DanceCast Episode 46
I love dubstep, but its really hard to find smooth tracks that are all crazy and abrasive. Fortunately I’ve finally found enough to do an encore to episode 28.
Enjoy!
Duration: 44:23
1. Plumes (Relocate Remix) / Kontext
2. After The Night / Martin Kemp
3. On Deck / Scuba
4. 80’s / Joker
5. Tenzado / Greena
6. EchoLow / Von D
7. Aztec / Martin Kemp
8. Low Heights / Sub Scape
9. Afterlife / Lung
10. In For The Kill [Skream Remix] / La Roux
DanceCast Episode 45
DJ Airty is back bringing a softer side to the DanceCast.
Duration: 77:29
01. Austin Leeds and Etienne Osbourne feat Steve Bertrand – Do It With Me (Avicii Remix)
02. Julissa – Take Control (Peter Brown Club Mix)
03. Laidback Luke and Gregor Salto feat Mavis Acquah – Step By Step (Abel Remos Remix)
04. Quintino – You Know What (Apster_Remix)
05. Joan Reyes – Oye Mira (Original Mix)
06. South Street Player – [Who?] Keeps Changing Your Mind (Daniel Bovie and Roy Rox Dub Mix)
07. H Romero and J Nunez and E Morillo feat Jessica Eve – Dancin (Tristan Garner Remix)
08. Genji Yoshida – Lets Get Loud (Lissat and Voltaxx Remix)
09. Chris Lake and Deadmau5 – I Said (Michael Woods Remix)
10. Eric Chase – If You Tolerate This (Club Remix)
11. Junior Sanchez – Elevator feat. Good Charlotte (Nari and Milani Remix)
12. Mr Sam and Andy DuGuid feat. Amanda Wilson – Satisfaction Guaranteed (Zoltan Kontes Amsterdam Remix)
13. School Gyrls – Something Like a Party (G. Production Extended)
14. Nanchang Nancy and Prok and Fitch – Walk With Me (Axwell vs Daddys Groove Remix)
15. Keith Thompson Davidson Ospina – At Midnight (Main Mix)
DanceCast Episode 44
DanceCast UK resident Mike Hindle’s new mix, Bass Demons vol.1
Duration: 71:58
1. AC Slater – Play The Record Again / Archangel – Loud and Clear (TLGB Remix) (Hindle’s ‘Dub Chop’ Edit)
2. Blatta and Inesha – Bite Your Lip (Congo Rock Remix)
3. Radiokillaz and Ick Slynga – BYOB (It’s A Party) (Future Speed Garage Mix)
4. Dj Manaia – Pull Up (Hindle’s ‘Bass Jumping’ Edit) (Feat Rye Rye – Bang)
5. Acid Kicks Feat Marina – Big Foot
6. Escobar and Vito – Tribal Bassline
7. Laidback Luke and Lee Mortimer – Blau! (Doorly’s Dubstep Remix)
8. Gtronic – Destroyer
9. Tom Piper Feat MC Lady Lauren – Noise (Nom De STrip Mix)
10. The Funk Out and Young Nutz – Scream (Aniki’s Scream At The Top Of Your Lungs Remix)
11. Radiokillaz and Ick Slynga – Freak
12. Dj Zinc – Killa Sound (Heavyfeet Remix)
13. Eddi Zanetti Feat Jackinori – Bust Dis (Lee Mortimer Remix)
14. Soda ‘N’ Suds – We Do It Again (Gtronic Remix)
15. Egonoise – Dirty Down Town Anthem (Dope Fish Remix)
16. Vortech – Wubsteppin’ (Knob Jockeys Remix)
17. John Disco and Autodidakt – Scream 4 Daddy (Sterio Killaz Remix)
18. Jinder – Youth Blood (Rico Tubbs Speed Garage Remix)
19. Micky Slim and Nom De Strip Vs Virus Sindicate – Skank Out (MRK 1 Remix)
20. The Pixies – Where Is My Mind (Bassnectar Remix)
Power Surge 3 Promo Video
I recently came across the promo video for my AZ gig last month on youtube. I think I’m probably posting this for myself more than anything. Apparently the tube also has a bunch of videos people shot that night. Good times.
DanceCast Episode 43
Mike Charles live from Phoenix, AZ 01/30/2010
This is a mix I recorded live in front of 3000 people in a Phoenix warehouse. Unfortunately the microphone was not passed through the mixer so It wasn’t recorded, so some there are some quiet areas or skips b/c I had to edit. This type of stuff happens with live recordings. I wish I could have capture all the mic hype, whistle, and amazing crowd cheering.
Duration: 71:35
1. Ripgroove 2009 [The Count Remix] / Double 99
2. Ghostbusters [Promo] / Super Villians
3. Muzika [The Rogue Element Remi / Dylan Rhymes
4. Yin / Wolfgang Gartner & Francis Preve
5. Penthouse Bitch [12 Inch 80'S / Kid Dub & Dextress
6. It's About Time [Original Mix] / Filthy Rich, Ed Kane, Will Bailey
7. Flash [Timo Maas' Dirty Dub] / Green Velvet
8. Elephant 1234 / The Count & Sinden
9. Stranger To Stability (Len Faki Podium Mix) / Dustin Zahn
10. Bubblegum / Pencilgrass
11. 32bits (Original Mix) / Tek DiLuxe
12. Stinging Nettle / Sinden & The Count
13. I Remember (Caspa Remix) / Deadmau5
14. Crunked Up / Benga
15. Madina [Dubstep Remix] / Farace
16. Green Disorder / Cardopusher
17. Low End Legacy / Cardopusher
Mike’s Gig in Phoenix
Phoenix, AZ is spectacular place to play. I’ve played there 3 times now, and each time its been awesome. This was without a doubt one of the best gigs I’ve had in years, and is certainly top 5 all time. Here is the story of what went down in the desert.
I spend Saturday morning practicing and reviewing my controller set up, followed by some packing and then it’s off to Palm Beach Int’l Airport. I get there a little early because trying to get through security with a DJ setup it typically not easy. I find a cool looking TSA guys and when he looks at the bag, I tell him he might as well just take it off the conveyer belt now. He looks in and instantly says “are you a DJ”? He then asks me if I like David Guetta [which I don’t] so I just mention he’s been very successful, collect my bag and go. Easiest security screening ever. With time to kill I grab a beer and jot some notes in my DJ diary.
After a layover in Austin, TX, I make it to PHX. This airport is basically 4 airports in 1 and finding someone is always a challenge. One of the local DJs, a cool dude named Nick who goes by Skeltaboy, picks me up and we head to the venue. Unlike previous trips, in which we drove up into mountains then out into the desert, this time the party is in a warehouse district fairly close to the airport. As we pull up, I notice some seriously long lines. I ask Nick how many people they are expecting and he replies “about 2000 to 2500”. I knew right then and there I was in for one serious evening.
I find the VIP area, change, stash my equipment, and head out. The sound is quality, lighting is very good, and the stage is real nice. I wander and check out some local DJ sets. It’s early, but already the party is in full swing. Out front, the lines have grown quite large. At some point the main room gets so crowded and you can move, at all. Pushing doesn’t even help. I have to sneak out a back exit, walk around the block and re-enter through the main gate to get back to the VIP area. Meanwhile the line out front… still huge. I decide its best to stay in the VIP room for a while. I hang out with the ArcAttack boys, and then have a beer with Showtek [the popular dutch hard dance act]. We all b/s and talk shop. The venue owner was in and out as well, and let me say this: he’s the coolest venue owner I’ve ever met.
As the evening progresses, it’s getting to be time for the Charles to take the stage. The place is now so packed and wild that 2 security staff have to be called to escort me to the stage. DJ D-Lyte it banging some serious NRG style 150 bpm stuff, and I’m not sure how I’m gonna get down to 130 BPM electro. Mike Saga has the mic so I tell he, let the track play out and ask the crowd if they like electro. They bite. They are so amped up I think they might have cheered for an Irish Polka. Either way I have my in and we go straight into some heavy electro.
Several times early I come out from behind the decks and amp these people up. I’m slapping hand with everyone behind the barricade like some sort of rock star, and we really start to connect. I feed off the energy and we have some serious fun, with some great tunes that are not at all what they expect. I’m happy I was able to win over a hard dance crowd early, or it could have been a long night. On a couple occasions I try to hand out stickers but there are so many people, I end up just chucking them out into the crowd. After the night was over, none were on the floor.
At some point, my beats attract the full compliment of go –go dancers to the stage. They are great eye candy, and the crowd is rockin’. A staff member ask me if I want to clear a few of the girls off b/c the crowd can barely see me and I reply “No way, they’re a lot better looking than I am” and besides the current arrangement appears to working out just fine.
Now I was supposed to play Dubstep as well, but I really wasn’t focused on that at the time. A cute little dance come up to me and says “don’t you have some Dubstep?” and I say of course I do. I set up a mix, loop it, and lower the volume. I grab the mic and as the crowd about a rumor I head that they like Dubstep. The deafening roar of a response tells me they like it. I un-loop and drop into dub. It goes over very well and not a single person has left, despite this being the final set of the evening. When we do finally finish, I get a huge applause and I have that indescribable feeling that I’ve been chasing for years, and only experience very rarely. It’s the best feeling I’ve ever felt, the audience’s satisfaction with my performance is overwhelming.
I barely sleep because my body does know the time zone difference, but the next day I hang with the promoters and other headliners. It was a great way to chill and decompress, and crack jokes about the English, Welsh, and Americans. I have to give props to TMC for putting together a spectacular show. Special thanks goes out to GREM and Faye for bring me out, turning me lose on their crowd, and taking good care of their DJs. I hope to be back out west soon.
DanceCast Episode 42
Today’s mix is a quick one I did full of Progressive Tech House track I’ve recently come across.
I’m blogging on a regular basis again fo head over to mikecharles.net and don’t forget to leave us a review in iTunes.
Duration: 34:49
1. Cala A Boca (Meat Katie Remix) / D-Nox And Beckers
2. Slap / Umek
3. Lambda Driver / Mak N Tek
4. Life Of Nite /Mak N Tek
5. Death By House [A. Mochi Remix] / Len Faki
6. Drop / Ascion & D Carbone
A&H Xone 2D Drivers Updated!
This one may save you a headache if you use any of Allen & Heath’s Xone Midi Controllers.
Any of you who care know that I use an A&H Xone 2D as my primary Traktor Pro controller with great effect. In preparing for my AZ gig next week, I’ve been refining the midi map in Traktor. In long practice sessions, TP would stop recognizing the midi controller and quitting TP would cause a kernel panic in OS X. As I’m sure you can imagine, this concerned me greatly with a big gig coming up next week. I first updated TP to the latest 1.2.4 version, which did not help. I realized that 3 weeks ago I upgraded to 10.6 Snow Leopard so I decided to check out the Xone website and sure enough, there are new drivers for 10.6.
Removing the old drivers and replacing with the new ones appears to have rectified the situation. Also FYI for those of you still using the borg OS, there appear to be new Windows 7 drivers as well.
Getting Back to Work
I’m going to make an effort to start blogging and podcasting with more regularity again. I know for the last 6 months things have been spotty at best, but the truth is “real world” pressures have just caught up with me. Moving from Connecticut to Florida was more difficult that I expected, and once I got down here I didn’t exactly take to my new surrounding like a duck in water. Adapting to a new area after living my entire life within a 15 mile radius of Bridgeport, CT was more difficult that I thought it would be. Compounding the situation were the holidays which were right around the corner. Christmas made me miss my family very much, more than had anticipated. It hurt. I figure I’ve always been adaptable and resilient and this wouldn’t be a big deal. Turns out, I’m human after all.
In addition to being mentally drained, my new job is demanding more of my time than ever before. The end result has left me worn out, in a creative rut, and without as much desire to plow forward as usual. I would like to publically thank Mike Hindle and DJ Airty for continuing to contribute great mixes to the DanceCast while I regroup and try to regain my old form. Both are spectacular DJs with extremely different styles, but most importantly they are good at what they do.
This whole ordeal has been a tough pill to swallow for someone who is very demanding and constantly putting pressure on himself, but I taking a step back and accepting things for what they are. I think I’m starting to work my way out of this funk, and hopefully I’ll be back in full swing soon. Maybe this gig out in AZ will jump start the process.
A big thank you goes out to those of you who have stuck around, and continued to be a great inspiration to me.
Mike in Phoenix January 30th
So I’ve talked about Phoenix, AZ in the past. Typically it’s because of a gig, or the live podcasts came from that gig. I’ve got some promoter friends out that on occasion, fly me out there and give me the pleasure of playing for there totally awesome crowd. So on January 30th I am headed out there once again. It’s going to be cool. They’ve got a healthy and lively rave scene out there and the last time I was out there it was spectacular. While this may seem like a late announcement, it’s actually been up on the events page for some time now, but I know that many of you don’t check it. If you are going to be in the Phoenix area, drop me a line and I’ll get you to the show.