DJ Ocean’s Mix: Download My Free CD Called Innovate

Appropriately named Innovate, this funky house joint has plenty of banging tracks that I hope will make your soul want to dance. Over 70 minutes long, it was created to take my listeners on a journey by highlighting the different forms of house music that have inspired me as a DJ. I did my best with this CD to try and take my listeners on a trip the way the old school DJs used to do it.

I hope you enjoy. Namaste! http://www.mediafire.com/?1ecm3e2yvt5

 

 

Thievery Corporation at SummerStage In Central Park

Thievery Corporation will be performing live with Seu Jorge and special guests Bebel Gilberto and Federico Aubele at SummerStage in Central Park on Thursday June 26, 2008 from 6:00-10:00pm.Tickets are $59.50 if purchased in advance or $65.00 on the day of the show.

 

This show is a benefit concert for Central Park SummerStage presented by LiveNation.

 

Central Park SummerStage is located at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. Enter the park at 69th Street and 5th Avenue on the east side or at 72nd Street and Central Park West on the west side.

 

If you are unfamiliar with Thievery Corporation, here is a review of their latest CD called  The Cosmic Game.

 

Thievery Corporation: The Cosmic Game

From the first note of Thievery Corporation’s fourth album, The Cosmic Game, it takes the listener a matter of moments to realize that they are listening to the leaders of the down-tempo beats and chill-out sounds genre. Transported back to a time when stars didn’t beat you over the head with choruses and catchy hooks, The Cosmic Game soothes the soul with a melodious utopia of musical harmonies and is a gem that once again vaults this soulful duo to the elite status as one of the top U.S electronica acts.

 

            Rob Garza and Eric Hilton have once again managed to surpass their previous efforts with their latest release. Departing from the emotionally-charged “The Richest Man in Babylon,” the beautiful intellectualism of “The Mirror Conspiracy,” and the hypnotic minimalist “Sounds From the Thievery Hi-fi”, Thievery Corporation treads new ground with their new sonic masterpiece.

 

After achieving international success with their hit “Lebanese Blond,” (Mirror Conspiracy), Thievery Corporation definitely felt pressure to find a new way to expand their distinct sound and were forced to expand their musical boundaries. If this album’s successful debut at number two on the BBC’s UK Dance Chart is any indication, they have managed to once again strike gold and what makes this an especially amazing feat, is that they are on an independent label, ESL, and have no major corporate sponsors backing them.

 

             Unlike previous albums, The Cosmic Game, boasts an impressive line-up of collaborating artists. The Flaming Lips helped to create the CD’s first track, the hauntingly beautiful, Pink Floyd-esque Marching The Hate Machines (Into the Sun), while Indy-Alternative rocker Perry Farrell, takes a slightly different turn with his rastified-vocals on Revolution Solution. In addition to Farrell, Thievery Corporation got another famous lead singer in Talking Heads’ front-man David Byrne, to lends his vocals and quasi-paranoia to the funky horns of The Heart’s A Lonely Hunter.

 

            Although this impressive line-up of guests might overshadow other artists, Thievery Corporation holds its own by weaving a psychedelic tapestry of sounds that incorporates these stars and other not-so-well-known collaborating artists. This fusion of different sounds is what vaults Thievery Corporation light-years ahead of their imitators.  Each song is crafted to highlight the instrumental magic that Garza and Hilton infuse throughout the album, while still giving their collaborators the freedom to have their own sounds.

 

            Formed in Washington D.C., Thievery Corporation’s stateside style has transcended international boundaries and garnered the group fans from around the globe. Although their beats manage to cross international culture barriers with ease, the group continues to remain rooted to certain influences like the rhythmic drums of Brazil. The album’s musical ride sets listeners on a soulful journey and makes stops at majestic locations where the listener can almost feel the Jamaican influence of Notch (Amerimacka) as he blows a soothing West Indies breeze or they can enjoy the mind-melting vocals of eastern superstar Gunjan as he brings new meaning to the words hypnotic.

 

If you let them, Thievery Corporation will give you a dose of their hypnotic medicine and leave you wanting more. Be prepared for feel the hallucinogenic effects of traveling through what might be the musical equivalent of the solar system. The Cosmic Game is more than just listening pleasure. It is a journey that that invites listeners to open the doors of perception and the more willing you are to let go and allow yourself to become enveloped by the sounds, the more likely you are to get caught up in Thievery Corporation’s solid sounds.

 

Angels & Demons vs God

When it comes to controversy, Tom Hanks has managed to avoid the spotlight, but thanks to his upcoming sequel to The Da Vinci Code called Angels & Demons, Hanks and the people behind the film have been banned from shooting at various locations by the Vatican.

 

According to a Timesonline article, when asked why the Vatican was banning the filming of the movie, Archbishop Velasio De Paolis said that Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown had, “turned the Gospels upside down to poison the faith. It would be unacceptable to transform churches into film sets so that his blasphemous novels can be made into mendacious films in the name of business.”

 

This isn’t the first time the Vatican has had issues with films of this nature. The Vatican called for a boycott of the series’ first film The Da Vinci Code prior to its release as well. Despite condemnation from the church, Hanks and the film’s producers have shown no signs of slowing their shooting schedule. To make up for lost time and set space, they have shot several scenes at the Royal Palace at Caserta (near Naples) to replace the various church interiors.

 

World Series of Poker Quickie: 6/19/08

Phil Ivey Bets Big

No, this is not a post about Phil Ivey losing $2 million on the Lakers. This is a post about Phil betting on the value of helping others. Ivey recently started The Budding Ivey Foundation, a nonprofit charity group that is dedicated to providing educational opportunities and empowering at-risk children and their families, and he is holding his first charity poker tournament July 1, 2008 at the Golden Nugget.  Money raised at this event will go to help a children’s academy called Empowered 2 Excel.

 

While much of the world seems to be talking about Ivey’s gambling habits, I firmly believe it is his good nature that deserves all of the attention. This isn’t the first time that the “Tiger Woods of Poker” has done something charitable either. Ivey has donated time and money to Guyana Watch in the past as well. If you would like more information on Phil’s charity poker tournament, click here.

 

The Razor Remains Sharp

John “The Razor” Phan won his first World Series of Poker bracelet when he won the $3,000 No Limit Hold’em Event #29. Easily the most experienced player at the table, Phan mowed down the competition on his way to collecting the first-place cash of $434,789. John is a pretty funny guy with a big heart. He always donates a percentage of his winnings to people in his native Vietnam.

 

Quick story about John: I was completely exhausted during the 2006 Borgata Winter Poker Open and in desperate need of sleep when John rang my room at 1:30 in the morning. I got my half-asleep ass out of bed and headed to John’s room to do an interview for PokerNews.com. He opened the door dressed in a robe and he was wearing his sunglasses. He looked like the Asian version of a pimp Hugh Hefner. He was so animated during the interview that I had to go over my recordings a couple of times to make sure I quoted him accurately. It was a great interview and one I’ll never forget. Congrats on the win John.

 

Higher Learning

If you think you know it all, then this post isn’t for you. There are many of us that are humble enough to admit that we need to fill cracks in our game and we are willing to listen to the advice of others to try and get better. There is no shame in trying to develop as a player, especially when it comes to listening to what other players have to say. A single tip can mean the difference between being dominant or being the one that is dominated.

 

If you’re looking to get a little insight before the $10,000 big dance, I would suggest checking out the WSOP Academy that runs from June 29 through July 1, 2008. Led by the Phil “The Poker Brat” Hellmuth and Annie Duke, this poker education experience not only gives attendees a chance to learn new tactics, it gives them a chance to apply them. Players will have a shot at winning one of two WSOP Main Event seats that are up for grabs. For more information, click here.

 

Lil Wayne Rides Mixtape DJ Diss to 1 Million Sales

Just as Lil Wayne was about to drop his new album he got into a big controversy with hip hop mixtape DJs. To sum up, Lil Wayne dissed DJs (as a whole) for playing his unreleased songs. “I don’t know no mixtape deejay –tell this dude who he talking to. I’m not into all that shit. I don’t know no mixtape dj. I am the originator,” said Wayne in an interview with DJ-friendly magazine Foundation. This sparked  a ton of controversy and it had the whole rap/hip hop community talking.

 

There is plenty of irony in Lil Wayne’s remarks. A lot of his success came from people hearing his tracks through mixtape DJs and one of the major reasons why his current album The Carter III has blown up is because several of his tracks were leaked by pissed off DJs. Hell, Lil Wayne should be thanking all the mixtape DJs who leaked his stuff, because he has scored a bunch of fans who might not have heard his stuff otherwise.

 

Lil Wayne is the first artist to break the 1 million sales mark (in the first week) since 50 Cent did it in 2005. Wayne’s first day of sales came in at an astounding 423,000 copies, which means sick money for the Cash Money Millionaire.