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.

Related Links

• Victor Calderone videos on YouTube
• DJ Vibe videos on YouTube
• DJSets.co.uk – over 12,000 Live DJ sets & mixes from the world’s top DJs – from 1976 to 2009

!! I soooo want one. Yo, Asus, what do I gotta do to get my hands on one of these thingys? Heck, I’ll trade in my little brother if you’re so inclined. Do you see me smiling?

Rife with unique industrial designs, the black-and-silver PG191 comes with a sleek aluminium alloy neck and circular base and piano-black panel frame, making it a stylish piece of décor for any environment. Specially designed for gamers, the display takes inspiration from stealth planes and tank cannons to put you in the atmosphere of the latest FPS shooters. The top-of-the-range PG191 integrates a 2.1-channel speaker system (two 10-Watt speakers and 15-Watt super bass system) to deliver an exhilarating audio experience when battling in the virtual world. Complemented by SRS Lab’s Flagship TruSurround XT audio technology, the display supports the latest game 5.1-and 6.1 channel sound effects. {source}

Now, some hardcore gamers are probably gonna be pissed off with the monitor’s built-in speakers. Screw em! I’m not a gamer so this is not really a problem for me. {Note to Self: “Must plan a clandestine operation at Asus HQ in Taiwan to free the PG191 from bondage. If I don’t make it back alive, my peeps will disavow any knowledge of ever knowing me…or borrowing money offa me.“}

The BEST things in Life are FREE
My very good pal Robbie (aka The Download Whore, aka Lead Foot) in Ottawa is definitely going to love this blog entry. He’s an IT pro who was also one of the world’s top video game players just a few years back. In fact, his highest ranking was #4. Let’s just say he’ll destroy any one in Quake. He sort of lived a rock star life “back then” getting FREE trips to Las Vegas and Seoul (South Korea) to compete against the world’s best gamers. Heck, video game manufacturers would even send him games and hardware devices to try out in order to get critical feedback.

Fatal attraction…for ca$h
Oh, Robbie’s Net pal, Fatality – a legend in the gaming world – even has a bloody video card named after him. Can you say, “Geeks??” But it looks as though this dude has a license to print money. Take a peek at this:

At 24, Jonathan Wendel, aka “Fatality,” is living the dream. He expects to make over $200,000 this year as a professional gamer. {source}

Hmmn, I wonder if Robbie ever made that kind of cash just for starting virtual wars.

Out with the old…in with the new
Any how, I don’t think he’s into the gaming thingy as much. Why?? Because we’re both hooked on attending huge EDM events in cities like Montreal and Toronto. I fondly remember meeting this super kool dude after going to Club Vibe (in Ottawa) to hear Derrick Carter (also see here here here and here) destroy the decks (er turntables) with his delicious brand of House, which just happens to be a sub-genre of EDM (Electronic Dance Music).

Pssst…do you want to see the ultimate EDM event? Well, this pic is from the Sensation White Party (see more pics) in Amsterdam where you’ll find some of the biggest (and most expensive) DJs performing. Any one who’s serious about their EDM beats must attend this event. Ditto for Ibiza, Spain.

A great beginning
If you look back at my life, it’s utterly hilarious how I meet people. This is one of those occasions. So I meet Robbie and Hanna (a Ukrainian hottie) – his best friend at the time – at the end (5:30 AM) of the Derrick Carter event, and we all still felt like partying. {Come to think of it, Robbie has more skirt friends than Paris Hilton’s entire wardrobe skirt collection.}

Any how, this dude named Phil invites me and some other friends over to his place to chill and listen to some of his House music records. So now Phil’s pal, DJ Danny K, a new comer at the time, was spinning some of the most amazing EDM sounds I’ve ever heard. I like to call his style on that particular morning Dark Progressive House because it was upbeat, disruptive, inspiring and BASStastik. It was simply out of this world. You see, a really good EDM DJ has a signature sound (and rhythm) that you, the clubber, can tune into – almost like clockwork. Could this be the vibe that everyone always talks about afterwards? I believe so.

Dan The Man
So me and my buddies (Sarahkins, Robbie, Hanna, Liz, Tom) were like, “Holy sh!t…this dude’s fuck!ng amazing!!” Seriously, Danny K has got to be one of the best bedroom DJs I’ve ever heard in my life. Ditto for 3 other House cats: Rick “The Plant”, Pablo Diablo and DJ Ryan Dunlop. Let’s just say that I’ve attended tons of after parties so I’m a pretty good judge of bedroom DJ talent. By the way, if you’re lucky, try to get your hands on the “Fresh Ones” mix which was created by Danny K around 2004. All I can say is, “Wow!!“

New beats
Oh, and as they say, “the rest is History.” Me and Robbie have been very good friends since meeting in 2004. Thanks to the download whore that he is, I’ve been getting a steady supply of fantastic EDM beats since I’m on a sloooow Internet connection here in Nairobi – perhaps due to Telkom Kenya’s corrupt monopoly that’s kept this country in the dark ages when it comes to broadband Internet. Boy do I hate telecom monopolies. Besides, I am simply too impatient to look for DJ mixes on the Net from over here.

But thanks to Robbie, I’ve been introduced to the Dark Tribal/Progressive sounds of Rick Pier O’Neil. Now, this is the kind of EDM beats that can change the world – one listener at a time – as opposed to that CHEESY crap most of you naive peeps from the Top 40 world call “Techno”, which is just sooooo wrong. I suggest you listen to every EDM genre here to see and hear what I’m talking about.

Oh well…gotta jet.

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Related Links:

• “Fatality” Makes Six Figure Salary Playing Games
• Fatal1ty – The Champ is Here
• ASUS’ Blistering Multimedia Gaming Monitor
• Asustek PW201 20-inch widescreen display with 1.3 megapixel webcam
• Asus PW191 reviewed
• My NEW Video Game Idea
• TribalMixes.com – Get Live House, Trance, Techo & Progressive DJ mixes
• Ishkur’s Guide to Electronic Music