Archive for the 'Music' Category

I Love Soul Kitchen by The Doors

[Gachie, Kenya]
I LOVE MUSIC!! This is no secret to peeps who know me from growing up in Ottawa, Canada and my “club buddies” in Toronto (Comfort Zone, System Sound Bar, The Guvernment, Life, Film Lounge, Turbo, Labour of Love) and Montreal (Aria, Gravity, Stereo, Sona, Beach Club, Red Lite, Bal en Blanc, Swirl) where I’m absolutely captivated by the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) scene and its pulsating sounds — especially House music with  Dark, Tribal or Progressive elements by the likes of international mega stars like Dj Vibe and local Canadian talent like DJ Myka, DJ Addy, Dan Medland (retired), Creator, Kenny Glasgow and Manzone & Strong.

Rock on…
However, since I was 8 when I left Barbados, the majority of my friends have been white Canadians during my public and high school years and, well, they love Rock music. I’ve always been a big Doors and Jimmi Hendrix fan though. These 2 artists were definitely waaay ahead of their time. Pearl Jam and Smash Mouth also rock my world — pun intended.

One track by The Doors that really excites me is “Soul Kitchen.” The surreal instrumentals are first-rate and the lyrics as well as the vocals gets me so excited that I’m able to forget about all the crazy sh!t going on in the world — for 3 minutes and 33 seconds. Here, have a listen and see if you feel me on this one.

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Acid Jazz track – The Masterplan

[Gachie, Kenya]
HAPPY HOLIDAYS & ALL that Jazz. Speaking of Jazz, I’ve been YouTubing a lot lately to find old tracks from waaay back. Everything’s on YouTube! It’s gotta be the largest repository of music, videos and what not in the history of the world. It’s slogan “broadcast yourself” says it all. Way to go Google!

Anyhow, I want to introduce you to a track called The Masterplan by Diana Brown & Barrie K. Sharpe back in 1990. When I first heard it around ‘92, I was amazed with its style, lyrics, VIBE, and sheer uniqueness. Heck, 20 years later, this track is still FRESH and timeless. Just listen to it and you’ll see why I’m so excited. I lost this track twice over an 18 year period, but now it’s forever in the archives of YouTube.

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DJ Vibe & Victor Calderone on YouTube

[Kiambu, Kenya]
WHY DO I LOVE Dark Progressive House so much? Well, it just gets you pumped up to the point that you have to dance. In addition, world class DJs like Victor Calderone and DJ Vibe are masters of this genre. I was doing a little YouTubing today, and decided to see what I’d find if I did a search on said genre. Lo and behold, I saw lots of video results…so I had to peek a few of them. Can you feel the pulsating progressive sounds in this video at the Shelborne Pool Party which is part of the 2008 Winter Music Conference festivities held in Miami, Florida? The fun really begins at the 20 second mark when the DJ literally changes gears — and revs up the BPMs (beats per minutes). Wicked!!!!

I just wished I was there to dance my behind off. I sooo miss that “dark proggy sound.” Let’s just say that you have to be “part of the scene” to appreciate these beats that DJ Vibe and Calderone are unleashing at the moment. By the way, when I came to Kenya, I brought my only “paid for” Resonate CD by Victor Calderone. Suffice to say, it magically disappeared out of my possession in less than a year. So much for sharing my passion for House music. :-)

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Beach Club Party – Quebec, Canada

[Diani Beach, Kenya]
WELL, IT LOOKS like I missed yet another great party at Beach Club on September 6, 2009  just outside of Montreal, Quebec. Here, you’ll find amazing DJs playing all sorts of delicious EDM (Electronic Dance Music) beats…and the vibe is soooo RELAXED. I gotta give some credit to French Canadians: They know how to party – in sexy style!! Thanks for the pics Robbie…you lucky bastard! :-)

a kick-ass party at the famous Beach Club in Quebec, Canada on Sep6-2009

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Chris Liebing at Love Parade 2007

[Karen, Kenya]
AFTER HEARING Chris Liebing at Swirl 2005 in Montreal, I’ve been searching the Net far and wide for his live set at said event. No luck so far. But I found this YouTube video of him spinning at the huge (1,000,000 + partiers) Love Parade 2007 event in Germany.

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Remembering the SWIRL 2005 Party

[Ngong, Kenya]
I VIVIDLY REMEMBER the amazing Swirl 2005 party at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal . It was an EDM (Electronic Dance Music) event filled with many pleasant surprises. First off, I accidentally discovered the slamming House beats of Montreal’s Martin St. Louis. He’s definitely going to go places…and I wish him all the best. I hung out with him for a bit at his DJ booth, which was on the way to the washrooms at Swirl. He wasn’t one of the main acts…just a side show, and a way to promote upcoming local talent.

Chris Liebing spinning his Techno beats at Swirl 2005 in Montreal

The best moment for me, though, was hearing the UNBELIEVABLE, pulsating Techno beats of Germany’s Chris Liebing.  Up to that point in my EDM life, I’ve never heard such a unique “sound” as I did that night. Hmmnn…how can I describe it? Well, it was upbeat, off the charts, banging, lively…DELICIOUS. He definitely has his own sound. Oh, can someone PLEASE get me a Chris Liebing mix? Better yet, did anyone record his Swirl 2005 set? I NEED it BADLY!! Because of CMr. Liebing, I must visit Germany to hear him spin — some day.

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Wearing White at Bal en Blanc Party

[Ngong, Kenya]
ONE THING
that you’ll quickly notice at the massive (10,000 + clubbers) Bal en Blanc party in Montreal (the greatest party city in Canada) is that almost everyone is wearing white. It’s like huge blissful gathering of The People-Who-Only-Wear-White-Clothing-At-Big-Parties association. And let me just add that the ladies in attendance are as hot as any feline clubbers you’ll see anywhere on the planet. Once again, my hats go off to those spirited Montreal folks who know how to style.

at the Bal en Blanc 2009 pary, styles are always in effect. Don't forget to wear white!

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Arriving at the Bal en Blanc Party

[Ngong, Kenya]
I REMEMBER my first Bal en Blanc party in 2005. Wow, the vibe in the lineup was so upbeat. Everyone was so pumped up to get on the dance floor and listen to some of the world’s biggest EDM DJs spin their delicious House, Techno, and Trance beats. I went with my good pal Robbie and some other mutual friends. That night will remain with me forever because I met so many awesome peeps and discovered the talented local DJ, Martin St. Louis, who was spinning by the entrance (oops, I met him at Swirl 2005…wrong event!). After, we went to a friend’s condo in Montreal and chilled out for most of Sunday.

EDM lovers waiting to get into the Bal en Blanc 2009 party in Montreal

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Bal en Blanc 2009 Party

[Ngong, Kenya]
THE WORD on the street says that Montreal’s hugely popular Bal en Blanc party was a smashing success. I’m sooo there for the Spring 2010 part! The vibe at this event is almost magical…so many kool, chill, friendly peeps who share one thing in common: Love & passion for Electronic Dance Music.

Bal en Blanc 2009 party in Montreal. This event always attracts lots of enthused dancers

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A look at Web Usability & Design

Some things never change
Since I’m intimately involved in the creation of a new, exciting eBusiness “community” web portal that’s part eCommerce, part entertainment (eventually), and part community, I was tickled pink when I ran across Jakob Nielsen’s Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 1999 in cyber space. Most importantly, I’ll be sure to pass on this link to our web developers. So, who the heck is Jakob Nielsen (see pic on left)? Well, according to ZDNet’s Anchordesk, he’s the smartest person on the Web.”

What’s surprising about this article is the fact that a lot of companies and web developers still make the same damn mistakes…and this is 2006. Like, do people not use the logic and common sense in their god-given brains?? {”Earth to web developers, please come in!! Can you hear me??“}

Repent or die
Even though I’m not a religious person per se, Jakob offers some timely web religion (er advice) for everyone who’s involved with anything and everything to with the creation of web pages. And just like my mother in Canada is still trying to get me to step foot inside a church so that I can be (gasp!) “saved”, I’m sure many future web projects will be saved by Jakob’s timely web design advise – if people will just read and subscribe to his “religious doctrine.” :-)

Take the information & run
I’m convinced that this information will be of vital importance for aspiring web developers and companies in Africa who would like to really make some serious noise on the Internet. Hopefully, they’ll absorb Jakob’s excellent advise and reap the rewards of sweet success.

Only time will tell.

Oh, while you’re here, take a peek at Dave Taylor’s best-selling book on Creating Cool Web Sites with HTML, XHTML and CSS. It’s a must read for aspiring folks who are looking to gain an unfair advantage over their peers in cyber space. {“Doh, why did I provide this link to everyone?”} :-)

Happy computing.

Escapism & Diversion Dept.
Since I’m having a blast here in Africa, I’ve decided to use this section of my blog as a form of escapism from the fast-paced world of Information Technology. Most of the time, I’ll probably talk (or show pics) about the fantabulous world of Electronic Dance Music (EDM), which is one of my main passions in life. Just take a peek at my previous blog entry, Asus Creates Sizzling new 19in LCD for Gamers, to see how much I loooove this genre of music and the exciting music events it has spawned around the planet.

Speaking of music events, I can’t believe I’m going to miss the Sundance Music Festival at Beach Club, which is just a hop, skip and a jump outside of Montreal (Quebec, Canada). Here, you’ll find the world’s top DJs pumping out some of the most incredible EDM sounds to about 15,000 adoring fans. Let’s just say that the vibe is going to be “out of this world.”

Now, on other occasions, I’ll talk about interesting or scenic places I’ve visited (or heard about). And sometimes, I’ll just quickly mention stuff relating to healthy living (ie. medicinal mushrooms, powerfull herbal teas, exercising, etc.) because the most precious asset we all have in common is our health. Besides, I’m not a fan of Big Pharma.

As you can see, I like to be versatile because it prevents me from getting bored to death…like when I used to attend church as a kid, sitting on a hard bench for 2 hours or so catching up on my sleep. :-)

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