It was a given that my generation of men always embraced the “Playboy” lifestyle out of college in the 1970s and now, amusing as it is that some criticize us for it; it really made us better (and more sexy) men!
You know that my writings are not “politically correct” because I do not believe in that line of thinking, and you like that! So, here we go again:
I first heard this jam in the background of a Frankie Crocker on WBLS FM radio show, I think; or maybe it was a “High Life” theme on a Miller beer ad or some commercial? Who? What? “This is what you ARE!?
what you listen to is a continental, bon vi vant style, which brings to mind the French Rivera! Don’t you think?
I came upon this “high life” song again by dint of my jukebox musical mind remembering when I reviewed it for http://www.about.com/dancemusic back in the late 2000s, when the legendaray “DJ Ron” was my Editor! Wow! I like the continental style of the lead singer, who brings us into a vacationing state of mind on this compilation of “Dimitri In Paris”,
Just in-time for 2015 spring (beat) breaks, here is a cool cabin fever buster! Whether you are a DJ seeking spice for your sets or a “civilian” music lover, these fifty-four minutes of sound has something to give your Mr. Spockish quizzical eyebrow pause to do its thing.
From the first cookin’ bounce of “MIX” [BasicLUX BL9228-6; release date, March 31, 2015 ], I was reuniting with some old friends. I thought to myself, “The Cools have done it again!” James and DeAnna Cool, better known as Madison Park, are now collaborating with a Dutch dance music producer known as Beechcraft for this “MIX”, a well-conceived fourth full-length album CD since I first heard about and reviewed them for www.about.com back in the mid-2000s. It is very difficult to find out any bio on Beechkraft, who is also a Netherlands composer for television and film. Apparently he prefers to remain a bit of an anomaly – I cannot pinpoint exactly what he added to their sound, but suspect it is the upbeat, spirited-cadence of several of these tracks that he is responsible for. If I am incorrect, please educate me in the comments section below. At times, this album has a Pet Shop Boys feel to it – not a bad thing in my musical universe!
Madison Park, as always, features a very clean, sophisticated club music sound stapled by impeccable electronic editing and, of course, DeAnna’s hypnotically soothing lyrics via enchanting, wispy- velvet vocals. Having gone thru the disc multiple times, the first track, “Tonight” is the one I sweat the most. “Warm When I’m Alone” is next on my hot parade – I dig the uptempo groove – as future floor fillers!
In total, “MIX” grooves like a theatrical play or movie soundtrack with various moods and tempo. The cover art features DeAnna as the “I” in Mix, by the way, while the inner seat for the disc has three philosophical sayings for us to ponder.
Since 2002, downtempo duo, Madison Park has continued to produce brilliant music through a turbulent music industry era and are best known to me for their Billboard Dance remake of Roxy Music and in-particular, my favorite song, “More Than This”. Of-note here is their downtempo version of the David Bowie classic, “Let’s Dance”, which I envision as mixable within pancake turner late night chill sets. I think that it, like several other tracks should fade instead of ending cold. A chop ending works well on the acoustic selection, “Words”, track eight, naturally; fades are more disc-jockey-friendly.
From the dream-scape of “Parts of Me” to the bongos heard on “I Am Your Beachbreeze” or a cathedral-house anthem on “Sunrise (Next Level MIX)” and the lite drum & bass treatment of “Every Single Day”, this “MIX” garners a listenable, danceable four-of-five up/downtempo rated touch of house married with Portishead stars, which will cure whatever malaise the winter of 2015 touched you with. Remember…”Itz IN da MIX”.
Pickhitt: James Cool tells me that “Parts of Me” was the first single released in-advance of “MIX” and is in it’s 13th week charting on the World Chill-Lounge Charts at the time of this revu publishing. The video for “MIX” is being shot and edited at the time of this writing and will be available by the end of March, 2015. Then…y’all will see it here (hopefully FIRST!).
From The Pajama Bar’s vintage vino cellar of classic hit music, I offer this review of a not-so-oldie-but-goodie of the dance floor that I wrote-up in the late 2000s for about.com and my friend, DJ Ron. Major Props to James and DeAnna Cool.
As soon as my editor put this CD in my hot little hands, somehow I knew I had a smash. I couldn’t wait to get to the studio and press “play”. On a recent road trip, I listened as the miles flew by. Sure enough, from the first beat of track one, “Roxy Re-Modeled” [basiclux 9205-2] did not disappoint me. This is a wonderful collection of re-done Roxy tunes that you will love to play over and over.
The personalities that have created this revival are as interesting as the music is. Simply put, I must gush because I love the weave-through journey of this album! “Roxy Re-Modeled” is not just a face-lift, it is careful to maintain the class of the original as a renovation of a classic museum would.
The Roxy concept is the musical brainchild of visionary Bryan Ferry who busted it upon our ears for it to be known as much for the lavish theatrical stage presentation as for the music, and became the stuff of legends thirty years ago. I taste a touch of salsa behind the wisdom on the opening lyric “nothing lasts forever” on track one, “Same Old Scene,” and Cool’s vocals are Lisa Lisa-like. This first came out back in ’80, on the album “Flesh and Blood.”
The re-deux of Ferry’s classic “Love Is The Drug,” this time by J.A.C.E. featuring Chris Hays, has the feel of the Bee Gees’ “You Should Be Dancin’.” I also must bigg-upp (la) Grace Jones’s classic 1980 treatment of it. This version maintains the frenzy; the energy that keeps on building and the pounding, driving beat.
I mixed the Manhattans’ old classic “Shining Star” seamlessly into “Angel Eyes” (track 3), which registers as a better-than-the-early nineties-group-Soul II Soul-groove by Perfect Project. It is jazzily hypnotic; a great listen on a hazy Sunday afternoon. Sunday People’s “Avalon” (track four) features the euro-whispery vocals of Hassan Nasser (not the boxer is it?) It is mysterious and the musical interludes aid the international flair of the disc as a whole.
Now with “Don’t Stop the Dance” (cut five), BiTeR mc and Elena DeLucca’s tempo keeps it rocking steadily. Now I know what happened to good electronic pop-style music. It is on this album! I would add “More Than This” (track five) from Madison Park in heavy rotation on my fantasy dance music radio station (whose ratings, of course, would, be number one)! ’nuff respect to Lenny B on the remix which has the big Webster Hall ballsy bass house feel. Don’t waste time, cut to the musical chase when you re-compose a piece and give it the opportunity to cross to the CHR/Rhythmic Top 40 formats for those programmers left who are bold enough to go out on a gut-level limb. This one is my personal favorite.
“Kiss and Tell” (track eight) by J.A.C.E featuring Chris Hays on vocals is bold and brawny dance (of the cloth of Theo Vaness’ 1979 “No Romance/Keep on Dancin'”). I just can’t get enough of this kind of sound, and I love when stuff makes me get down on my knees and dig into the crates! “An Angel’s Eyes” (lots of angels guard this effort) by Stormchild is an insty with a familiar funky hard beat and a nice airy, progressive change mid-song. A little “traveling music, please”- that’s what it iz.
The next two tracks, “Beauty Queen” from Goldlust featuring Sarah J., and the downtempo “Slave To Love” by Abstract Foundation offer a timely change-of-pace like jerk chicken and a Caribbean rum beverage.
For a nice Adult Contemporary format feel, choose “You Do Something To Me”, another Madison Park tune, this time with The GrooveOholics (track twelve). DeAnna shines once again in her starring role with dreamy vocals that began before she even uttered a word. As her Mom tells it, one day when bathing and singing to the few months old DeAnna, she was surprised when her daughter looked up and matched her pitch, holding the same note! Mother DeAnna was so shocked, she almost fumbled the little darling.
Track thirteen, “Ten Cents A Dance,” by Wilson is Yar Wilson’s upbeat and positive curtain call with the same feel of “Kiss and Tell.” Personally, there is so much compelling stuff yet to tell about this, dear reader. In any event, this compilation makes you feel a strobe light rainbow of danceable sound.
Lady GaGa reminds me of when I was a DJ on WRKS, 98.7 KISS FM, New York City and Madonna first appeared on our musical sonar in the early 1980s. The fashions, the hair, the quirkiness and the self-deprecating independence and the future (or present) movie deals.
I think she really CAN sing too! And without the electronic enhancements so many of today’s Pop acts employ. So if you loved the album and are an electronica fan, you will surely dig these remixed versions.
On “Marry The Night” – remixed by The Weekend & Illangelo – her voice hits Donna Summer-ish notes at about 2:33 into it after a lull, and that in and of itself is a huge compliment to any singer of popular party music. Every time I listen to it I wonder if it isn’t really Donna guest-dubbing amidst the drum and bass beats! Lady G doesn’t need hype from me, she is already an intergalactic superstar who is probably heard on that new ‘Earth-like planet’ that Astronomers recently discovered! So I will comment from the perspective of a veteran disc jockey who loves to see people move their feet to-the-beat.
With chucks from the time you press “play”, “the Remix” captures you like walking by a lively pub happy hour after a hard day at the office. I really dig cut eight, “Scheibe” (Guéna LG Club), because it can jump-start the party, has a soulful mix-into bridge-break complete with background “ah-huh“s to play with and a solid beat-to-cold ending. “Americano” simply is intercultural flava, the way international techno playboys like it!
Track twelve, another reworking of the lame single “Judas” that I received last summer, is a favorite standout attention-getter via the Hurts remix! Upon continuous listen, it will always mark your mind, yet is not exactly dance fare. “Born This Way”, the title track which plays-out on cuts one and thirteen, has LGBT anthem written all over your face. “Don’t be a drag just be a Queen/don’t be a drag just be a Queen” is a hilariously well-timed subtitle lyric!
When I receive “remixes” in the mail, I always file them in a separate CD bag with an ear towards the “drop-in” during a night’s work. This CD is already in that category. There is much music to work with among these fourteen GaGa tracks for the casual and professional selector.
I’d like to hear your comments about Lady Gaga and her meteoric rise on the charts! Is she a worthy songstress? How does she compare to the late Amy Winehouse, who is often spoken about within the same sentence?
As a new blogger…this is bit of an experiment…my mind is such that I think of it as a huge jukebox with millions of songs in it. If the old TV show, “Name That Tune” was still on, I’d go on a winning streak, naming those tunes in…one, two or (at the most) three notes… Every so often, a new tune crashes my personal ” Top 999″ songs and becomes a tune wedgie – I play it again, and again, and again, and again, et. al (At times like this, I guess it would take a special girl to actually LIVE with me…). And so, this is today’s tune wedgie/and song I’m stuck on. It reminds me of myself and that special dance partner (or not) alone, twirling, whirling, turning, swirling and cavorting on the sequentially-lit, multi-colored disco club dance floor.
Who knows, if this catches on, I’ll do one a month! LOL
pickhitt: video is the bomb, but the track is all that!
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