. “It’s what keeps him going. He’s never precious about keeping it going in one way. He enjoys chaos, and gets off on how one person’s idea can trigger another’s – a kind of musical pass-the-parcel.”

Gabriel is opening up this collaboration to the next level with the “Games Without Frontiers” Remix Contest, allowing remixers to reassemble and re-interpret his classic song in whatever forms their imaginations allow. Each month -on the full moon- a double A-sided single is being released that pairs one of the songs from Scratch My Back with a reciprocal Peter Gabriel track recorded by that respective songwriter. The best remix of “Games Without Frontiers,” as judged by Gabriel, Chappell and Indaba Music’s Mantis Evar, will thus have the honor of being commercially released as a AA iTunes single, paired with Gabriel’s original, sometime in the fourth quarter of 2010.  The winning remixer will also be granted a share of the track’s royalties, asigned collector’s edition of the Scratch My Back box set, and a free year-long Platinum membership to Indaba Music.

In addition, two runners-up will each receive signed Peter Gabriel lithographs and free year-long Platinum Memberships to Indaba Music, while 10 honorable mentions will receive year-long Pro memberships to Indaba and an enhanced double CD of Scratch My Back.

Contestants for the “Games Without Frontiers” Remix Contest will be able to utilize their own software or to take advantage of Indaba’s recently unveiled MANTIS, its new web-based Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). Mantis enables anyone, from anywhere in the world, to record, edit and mix high-quality audio – for free.  Based on feedback from hundreds of thousands of users, MANTIS sports an elegant redesign and marked increases in speed, stability and usability, and has already been embraced by everyone from DIY bedroom producers to respected pros including reggae/hip-hop singer Matisyahu and Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo.

About Peter Gabriel:
Peter Gabriel first came to international prominence with the success of Genesis, a band that he co-founded while still at school. Since leaving Genesis in 1975, his recording career has included seven studio albums, film soundtracks for Birdy, The Last Temptation of Christ and Rabbit Proof Fence, as well as live and compilation albums. His musical career has also included multiple Grammy Awards and the creation of the now global WOMAD festival.

Peter Gabriel co-founded the human rights organization Witness.org in 1989, and co-founded the Elders.org with Sir Richard Branson, which was launched in 2007 by Nelson Mandela.  In 2006, Peter Gabriel was awarded the prestigious Man of Peace title by The Nobel Peace Laureates, and was recipient of Amnesty International’s 2008 Ambassador of Conscience Award.  He was bestowed with the prestigious Polar Music Prize in 2009, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010.  He has also engaged in a wide variety of tech-based businesses throughout a variety of creative industries.  For more information, visit www.petergabriel.com

Scratch My Back Album Track Listing:
1. “Heroes”
2. “The Boy In The Bubble”
3. “Mirrorball”
4. “Flume”
5. “Listening Wind”
6. “The Power Of The Heart”
7. “My Body Is A Cage”
8. “The Book Of Love”
9. “I Think It’s Going To Rain Today”
10. “Apres Moi”
11. “Philadelphia”
12. “Street Spirit (Fade Out)”

About Indaba Music:
Indaba Music is employed by musicians around the world to collaborate through the exchange of files, ideas, and even rights. With a strong emphasis on community, users connect and collaborate as they would in any other social network-through search, algorithmic recommendation, and site programming.  As of early 2010, www.indabamusic.com has nearly 500,000 users, growing at a rate of nearly 450% over the past year to include members from 185 countries.   Indaba’s collaboration opportunities have previously featured such diverse artists as The Roots, Yo-Yo Ma, Mariah Carey, Crystal Method, John Legend, Alkaline Trio, Har Mar Superstar and more.  The company and its contests have been featured in USA Today, Wired, CNET, The Independent (UK), Rolling Stone, NPR, the Discovery Channel, the Christian Science Monitor, The Colbert Report, TechCrunch, Electronic Musician, SPIN and more.

With Indaba, the world of music has gotten even smaller, while the possibilities remain endless.

For more information, visit http://www.indabamusic.com.

Celebrating the 80s by Jay Maxwell

PLAY SOMETHING WE CAN DANCE TO!

Celebrating the Eighties

LOOKING BACK AT A DECADE OF INDISPENSABLE DJ TRACKS

BY JAY MAXWELL

This isn’t just the start of a new year, but the dawn of a new decade. It’s interesting that we view so much of our culture in terms of decades rather than in mere years. For instance, I look at myself as a child of the ’70s since I “grew up” during that time (although many people-including my wife-would debate this). It was during this decade that I was a teenager, graduated from high school and set out to become independent from my parents by joining the Navy. When asked what my favorite music is to listen to when I’m not performing, my reply is always “the ’70s.” But, as 2009 drew to a close a few months ago and a new uncharted decade was about to unfold, I ceremoniously tuned the satellite radio channel up one decade to “the ’80s.” It seemed that every song brought back memories from the decade where Jay Maxwell was “born.”

I know this may sound confusing-that I was born a decade after I grew up. It was in 1982 that I first performed as a mobile DJ and also gave it another try as a radio personality (my first try was in 1977) and that’s when I “gave birth” to the DJ name of Jay Maxwell. The ’80s saw a short lived career for me as a radio and club DJ, but looking back nearly 30 years, for me, the ’80s was the decade that saw the beginning of a mobile DJ career that I still love.

’80s REWIND

When I changed the station to the ’80s I was pleasantly surprised to hear the same disc jockeys-Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn-that I first heard on MTV in the early ’80s. One of the best bits of trivia is that MTV debuted with “Video Killed The Radio Star,” a song that only went as high as number 40 on Billboard’s Top 40 chart in late 1979, but helped launch a cultural revolution in how music was presented. The first time that I watched MTV was when I was home for just a few days on leave from one of my first patrols aboard the nuclear submarine, John C. Calhoun. Of course, on a submarine when you are underwater, there is no television, so we missed the birth of MTV, but it seemed as though all my friends were glued to the same channel during those few days and the only thing we talked about for days once we returned to our boat was the excitement of an entire station dedicated to only showing music videos. During meals and breaks we would try and remember each video, describing it in detail in case one of us had missed a particular clip.

Based on two recent bookings, I am confident that the music from the ’80s could see a huge revival in the current decade. On the day before the end of the last decade, I performed at an event where almost every song requested was from the ’80s. Another recent wedding reception was booked solely on the fact that the bride wanted to ensure that I had plenty of ’80s music. When a bride comes to the office for her initial consultation, we usually conduct the meeting in a room with only a couch and table. For this bride, I knew the best way to seal the deal was to “allow” her to enter the room with all the music – including an entire wall with vinyl albums. The majority of these albums were from the ’80s and she was nearly speechless that she was able to hold many of her favorite albums in her hands; some she had never seen on vinyl before since she is only in her late twenties. As soon as she would ask if I had a particular LP, I was pulling it off the shelf for her. Not surprising, she booked before leaving our office.

BIG SCREEN CONNECTION

Though the typical party usually doesn’t have just one decade of music requested, most every party has a fair sampling of music from 20 to 30 years ago. At nearly every party we play a song or two from the best-selling album of all time, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, a masterpiece of nine songs where a remarkable total of seven were released as singles. In all, Michael had 16 top ten songs in the ’80s, with exactly half of those going to number one. (Oddly enough the single “Thriller” didn’t make the top spot, peaking at number four.) Other artists that ruled the charts in the ’80s and are still popular today at mobile events include Prince (“Kiss” and “1999″ both have timeless beats), Madonna (“Material Girl” and “Like a Virgin” are classic), Whitney Houston (if only she could come up with another hit like “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”), Bruce Springsteen (the entire Born in the U.S.A. album rocks) and AC/DC (of course, “You Shook Me All Night Long”).

One reason that many songs from the ’80s have become timeless hits at parties is their inclusion on movie soundtracks that are classic in their own right. Movies such as Purple Rain, Flashdance, Urban Cowboy, Dirty Dancing, and Footloose were all in part about dancing, which helped create soundtracks that were mandatory for every DJ’s collection. I’m sure we have all played “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing to close out a show, or have lifted “Take My Breath Away” from the Top Gun soundtrack for a couple’s first dance. One of my favorite soundtracks from this decade only had one dance hit on it, but I nearly wore out my original copy of the Risky Business record (thank you Tom Cruise) playing Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock & Roll.”

ESSENTIAL SONGS

At first, I wanted to simply have a single Top 40 list of the best party hits of the ’80s, but quickly decided that there were far too many essential hits that needed to be included. That’s why I expanded the selection to include four different categories-Dance, Classic Rock, New Wave, and Slow Songs. There were other categories that could also have been included, but I incorporated all the best tracksinto these four. It’s hard to imagine the handicap we would have if we were not allowed to play songs from the ’80s at an event. Some songs are more popular now than when they were first released such as “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Don’t Stop Believing.” Though both the Def Leppard and Journey hits were top ten singles, I rarely played them at parties in the ’80s, but play them at almost every event now. Be thankful for the ’80s. Without party starters like ‘Celebration” and “Love Shack” or favorites like “Super Freak,” “Push It,” and “It Takes Two” we would have to really use our imagination to get certain crowds out of their chairs and onto their feet as they’re yelling, “Play something we can dance to!”
1980s: Dance

SONG
ARTIST
YEAR
BPM
1
CELEBRATION
KOOL & THE GANG
81
122
2
THRILLER
MICHAEL JACKSON
84
118
3
BILLIE JEAN
MICHAEL JACKSON
83
118
4
BUST A MOVE
YOUNG M.C.
89
121
5
SUPER FREAK
RICK JAMES
81
132
6
GET DOWN ON IT
KOOL & THE GANG
82
111
7
KISS
PRINCE
86
112
8
YOU DROPPED A BOMB ON ME
GAP BAND
82
126
9
BEAT IT
MICHAEL JACKSON
83
140
10
FUNKY COLD MEDINA
TONE LOC
89
118
11
I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY
WHITNEY HOUSTON
87
120
12
PUSH IT
SALT-N-PEPA
88
130
13
RASPBERRY BERET
PRINCE
85
122
14
WILD THING
TONE LOC
89
126
15
MATERIAL GIRL
MADONNA
85
138
16
1999
PRINCE
83
120
17
GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN
CYNDI LAUPER
84
121
18
SHE’S A BAD MAMA JAMA
CARL CARLTON
81
114
19
EVERYBODY HAVE FUN TONIGHT
WANG CHUNG
86
117
20
ALL NIGHT LONG
LIONEL RICHIE
83
110
21
APACHE (JUMP ON IT)
SUGARHILL GANG
82
114
22
IT TAKES TWO
ROB BASE
88
112
23
LIKE A PRAYER
MADONNA
89
113
24
IT’S RAINING MEN
WEATHER GIRLS
83
138
25
ROCK WITH YOU
MICHAEL JACKSON
80
114
For the rest of this list and three other essential ’80s song lists, pick up a copy of Mobile Beat #127 – March 2010, or subscribe to get online access to the complete issue.

Time Trippin’ By Stu Chisholm

Time Trippin’

By Stu Chisholm
How a look back can reveal the road ahead

The realization that I’ve had a very long career is sometimes driven home in surprising ways. A long relationship with clients and their families is one of them. Just before I began my DJ career, there was a little girl in my apartment complex who played with my girlfriend’s son. She was one of many kids in the complex I got to know. Flash-forward about a decade, she’s calling me to entertain at her wedding! So there we are, and she’s a foot taller than when I’d last seen her, looking adult and beautiful in her wedding gown, a child no longer. Flash-forward again by nine more years and she’s calling me about her 30th birthday celebration! (Her “little sister” would call me soon after for her 25th.) The reason I’m recounting this particular family relationship is because the “little girl” called me again a few days ago…to spin the music at her [ital] daughter’s [ital] Sweet 16 Party. Like a family doctor, I’m not needed often, but they wouldn’t trust anyone else with their special life events.

THE VENERABLE LOG…

Over the same week I met with my friend and her daughter, I’d begun the tedious project of digitizing my old program logs. Today they’re Excel files, but for years they’d simply been handwritten lists, and over time those lists filled a couple of file cabinets! Since my living space isn’t getting any bigger, it was time for the paper to go. But I knew that this project was going to be long-term; something I’d do when the important stuff was done. Or I’d tackle them at lunch and between projects: less fun, but more productive than playing Mafia Wars.

I’d gotten in the habit of keeping a program long back in the 80s, when it was a job requirement at the nightclub where I worked. I immediately realized their utility. By noting what is played, in order, noting the response and jotting down any special notes, I’ve built a record of my events and, over time, a history. If there was a dispute (“You didn’t play…” or “You never did…”), I could point to the log and tell them that yes, I did indeed play that song, and what time I played it, and what kind of response it got on the dancefloor. That response could alert me to a song that would soon catch fire, or maybe a tried-and-true floor-packer that was starting to outlast its welcome, helping me to fine-tune my programs. In a nightclub setting, this can be critical. For weddings and mobile events, a longer-term benefit has also become apparent.

…FINDS A NEW USE

When playing multiple events for the same family or group, I would bring the program logs from their previous parties. It’s a graphic way to see what worked best and what was less successful. Things like birthdays and anniversaries were noted, and my program matched their tastes more precisely with each event. Over time, it’s as if I became a part of the family. It’s about as close to being psychic as you can get!

Today, a lot of DJs depend on the automatic logging systems built into their DJ software. Yet that software doesn’t note if a song was a request from a guest or from the list provided by a wedding couple. It doesn’t note the time it was played, or any dedications that might’ve accompanied the request. In short, they lack detail. A separate log, recorded on the spot, is by far a better way to go.

TIMES AND TASTES: REMEMBERING ‘88

Keeping detailed logs over time can not only help with future programming-and make a career DJ feel long in the tooth-but it vividly shows the patterns of popular music, and how we sometimes use it in surprising ways. A good case in point was the year 1988.

22 years ago, many of the “usual suspects” were there; “Celebration,” “Old Time Rock & Roll,” “Y.M.C.A.” and “Lady In Red”-already established classics that we still play today and will be spinning for many more years to come. Trends appear and those songs and artists that couples couldn’t live without, that seemed so important at the time also appear. One artist that I noticed on almost every list that year was The Jets, a Latin-American group who had a ballad called “Make It Real,” and a dance track called “Rocket 2 U.” The former was even an oft-used first dance at weddings! But it’s doubtful that anyone would want to hear those tracks today outside of a class reunion or anniversary.

On a more personal level, I could see how I began to assemble some of the sets that have become my show staples, and how they’ve evolved as well. We all have our sequences and sets we like and, try as we might to be versatile and fresh, we always show off that perfect mix when given the opportunity. Gazing through the telescope of time, I noted the first time I mixed “Brick House” with “Play That Funky Music” back in 1984. “Louie Louie” by the Kingsmen, previously a huge favorite among the sock hop set, was replaced by “Some Kind of Wonderful” by Grand Funk, or “Twist & Shout” by the Beatles as a follow-up to Bob Seger’s iconic hit. By the way, I also noticed that in 1985, live mixing during a reception cocktail hour and dinner period was a standout when other DJs were just playing a background tape. By 1988, the movie [ital] Dirty Dancing had breathed new life into songs like “Do You Love Me” by the Contours, “Cry To Me” by Solomon Burke, and gave us the destined-to-be-classic “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life,” which every bride, it seemed, wanted to be the final song of their event.

A Study in Contrasts

Indispensable groups from 1988 that are never (or seldom) heard at receptions today include: Exposé, Debbie Gibson, Taylor Dayne, The Whispers, Pebbles, Johnny Kemp, Pretty Poison, Tiffany, Lisa Lisa & The Cult Jam, Klymaxx and Paul Young. “Dance Little Birdie” became “The Chicken Dance,” the Emeralds version replacing The Tweets ‘81 hit. Still going strong: Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson, Bob Seger, The Village People, Bon Jovi and Billy Idol. Activities have changed, too. At least in my locality, the tradition of the bride dancing with her father first, who then ceremoniously “passes” his daughter to the groom has all but disappeared. So did the dollar dance, for a while, but it has been slowly making a comeback in recent years. The biggest casualty, however, has been the Grand March, which used to follow the bride and groom’s first dance and the introduction of the Bridal Party. The couple would lead their party around the room, a bit like a party train or conga line, but when they returned to the dance floor, they would turn and face one another holding hands and everyone behind them danced under their “arch” did the same. Soon everyone was dancing through a “tunnel” of friends and family members, kissing everyone along the way! On the extremely rare occasion when a couple opts for a Grand March today, there’s absolutely no kissing, except, hopefully, for the wedding couple!

Log Rolling

So what does all this mean? Most immediately it means that program logs give you a way to gauge many things about your performance, clients, music and trends in both the short and long term. This information can be useful, sometimes in unexpected ways! When perusing Facebook and some DJ websites, I’ve often wondered why DJs who don’t offer photography still snap lots of pictures and post them online. Then I realized that, aside from a bit of promotion, it’s a way to touch base with reality and affirm that we actually did something! It’s a tangible piece of an experience that’s gone like a puff of smoke. I remembered having the same feeling about my first program logs. Armed with that information, I could virtually re-create the entire event. It was somehow more [ital]real. I could also also answer the party guest who called days or even weeks after an event asking, “What was that great song they used for their first dance?” Or, a request to “play all of those great tunes you played at my sister’s wedding” was suddenly possible. And knowing when to STOP playing “Rocket 2 U” kept my program from becoming stale and might’ve even prevented a loss of business! Years from now, your own logs might also make you look back, as I have, and say, “What a long, strange trip it’s been!” (Now where have we heard THAT before?)

Until next time, safe spinnin’!

Did you find the Year End Charts helpful?

Did you find the Year End Charts helpful? In other words…

Did you digg it?  http://digg.com/music/Year_End_Charts_The_most_requested_songs_of_2009

MARKETING TIP: Use this list at Bridal Shows to reiterate to your client that you use reliable sources, and are current with the music their guests will want to hear!

Denon DJ Partners with Promo Only, Inc For Special Offer

DENON DJ PARTNERS WITH PROMO ONLY, INC. FOR SPECIAL OFFER

- Promo Only, the nation’s premier provider of promotional music, offers Denon DJ customers a certificate redeemable for two free CD’s -

ITASCA, IL, October 20, 2009 – Denon DJ, a leading manufacturer of premium-grade DJ equipment, has announced a partnership with Promo Only, Inc., the nation’s premier provider of promotional music. Together with Promo Only, Denon DJ is offering a promotional certificate to customers who purchase new DJ/CD playback products from an authorized U.S. Denon dealer. The certificate can then be redeemed for two free Promo Only CD’s, with no further obligation. The Denon DJ units with the included certificates are now shipping, and the offer expires March 31, 2010.

The offer’s promotional CDs can be user-selected from 18 styles/formats, including mainstream radio, urban radio, country radio, modern rock radio, rhythm radio, dance radio, mainstream club, underground club, alternative club, rhythm club, club beats UK, underground beats UK, urban club, tropical Latin, regional Latin, pop Latin, contemporary Christian and Caribbean. The promotion is intended to offer DJs and other influential tastemakers a sampling of tomorrow’s hits before they hit the mainstream channels.

Commenting on the promotion, Denon DJ Brand Manager Silvio Zeppieri stated, “Promo Only is one of the premier sources for a wide breadth of promotional music for DJs. Now, in addition to offering a great Denon DJ product, we are providing our loyal customers with additional tracks and new sounds to incorporate into their mixes.”

More information can be found at www.denondj.com.

.—–

About D&M Professional
D&M Professional, through its Denon® Professional, Marantz® Professional and Denon DJ brands, manufactures and distributes a leading line of professional audio and video equipment for the broadcast, commercial, corporate, DJ, education, government, audio/visual, education, houses of worship, security and related industries.Visit D&M Professional at www.d-mpro.com or Denon DJ at: www.denondj.com.

About D&M Holdings Inc.
D&M Holdings Inc. is a global operating company providing worldwide management and distribution platforms for premium consumer, automotive, commercial and professional audio and video businesses including Denon®, Marantz®, McIntosh® Laboratory, Boston Acoustics®, Snell Acoustics, Escient®, Calrec Audio, Denon DJ, Allen & Heath, D&M Professional and D&M Premium Sound Solutions. Our technologies improve the quality of any audio and visual experience. All product and brand names with a trademark symbol are trademarks or registered trademarks of D&M Holdings, Inc. or its subsidiaries. For more information visit www.dm-holdings.com.

About Promo Only
Promo Only offers 18 different formats of music on CD and 8 different formats of music video on DVD, including weekly and DFF (digital file format) delivery, each designed to meet the specific needs of music professionals and entertainment venues. Subscribers to Promo Only enjoy the widest variety of the newest releases, access to turnkey audio and video libraries, and a suite of custom audio and video programming services (hospitality and retail establishments only).

In The Mood by Jay Maxwell

What kind of atmosphere does your pre-reception play list actually create?

It has always amazed me when someone has the gift of remembering song lyrics and can sing a song “on demand” without looking at any music sheets or lyrics. Several television game shows have even been created that challenge contestants’ knowledge of song lyrics. Often during a consultation with a bride and groom, they will see a song title and then ask me to sing a bit of the song for them. Naturally, I kindly remind them that I am a mobile disc jockey, not a wedding singer, but I will be glad to let them listen to the song to see if it is one they want to add to their play list. Friends of mine have asked me about lyrics and it seems I always draw a blank when it comes remembering them. Even for my favorite songs-those I sing along with on the radio-I do more humming and mumbling than singing because I don’t know the actual words. Of course if anyone asks me questions about who sang a song or the year it was released or how high it went on the chart, then I’m ready to hold an intelligent conversation with them.

Don’t misunderstand me though. Even though my weakness is not being able to sing a song, I am a firm believer that it is an important part of a mobile disc jockey’s job to know the message of a song before playing it for an audience. The recognition that lyrics set the mood of an event is one mark of a true professional who is striving for excellence. At this point you probably think that the remainder of this article will be about the profanity or sexually oriented content which has infiltrated much of today’s music and how we need to steer clear of these songs when playing for a general audience that one typically finds at a wedding reception. Instead, my focus here is on knowing enough about the lyrics of songs in order to set the right mood at an event, in particular, at a wedding reception.

Take a Listen

About fifteen years ago, as my wife and I attended a wedding reception as guests, I recall listening to the songs the DJ played during the social hour while we were waiting for the bride and groom to arrive. Though they were lively, he played many songs that made me wonder if he knew something about the bride and groom’s relationship that the rest of us didn’t. Instead of filling our ears with sounds of everlasting love, many of the songs were about breaking up or cheating. These songs were obviously not being played “on purpose” to send a subliminal message about the couple or their love. He was playing them simply because the music was upbeat. Sure we were all tapping our toes, but in my mind a “dismal” mood had been cast over what should have been a prelude to a grand celebration of love and romance. This experience made me always question my own selection of social hour music and to caution other DJs to be choosey in their initial musical offerings played for guests to listen to as they await the bride and groom’s arrival.

For every wedding, we ask our clients what genre of music they want played for the social hour. Many choose lively jazz or modern love songs. For many years, we had more requests for American Songbook selections (Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Tony Bennett) than any other category. Recently the trend has been for R&B music from the Sixties by such artists as The Four Tops, The Temptations, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding. Often people will just ask for Motown artists (or similar songs from other labels) to set the mood. Looking at this issue’s list, the majority of the songs are from the 1960s, with a few from the late Fifties or Seventies. What sets these songs apart from many others is that not only a “toe-tapping beat” but the lyrics-don’t forget, that’s what we are talking about here-are about everlasting and true love. Remember: An hour before the guests first meet you and hear your first note, they have witnessed two people commit the rest of their lives to each other. You are now entrusted to help celebrate this union. Songs such as “How Sweet It Is” or “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” were made to be played for joyous occasions such as a wedding reception. The songs on this issue’s list should provide you with a good resource to ensure that the lyrics are not going to be about heartbreak.

Deceptively Cheerful

There have been songs that I’ve played during the social hour that I later discovered were about a soured relationship. One example is the 1966 hit by the Isley Brothers (remade by Rod Stewart with Ronald Isley in 1990) “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You).” It has a great beat, and by the tone of their singing one would think that it is celebrating true love. Well, perhaps it IS celebrating “true” love, but it is a one-sided love affair. Actually reading the words to the song we find, “This old heart of mine been broke a thousand times…Lonely nights that come… hurting me … heart weeps for you.” The Isleys sing it with such happy voices that one might actually hear a “love” song instead of a heartbreak song. There was one couple who requested (and we played) Al Green’s “Here I Am (Come and Take Me)” for their first dance. For the most part, it could be mistaken for a love song appropriate for a first dance. However the lines, “A love that I cannot have, you broke my heart into half… you’ll find yourself lost and alone on a darkened street” don’t lend themselves to a song for a newly married couple’s first dance. Song titles can be misleading too. Take for example The Four Tops’ classic Top 10 hit “Standing in the Shadows of Love” from 1966. After only the first line of the song, one should mark this off any “true love” list, since the jilted lover says he is “Waitin’ for the heartaches to come.” Later in the song we find phrases like “You’ve taken away all my reasons for livin’” and words like “alone,” “desperately,” “cry” and “misery.” A song like this played during the cocktail hour sends a message completely the opposite of why everyone has gathered for this particular event.

As we strive to be the best mobile disc jockeys possible, we must realize that the appropriate “love content” of a song is probably more important during the beginning of a wedding reception than at any other time during the event. When people first enter the room and begin to settle in to wait for the bridal party to arrive and while they are enjoying dinner they are more inclined to be listening to the songs and absorbing the mood that the lyrics are helping to create. Once the dance portion of the event begins, there is less tendency of the crowd to think about the love content of a song. They might still be attuned to other offensive lyrical content, but that’s another article. Remember that you always have a choice of what to play and what to recommend to a bride and groom or any client-this is equally true when they ask you to play something they can listen to or when they ask you to play something they can dance to.

SOUL SONGS TO SET THE MOOD *

SONG ARTIST

1 HOW SWEET IT IS TO BE LOVED BY YOU MARVIN GAYE

2 I CAN’T HELP MYSELF (SUGAR PIE HONEY BUNCH) FOUR TOPS

3 MY GIRL TEMPTATIONS

4 I WAS MADE TO LOVE HER STEVIE WONDER

5 YOU SEND ME SAM COOKE

6 REACH OUT I’LL BE THERE FOUR TOPS

7 IF I COULD BUILD MY WHOLE WORLD AROUND YOU MARVIN GAYE

8 LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND DEON JACKSON

9 MORE TODAY THAN YESTERDAY SPIRAL STAIRCASE

10 SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED I’M YOURS STEVIE WONDER

11 MY GUY MARY WELLS

12 WISHIN’ AND HOPIN’ DUSTY SPRINGFIELD

13 THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO TEMPTATIONS

14 THIS WILL BE (AN EVERLASTING LOVE) NATALIE COLE

15 SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL DRIFTERS

16 IT TAKES TWO MARVIN GAYE / KIM WESTON

17 LEAN ON ME BILL WITHERS

18 FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE STEVIE WONDER

19 STAND BY ME BEN E. KING

20 AIN’T NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING MARVIN GAYE / TAMMI TERRELL

*For the rest of Jay’s Top 50 Soul Songs, check out the November 2009 issue of Mobile Beat

Beamz – Freekin’ Lasers In The Mix!

Always looking for something unique and a fan of gadgets and cool inventions that have something to do with games or music, I was thrilled when a big box showed up from Beamz. The Beamz unit is a heavy duty well built midi style musical instrument that even someone with no musical skills like myself can make some cool music with. To do so, I just placed my hands between any one of the six laser beams that extend from one side of the W shaped unit to the other. By interrupting the light source from reaching the other side, you can create different sounds from each beam. But to understand this unit fully, you need experience it in person or at least check out the http://thebeamz.com website to see one in action. I’ll try to explain here, but understand that you need to check out the videos online.

For Remixer Style Performance DJs:

With the recent release of Beamz Studio software they turned the laser musical unit into a midi player and controller that DJs can assign to different effects, sounds and loops. This part of the software makes it so DJs that are working on their own music mixes can perform it in their studio or live in front of the crowd. It’s like having a laser based sampler for audio!

For Mobile DJs:

For most disc jockeys, the above portion of the functionality is not as important as the use of songs that they regularly play and want to add a cool extra mix to. While the current available library of pre-done tracks is only at around 100 or so, it includes favorites that DJs play on a regular basis such as Funky Town, Get Ready For This, a great mixable version of Billy Jean by Michael Jackson, In Da Club, Ice Ice Baby/Under Pressure, and Just Dance by Lady Gaga. Earlier this year, Beamz Interactive signed a deal with Sound Choice distribution which will get plenty more tracks into their library within the next couple months. This will allow you to pop samples in and create your own mix live at the event and make a show out of it for the school dance attendees where I can see the popularity of this being strongest. The system comes with 30 original songs plus a coupon good for 5 additional free songs upon registration of the unit online.

The Beamz is available in a both a consumer ($199.95) and professional version ($299.95). The only difference is that the pro version includes the new studio software, which allows musicians and DJs to compose their own interactive music from existing midi, wav and mp3 libraries

Overall a very well built unit with software to match it. The growth and the adoption of this unit as a performance piece for club/remix and mobile DJs really will depend on the growth of the library of tracks and effects. Stay tuned!

Phoenix, AZ Takes Center Stage in Karaoke Piracy Battle:

Sound Choice, a leading manufacturer of karaoke discs has filed a federal trademark violation lawsuit against 15 karaoke venues and Karaoke Jockeys (KJ’s) in the Phoenix area.  Alleging use of illegally obtained and unauthorized copies of karaoke content on hard drives, Sound Choice is asking for a jury trial to determine damages for lost revenues, “statutory damages per trademark infringed by counterfeiting”, and all profits realized by the defendants as a result of their unfair business advantage from counterfeiting of the trademarks.  Intellectual Property lawsuits have been prominent in recent news with the RIAA winning a nearly 2 million dollar verdict for willful infringement and a Blogger being sentenced to a year’s probation after leaking a Guns N’ Roses album to the internet.

Local Phoenix establishments and companies listed as defendants in the suit include karaoke hosting companies; Dennis Gorrel d/b/a Big D Productions, Abraham Cortez  d/b/a Carousel Karaoke and DJ Company, Dan Dan the Taxi Man (actual identity unnamed),  William Ludlow II d/b/a Dirty Goat Productions, Greg Kimble d/b/a Dynamic Sound Production,  Debbie Simmons d/b/a Karaoke Fever, Trey’s BadAss Karaoke (actual identity unnamed),   Ernest McCullar d/b/a Wired for Sound, and restaurant – bar establishments; Boston’s Bar and Grill located in Tempe,  the Breakroom located in Phoenix,  the Grapevine located in Scottsdale, Hazelwoods First Place Sports Grill located in Phoenix, Hurricane Bay Nightclub located in Phoenix, Lighthouse Sports Bar located in Avondale, the Regal Beagle Sports located in Chandler.  Representatives of Sound Choice with assistance of United States Karaoke Alliance (USKA) members conducted investigations and amassed evidence in the months preceding the lawsuit being filed.

Sound Choice is a leader in the karaoke community and has invested nearly 20 million dollars in their karaoke music catalog.  In the mid 90’s Sound Choice routinely put out up to 5 new Karaoke discs per month and employed 75 people.  With the actions of those pirating their music, they now employ less than 10 people and  their last disc release sold under 800 copies, yet can be found on thousands of karaoke systems across the United States.  As stated in their suit,  “Sound Choice has been forced to undertake this litigation in order to ensure that it survives and continues to produce the high-quality karaoke music its fans demand, and to level the playing field for the legitimate KJs.”

US Karaoke Alliance President, Eric Godfrey, stated, “As legitimate KJ’s, we support Sound Choice’s endeavors.  Due to piracy we can no longer get a fair price for our services as a substantial majority of karaoke jocks are using illegal content.  Almost every disc that comes out is now being shared on the internet or sold on hard drives.  As a result of this piracy, all legitimate karaoke disc manufacturers already have or are in danger of going out of business”.

Bobby Brooks, Vice-President of the USKA added,  “While KJ’s buying music legally have spent tens of thousands of dollars, KJ’s using pirated content have no cost and therefore have offered services for much lower fees, driving down the actual fair market cost for KJ services”.

Sound Choice started these actions, but other Karaoke publishers are watching Phoenix as the test case for legal action.  Asked what the future holds, Kurt Slep, CEO of Sound Choice, responded, “We hope to set a precedent in Phoenix.  We have already finished investigations in several other markets and those actions will follow in time.”

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