Wednesday, February 26, 2014

SHG Radio Show, Episode 198

Welcome to this week's edition of Subterranean Homesick Grooves™, a weekly electronica-based radio show presented originally on CHMA FM 106.9 at Mount Allison University in Atlantic Canada (but expanded to a distribution on other terrestrial radio stations), and also distributed as a global podcast through iTunes and numerous other sites. The show is normally programmed and mixed by Jonathan Clark (as DJ Bolivia), although some weeks feature guest mixes by other Canadian DJ's. The show encompasses many sub-genres within the realm of electronic dance music, but the main focus is definitely on tech-house and techno, and a small amount of progressive, trance, & minimal. Liner notes for this episode (SHG 198) can be seen below.

Para la información en español, vaya aquí.




Here’s a link so you can listen to the show or download it from SoundCloud:



In addition to being able to download each episode from SoundCloud, you can also visit our DJ Mixes folder on Dropbox (which allows for bulk downloads).  That folder hosts hundreds of episodes and other DJ mixes.  Here's the link:


And of course, you can download Bolivia's individual tracks from this link:



Here are Track Listings for episode 198:

01. DJ Fronter, "Mind Shake" (Original Mix).
02. Mario Mijatovic, "The Performance" (Original Mix).
03. Stefano Noferini, "Stop This Na" (Original Mix).
04. Daniman, Javi Del Valle, & David Cold, "Mokintouch" (Original Mix).
05. Gaga, "Qilla" (Sisko Electrofanatik Remix).
06. Nikki Lee, "Kick This" (Original Mix).
07. Juan Ddd, "Boom Boom Room" (Original Mix).
08. Chris Di Stefano & Johnny Trotter, "Yucatan" (Tony Thomas Remix).
09. Innova, "Move On" (Original Mix).
10. Alex Sanchez, "A Ripple Of Hope" (Original Mix).
11. Sergio de Morales, "Bom Da De" (Original Mix).


Here are links to either personal websites, Facebook pages, or [usually] the SoundCloud pages for a few of the original artists and remixers/producers listed above.



DJ Fronter (Colombia)
Mario Mijatovic (Croatia)
Sisko Electrofanatik (Italy)
Tony Thomas (United Kingdom)
Stefano Noferini (Italy)
Daniman (Spain)
Javi Del Valle (Spain)
David Cold (Spain)
Gaga (Hungary)
Nikki Lee (Britain)
Juan Ddd (Colombia)
Chris Di Stefano (Canada)
Johnny Trotter (Ireland)
Alex Sanchez (Spain)
Sergio de Morales (Spain)


Subterranean Homesick Grooves is a weekly specialty EDM music show with a basic weekly audience base of about 1500 listeners per week through podcasting and direct downloads, another hundred or so listeners through SoundCloud, and an unknown number of listeners through terrestrial FM broadcast. If you're a radio station programming director, and would like to add Subterranean Homesick Grooves to your regular programming lineup, contact djbolivia@gmail.com for details. We currently release SHG as an advance download to a number of stations globally on a weekly basis (at no charge), and we welcome inquiries from additional outlets.


We also have a file containing complete track listings from all of DJ Bolivia's radio shows, studio mixes, and live sets. The PDF version can be viewed from within your browser by clicking directly. Both the PDF and the Excel versions can be downloaded by right-clicking and choosing the "save link as" option:

View as PDF file: http://www.djbolivia.ca/complete_track_history_djbolivia.pdf
Download Excel file: http://www.djbolivia.ca/complete_track_history_djbolivia.xlsx





Follow Jonathan Clark on other sites:
        SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/djbolivia
        YouTube: youtube.com/djbolivia
        Facebook: facebook.com/djbolivia
        Main Site: www.djbolivia.ca
        Music Blog: djbolivia.blogspot.ca

Friday, February 21, 2014

Review of M-Audio's Oxygen 25 MIDI Keyboard Controller


I'm about to hit the road for another eight or nine months, away from my home and studio, so I just picked up a small portable MIDI controller to use when I'm doing production work on the road. I bought the Oxygen 25 controller that is produced by M-Audio. It's very similar to the Oxygen 49 and Oxygen 61 controllers, but more portable.

 



M-Audio Oxygen 25 MIDI Keyboard Controller Review

In this video, I talked a bit about the controller specs that I researched online before I bought it, then I opened up the package to see what the Oxygen 25 looks and feels like. I played with it for a bit and gave a final opinion, which was positive.





Learning the Basics about MIDI Controllers

If you aren't already aware of what a MIDI controller is, or what it is used for, this basic video will give you the background that you need. For instance, you need to know that a keyboard controller does NOT produce sounds! A synth produces sounds. A MIDI controller can produce sounds if you route its MIDI output through some sort of module (or a computer program) that produces sounds (ie. through a hardware synth module or through a virtual instrument).





Some of the key points that I noted in the Oxygen 25 review video were:

- This unit is "class compliant," which means that you can use it directly on your Mac or Windows computer without having to install drivers.
- Having said that, there are more advanced windows drivers available on the M-Audio website that are necessary if you want to use this device simultaneously on multiple DAW's or apps, or if you want to hook up more than one class-compliant device to your computer simultaneously.
- This has non-volatile memory, which means that it saves presets and controller/channel assignments when powering down. To reset to the factory defaults, hold the "-" and the "+" keys simultaneously.
- M-Audio has software patches that you can download for free which let you use the Oxygen controllers with pre-determined patches that interface well with certain DAW's, specifically with versions available for Cubase, Pro Tools, Reason, Record, Ableton, Garageband, and Logic.
- You can use a standard sustain pedal with this. I tried using my Roland pedal with it, and it worked well.
- There's a spot for a Kensington security cable, if you're worried about using one of those.
- You can set your own velocity curves for key responsiveness. There are four curves available in the menu for touch-responsiveness, and three curves which actually output fixed velocities of 64, 100, or 127.
- If you have a good understanding of MIDI and want to dig further, you should check out the manual (which you can find online pretty easily). There are about twenty pages of very useful and detailed MIDI information in the manual.
- The 25 and 49 and 61 are all quite similar, although the 25 has a couple minor deficiencies compared to the two longer controllers. For instance, the 25 only has one control fader, whereas the other two models have nine each.
- The 25 is currently priced at $99 in Canada from Amazon, while the 49 is $149 and the 61 is $199. Those are probably the same approximate prices that you'd find in the US, since our dollar is pretty close to parity.
- You can use a Device ID function on the 49 and 61 only. So for example, if you want to own three of these keyboards and use them simultaneously in a live performance, that's possible with the 49 and 61, but the 25 cannot have a unique identified in the MIDI system.
- This unit is USB 2.0 compatible, and backwards compatible to 1.1. I presume it works on USB 3.0 ports, but you won't see any performance improvements by using a 3.0 port. However, none are needed.


Here are the basic specs on the Oxygen 25:

- MIDI data from variable controllers
- MIDI control number
- RPN/NRPN
- Program, bank LSB, bank MSB
- Pitch bend
- GM/GM2/XG SysEx messages
- MIDI Data from buttons/switches
- Note on
- Note on/off toggle
- MIDI CC on/Off toggle
- Program, Bank LSB, Bank MSB presets
- MIDI Machine Control functions
- GM/GM2/XG SysEx messages
- 3.7" H x 9.4" W x 16.2" D
- Weight: 3.8 lb.


I'm Jonathan Clark, known online as DJ Bolivia.  Do you want to learn more about DJ'ing and music production?  If so, visit:



If you happen to enjoy techno tracks, most of my tracks are available as free downloads from this link:



Thanks so much for visit, and for your support!  I really appreciate the fan base that I've been able to build up over the years.

Also, if you want to visit any of my other sites, here are a few links:
    YouTube:  youtube.com/djbolivia
    SoundCloud:  soundcloud.com/djbolivia
    Blogger:  djbolivia.blogspot.com
    Main Site:  www.djbolivia.ca

Thursday, February 20, 2014

SHG Radio Show, Episode 197

Welcome to this week's edition of Subterranean Homesick Grooves™, a weekly electronica-based radio show presented originally on CHMA FM 106.9 at Mount Allison University in Atlantic Canada (but expanded to a distribution on other terrestrial radio stations), and also distributed as a global podcast through iTunes and numerous other sites. The show is normally programmed and mixed by Jonathan Clark (as DJ Bolivia), although some weeks feature guest mixes by other Canadian DJ's. The show encompasses many sub-genres within the realm of electronic dance music, but the main focus is definitely on tech-house and techno, and a small amount of progressive, trance, & minimal. Liner notes for this episode (SHG 197) can be seen below.

Para la información en español, vaya aquí.




Here’s a link so you can listen to the show or download it from SoundCloud:



In addition to being able to download each episode from SoundCloud, you can also visit our DJ Mixes folder on Dropbox (which allows for bulk downloads).  That folder hosts hundreds of episodes and other DJ mixes.  Here's the link:


And of course, you can download Bolivia's individual tracks from this link:



Here are Track Listings for episode 197:

01. Luigi Rocca, "She" (Original Mix).
02. Sinus Man & Mario Otero, "Around" (Original Mix).
03. Ambre, "Take Times" (Original Mix).
04. Stefano Noferini, "Body French" (Original Mix).
05. Ray Okpara, "Midnight Protein" (Andrea Oliva Remix).
06. Sergey Hypnosis, "Braked" (Original Mix).
07. Juan Diazo & Fhaken, "Ladies And Gentlemen" (Original Mix).
08. Joc House, "El Drogadicto" (Original Mix).
09. V Rodriguez, "Wetone" (Original Mix).
10. Nick Bertossi, "Gotta Have Love" (Original Mix).
11. Tomas Millan, "The Crazy Twilight" (Original).
12. Matt Minimal, "Break It" (Spartaque Remix).


Here are links to either personal websites, Facebook pages, or [usually] the SoundCloud pages for a few of the original artists and remixers/producers listed above.



Luigi Rocca (Italy)
Sinus Man (Spain)
Mario Otero (Spain)
Stefano Noferini (Italy)
Ray Okpara (Germany)
Juan Diazo (Colombia)
Fhaken (Mexico)
Joc House (Colombia)
V Rodriguez (Spain)
Nick Bertossi (Canada)
Tomas Millan (Spain)
Matt Minimal (France)
Andrea Oliva (Switzerland)
Spartaque (Ukraine)


Subterranean Homesick Grooves is a weekly specialty EDM music show with a basic weekly audience base of about 1500 listeners per week through podcasting and direct downloads, another hundred or so listeners through SoundCloud, and an unknown number of listeners through terrestrial FM broadcast. If you're a radio station programming director, and would like to add Subterranean Homesick Grooves to your regular programming lineup, contact djbolivia@gmail.com for details. We currently release SHG as an advance download to a number of stations globally on a weekly basis (at no charge), and we welcome inquiries from additional outlets.


We also have a file containing complete track listings from all of DJ Bolivia's radio shows, studio mixes, and live sets. The PDF version can be viewed from within your browser by clicking directly. Both the PDF and the Excel versions can be downloaded by right-clicking and choosing the "save link as" option:

View as PDF file: http://www.djbolivia.ca/complete_track_history_djbolivia.pdf
Download Excel file: http://www.djbolivia.ca/complete_track_history_djbolivia.xlsx






Follow Jonathan Clark on other sites:
        SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/djbolivia
        YouTube: youtube.com/djbolivia
        Facebook: facebook.com/djbolivia
        Main Site: www.djbolivia.ca
        Music Blog: djbolivia.blogspot.ca

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Upbeat Workout Music, Volume 12

After quite a lengthy break from putting together any more volumes in my Workout Mix series, I did one last week, and here's yet another: volume 12.

The mix is a continuous music mix which is an hour long, and anyone can download it (the link is near the bottom of this post). This mix is for demo purposes only, and commercial resale or redistribution is not permitted.

Here are Track Listings for Workout Mix #12:

01. Tegan & Sara, "Closer" (Edit).
02. Demi Lovato, "Heart Attack" (Edit).
03. Inna, "Be My Lover" (Edit).
04. Armin Van Buuren feat Trevor Guthrie, "This Is What It Feels Like" (Edit).
05. Sak Noel & Sito Rocks, "Party On My Level" (Edit).
06. Capital Cities, "Safe & Sound" (Edit).
07. Katy B, "5 AM" (Edit).
08. Miley Cyrus, "Wrecking Ball" (Edit).
09. Pitbull & Ke$ha, "Timber" (Edit).
10. 3BallMTY, "Quiero Bailar, All Through the Night" (Edit).
11. Psy, "Gentleman" (Edit).
12. Katy Perry, "Dark Horse" (Edit).
13. Zedd, "Stay The Night" (Edit).
14. Krewella, "Live For The Night" (Edit).
15. Martin Garrix, "Animals" (Edit).

Note: I didn't list the specific remix versions that I used in this mix. That's because I do a lot of specific editing of my own to each track before I put the mix together, adding extra percussion or melodic elements, and sometimes I combine pieces from two or more remixes for any given track.


To download a 1.5 GB Zip file that includes all of the mixes in DJ Bolivia's workout series, right-click on this link and choose "save target" or "save link":



For links to the blog posts about the other mixes in this series, visit:






I have lots of other upbeat electronica mixes available on my DJ website. Admittedly, there aren't too many mixes there [yet] that are exclusively club dance tracks, but there are a lot of house/trance mixes that I find to be pretty good to listen to when I'm going running. Or driving. Or doing any sort of mindless task where I just want some energetic beats to listen to. Most of them are about an hour long, to fit onto a standard CD. Check them out, maybe you'd enjoy some of them? And click here if you're interested in one of my favorites, a massive four-hour mix that I made of classic dance tracks from the late 1990's and early 2000's.


To download any of my studio mixes or recordings of lives shows, visit:


Then go into the folder called "Bolivia's DJ Mixes & Live Shows"

Thanks for your support!



Follow Jonathan Clark on other sites:
        SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/djbolivia
        YouTube: youtube.com/djbolivia
        Facebook: facebook.com/djbolivia
        Main Site: www.djbolivia.ca
        Music Blog: djbolivia.blogspot.ca
  




Learning About Mobile DJ'ing

I've moved this information to my main website as of early 2024.  Here's the newest link:
    

Any updates that I make to this training info will be updated on that link, rather than within this blog post.  I'd recommend that you check things out there, unless you find the formatting of this blog post to be preferable.


A lot of potential DJ's have asked me for advice about becoming a Mobile DJ. There are a lot of special events that require DJ's, and new DJ's recognize that this is a market that might let them get established as a DJ more quickly than by trying to get a residency in a club. Also, the wider variety of events and parties that a Mobile DJ can work at makes the job more interesting. However, Mobile DJ'ing is also probably the hardest segment of the DJ industry. Hopefully I can give you more background about the pros and cons of becoming a Mobile DJ.

 

 


Mobile DJ'ing 1 of 2: The Industry, and Business Considerations

In this video, I talk about aspects of the industry that you need to think about, such as types of events, vehicles, licensing, insurance, costs, setting prices, accounting, marketing, contracts, deposits, competition, etc. The second video will focus on the gear that I use, which you can use as a model for your own mobile rig.




Mobile DJ'ing 2 of 2: Basic Gear, and a Sample Setup

I go through an explanation of all the gear that I use in my own Mobile Rig. Not everyone will want the same gear, but I'll give you advice on where you can make changes or substitutions. I also have a full list of my own gear inventory available in Excel spreadsheet or PDF format. I'll put the links to those further down in this post.




Before I go any further, I need to point out something that I forgot to talk about in the video: smoke & fog machines!! I don't usually use them, because they can set off the fire suppression system in a venue! If a client specifically asks for one, I recommend that you have them sign a liability waiver so they take responsibility for costs incurred if the fire suppression system is set off! There could be damages to your gear, and a bill from the fire department!!!


As a Mobile DJ, you're going to be playing at a huge variety of events. Some of these potential events will include: weddings, college/university dances, junior high dances, high school dances, proms, class reunions, block parties, street parties, corporate events, business openings, conventions, banquets, fundraisers, singles dances, community hall events, pool parties, house parties, and bar mitzvahs.

Weddings are an animal all of their own. Although the process of setting up gear and playing music isn't much different than most other gigs, there is a HUGE amount of additional prep work that needs to go into a wedding. This is a very important event for your client, and it has to go smoothly. I've made a special page just to cover some of the additional considerations that you need to be aware of before accepting a request to play at a wedding:  djbolivia.ca/weddings

You'll need some form of transportation to move all your heavy speakers and other equipment around. The obvious choices are an enclosed truck or a cargo van. Buying one of those new is very expensive. Leasing is expensive. Buying a used vehicle means you have a higher risk that it will break down on the way to a show.

Licensing is something that should not be overlooked. This process will vary from country to country, but in almost everywhere you are required to register as a professional DJ and pay an annual fee to be legally allowed to perform and/or play pre-recorded music in public.

There are two types of insurance that you should consider. First, liability insurance will protect you in case one of your speakers falls over and crushes someone, or in case your equipment catches on fire and burns down a community hall.

There is lots of paperwork to think about if you're running a Mobile DJ business. You'll need to keep track of revenues and expenses for your accountant. You'll also need to ensure that potential clients sign contracts, to protect yourself. With a signed contract, you'll be able to ask for a deposit up front, and enforce cancellation fees.

As a Mobile DJ, you need to look and act respectable and professional. This means dressing appropriately, being diplomatic with guests of your clients, and staying away from alcohol and drugs before and during your events.

As a mobile DJ, you'll need to be familiar with a huge variety of music. You can't just play the types of music that you enjoy personally. You might be asked to play everything including current hits, classic rock, alternative, indie, country, hip hop, dance, EDM, and golden oldies. You'll need to own a large catalog of popular hits in all these genres, and you'll need to be familiar with all of your music.

Getting the right gear is another challenge. First of all, a professional Mobile DJ rig is fairly expensive. You will probably need to budget approximately ten to twenty thousand dollars (USD) for gear, depending on the types of mixers and CD players and speakers and lights that you choose. Although you want a comprehensive set-up that will fill the needs at 90% of the events that you are booked for, you don't want to over-spend and buy gear that is rarely used. For a big event that requires more speakers than you own, you should just rent extra gear for the weekend. My second video covers the gear that I use in detail, so you can decide what similar equipment might be available in your local market, and what will meet your needs.


Here's a link to my Gear Inventory spreadsheet:

Here are links to a few books that you may find useful:




I'm Jonathan Clark, known online as DJ Bolivia.  Do you want to learn more about DJ'ing and music production?  If so, visit:



If you happen to enjoy techno tracks, most of my tracks are available as free downloads from this link:



Thanks so much for visit, and for your support!  I really appreciate the fan base that I've been able to build up over the years.

Also, if you want to visit any of my other sites, here are a few links:
    YouTube:  youtube.com/djbolivia
    SoundCloud:  soundcloud.com/djbolivia
    Blogger:  djbolivia.blogspot.com
    Main Site:  www.djbolivia.ca

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Exploring USB Microphones


I just uploaded part eleven of my Audio Recording tutorial series (and I have some additional study notes further down in this post). This series as a whole is more related to home studio work than it is to DJ'ing, covering the very basics of audio engineering and production work. 

If you're just discovering this tutorial series and you want to start at the beginning, visit:  djbolivia.ca/audiorecording


 



Audio Recording Tutorial #11: Working with USB Microphones

In this video, we examine the basic characteristics and features that you might find on many USB microphones, and the advantages and disadvantages that they have compared to traditional studio microphones.





Here are some of the pros and cons of using a USB microphone as compared to a traditional mic routed in through a sound card (I'll start with advantages for the USB microphones):
- Excellent quality is available at very competitive costs.
- USB mics are suitable for most podcasters, home musicians, music students, voiceover talent, and pretty much anyone not wanting to use the internal microphone of your laptop. USB mics even have a place in some professional studios.
- No need for a mic pre-amp.
- Condenser microphones normally need a source of phantom power. This is supplied on the USB line for a USB mic.
- Some USB mics allow for direct headphone monitoring with no latency.
- Many USB microphones have a gain control knob to adjust signal going into your computer.
- Many USB microphones offer the choice between multiple pickup patterns.
- Some of the higher-end USB mics also allow for XLR output into a traditional system.
- Some USB microphones offer variable sampling rates onboard.
- Some USB microphones have a built-in pop filter.

There are a few potential disadvantages to consider too:
- Although some USB mics will work immediately as plug-and-play devices, you may need to install drivers for others (this is the case on both PC's and Macs).
- Many DAW's will only allow for input from a single device at a time. So for instance, if you've got a USB mic plugged into your computer and you also have a sound card hooked up, with other instruments connected to your sound card, you may not be able to record through your USB mic and sound card simultaneously! This is certainly not a problem if you're working on multi-track sessions where each type of audio data is recorded individually. However, if you wanted to, for example, bring in a vocal through the USB mic at the same time as a guitar track through your soundcard, you might be out of luck!

Links relating to USB microphones:


Here are links to a number of microphone manufacturers:



To see the rest of the tutorials in this Audio Recording series, visit:




Thanks so much for visit, and for your support!  I really appreciate the fan base that I've been able to build up over the years.

Also, if you want to visit any of my other sites, here are a few links:
    YouTube:  youtube.com/djbolivia
    SoundCloud:  soundcloud.com/djbolivia
    Blogger:  djbolivia.blogspot.com
    Main Site:  www.djbolivia.ca

Thursday, February 13, 2014

SHG Radio Show, Episode 196

Welcome to this week's edition of Subterranean Homesick Grooves™, a weekly electronica-based radio show presented originally on CHMA FM 106.9 at Mount Allison University in Atlantic Canada (but expanded to a distribution on other terrestrial radio stations), and also distributed as a global podcast through iTunes and numerous other sites. The show is normally programmed and mixed by Jonathan Clark (as DJ Bolivia), although some weeks feature guest mixes by other Canadian DJ's. The show encompasses many sub-genres within the realm of electronic dance music, but the main focus is definitely on tech-house and techno, and a small amount of progressive, trance, & minimal. Liner notes for this episode (SHG 196) can be seen below.

Para la información en español, vaya aquí.




Here’s a link so you can listen to the show or download it from SoundCloud:



In addition to being able to download each episode from SoundCloud, you can also visit our DJ Mixes folder on Dropbox (which allows for bulk downloads).  That folder hosts hundreds of episodes and other DJ mixes.  Here's the link:


And of course, you can download Bolivia's individual tracks from this link:



Here are Track Listings for episode 196:

01. Andreas Henneberg, "Daddy" (Original Mix).
02. Christian Smith, "The Exchange" (Original Mix).
03. Gonzalez & Gonzalo, & Javier Sequera, "Watch Your Back" (Original Mix).
04. Loko & Vlada Asanin, "Molotov" (Original Mix).
05. Pirupa, "Distressing Dreams" (Danny Serrano Remix).
06. Alan Fitzpatrick, "We Are Forever Young" (Original Mix).
07. Drumcomplex & Roel Salemink, "Fusion" (Original Mix).
08. David Penn, "A Different Story" (Simon Doty Remix).
09. DJ Victor Montero, "Caipirinha" (Original Mix).
10. Joe Red, "Ajoeb" (Original Mix).
11. Julio Leal, "I Like" (Original Mix).
12. J Verner, "Airequece" (Original Mix).


Here are links to either personal websites, Facebook pages, or [usually] the SoundCloud pages for a few of the original artists and remixers/producers listed above.



Andreas Henneberg (Germany)
Christian Smith (Brazil)
Gonzalez & Gonzalo (Spain)
Loko (Argentina)
Vlada Asanin (Spain)
Danny Serrano (Spain)
Simon Doty (Canada)
Pirupa (Italy)
Alan Fitzpatrick (Britain)
Drumcomplex (Germany)
Roel Salemink (Netherlands)
David Penn (Spain)
DJ Victor Montero (Spain)
Joe Red (Spain)
Julio Leal (Spain)
J Verner (Brazil)
Javier Sequera (Spain)


Subterranean Homesick Grooves is a weekly specialty EDM music show with a basic weekly audience base of about 1500 listeners per week through podcasting and direct downloads, another hundred or so listeners through SoundCloud, and an unknown number of listeners through terrestrial FM broadcast. If you're a radio station programming director, and would like to add Subterranean Homesick Grooves to your regular programming lineup, contact djbolivia@gmail.com for details. We currently release SHG as an advance download to a number of stations globally on a weekly basis (at no charge), and we welcome inquiries from additional outlets.


We also have a file containing complete track listings from all of DJ Bolivia's radio shows, studio mixes, and live sets. The PDF version can be viewed from within your browser by clicking directly. Both the PDF and the Excel versions can be downloaded by right-clicking and choosing the "save link as" option:

View as PDF file: http://www.djbolivia.ca/complete_track_history_djbolivia.pdf
Download Excel file: http://www.djbolivia.ca/complete_track_history_djbolivia.xlsx






Follow Jonathan Clark on other sites:
        SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/djbolivia
        YouTube: youtube.com/djbolivia
        Facebook: facebook.com/djbolivia
        Main Site: www.djbolivia.ca
        Music Blog: djbolivia.blogspot.ca

Monday, February 10, 2014

Upbeat Workout Music, Volume #11

It's been quite a few months since I've had time to put together another volume in my Workout Mix series, but the wait is over. I have volume 11 ready here today (and volume 12 will be coming out next week). 

The mix is a continuous music mix which is an hour long, and anyone can download it (the link is near the bottom of this post). This mix is for demo purposes only, and commercial resale or redistribution is not permitted.

Here are Track Listings for Workout Mix #11:

01. Daft Punk, "Instant Crush." (Edit).
02. Robin Thicke, "Blurred Lines" (Edit).
03. Selena Gomez, "Come & Get It" (Edit).
04. Inna & Yandel, "In Your Eyes" (Edit).
05. Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen, "Good Time" (Edit).
06. Demi Lovato, "Something That We're Not." (Edit).
07. Calvin Harris feat Ne Yo, "Let Me Love You" (Edit).
08. Ylvis, "The Fox, What The Fox Say" (Edit).
09. Icona Pop, "Girlfriend" (Edit).
10. Wanted, the, "Chasing The Sun" (Edit).
11. Bruno Mars, "Treasure." (Edit).
12. Eminem & Rihanna, "The Monster" (Edit).
13. Nicky Romero & Krewella, "Legacy" (Edit).
14. Madeon vs Empire Of The Sun, "Technicolor Alive." (Edit).
15. Bastille, "Pompeii" (Edit).

Note: I didn't list the specific remix versions that I used in this mix. That's because I do a lot of specific editing of my own to each track before I put the mix together, adding extra percussion or melodic elements, and sometimes I combine pieces from two or more remixes for any given track.


To download a 1.5 GB Zip file that includes all of the mixes in DJ Bolivia's workout series, right-click on this link and choose "save target" or "save link":



For links to the blog posts about the other mixes in this series, visit:






I have lots of other upbeat electronica mixes available on my DJ website. Admittedly, there aren't too many mixes there [yet] that are exclusively club dance tracks, but there are a lot of house/trance mixes that I find to be pretty good to listen to when I'm going running. Or driving. Or doing any sort of mindless task where I just want some energetic beats to listen to. Most of them are about an hour long, to fit onto a standard CD. Check them out, maybe you'd enjoy some of them? And click here if you're interested in one of my favorites, a massive four-hour mix that I made of classic dance tracks from the late 1990's and early 2000's.

If you like this mix, please post this link on your Facebook walls, or to Twitter! If you're a member of any sort of workout or fitness website or message board, feel free to post a link to this post there. I appreciate your help sharing this around!


To download any of my studio mixes or recordings of lives shows, visit:


Then go into the folder called "Bolivia's DJ Mixes & Live Shows"

Thanks for your support!



Follow Jonathan Clark on other sites:
        SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/djbolivia
        YouTube: youtube.com/djbolivia
        Facebook: facebook.com/djbolivia
        Main Site: www.djbolivia.ca
        Music Blog: djbolivia.blogspot.ca





Sunday, February 9, 2014

Ableton Q&A Videos related to DJ'ing

Here's a collection of some additional Ableton Live tutorial videos that I've put together for people doing DJ'ing and studio work, based on YouTube viewer questions and feedback.  You can find a complete collection of my Ableton tutorials here:








Intermediate Warping Techniques in Ableton Live

Most of the tracks that I warped in my initial "Warping Tracks in Ableton Live" video were pretty simple to warp. In this video, I picked five EDM tracks of intermediate difficulty to warp, and gave some extra tips and tricks.





Using the Loop, Start, and End Indicators

Looping sections of existing tracks during a real-time DJ performance can add a lot of strength to your performance, and gives you the ability to be more versatile than simply playing other peoples' tracks back from start to finish. This video covers the Loop Indicators and when they can be useful, and also touches on the Start and End Indicators. The practice of looping through the use of the loop indicators should not be confused with a separate but similar-sounding practice in Ableton, namely that of importing and using "looped" audio clips.





DJ'ing with Songs in Non-Electronic Genres

I've had lots of questions about how to include tracks of significantly diverse tempos in your sets, such as hip hop, indie pop, and classic rock. This video explains my own approach to tracks in these genres.





Inserting a New Track in the Middle of Arrangement View

This one is pretty simple, to be honest. How do you insert a new track into the middle of an already-complete production in the arrangement view? This video is pretty short.





Automating Global Tempo in a Studio Production

Here's another short one, based on numerous viewer questions. Once you have a studio-produced DJ Mix set up in the arrangement view, you may want to vary the tempo as the mix plays back. This video shows you how.





Cutting Breakdowns out of Dance Music Tracks

Another very short video. If you've got a track with a quiet breakdown and you don't want your dance floor to lose energy and interest, it might be smart to use Ableton to just remove that breakdown from the song. It's very easy. However, having said that, you should also watch the next video in this post which shows you an alternative to cutting out a breakdown, namely, to keep it and enhance it.





Enhancing EDM Breakdowns with Simple Editing Techniques

As you probably expect, this video teaches you how to spice up an existing track by adding things like extra drums, extra bass notes, etc. This is a medium-length video, but I hope it opens your eyes to all sorts of production capabilities that you might want to start digging into.





Clarifying Warping and Global Tempo:

Many people didn't entirely understand how warped tracks would synchronize together, so this is a short video that aims simply to clarify how warped tracks are treated by Ableton, and how they are tied to the global tempo.






I'm Jonathan Clark, known online as DJ Bolivia.  Do you want to learn more about DJ'ing and music production?  If so, visit:



If you happen to enjoy techno tracks, most of my tracks are available as free downloads from this link:



Thanks so much for visit, and for your support!  I really appreciate the fan base that I've been able to build up over the years.

Also, if you want to visit any of my other sites, here are a few links:
    YouTube:  youtube.com/djbolivia
    SoundCloud:  soundcloud.com/djbolivia
    Blogger:  djbolivia.blogspot.com
    Main Site:  www.djbolivia.ca

George Martin Hall (STU) Set Playlist, Fredericton, February 8th

For anyone who was at this party last night and wondering about my setlist, here you go. As you can see from the track listings below, this was a mainstream/top40 event. I started out with an hour or so of hip hop, then moved into indie/pop, and then to upbeat dance tracks for the rest of the evening:

01. Migos & Drake, "Versace"
02. Pusha T, "Numbers On The Boards"
03. Big Sean, "Control"
04. Jay Z, "Picasso Baby"
05. Kanye West, "Blood On The Leaves"
06. Future & Lil Wayne, "Karate Chop"
07. 2 Chainz feat Pharrell, "Feds Watching"
08. Kevin Gates, "Wylin"
09. Rich Homie Quan, "Some Type Of Way"
10. Major Lazer, "Bubble Butt"
11. Jay Z, "Tom Ford"
12. Chance The Rapper, "Chain Smoker"
13. Drake, "Wu Tang Forever"
14. Ace Hood, "Bugatti"
15. J Cole, "Crooked Smile"
16. Lorde, "White Teeth Teens"
17. Blood Orange, "Chamakay"
18. Jay Z & Justin Timberlake, "Holy Grail"
19. Cali Swag District, "Teach Me How To Dougie"
20. Daft Punk feat Panda Bear, "Doin' It Right"
21. Parquet Courts, "Stoned & Starving"
22. Arctic Monkeys, "Do I Wanna Know"
23. Laura Marling, "Master Hunter"
24. Justin Timberlake, "Mirrors"
25. Elvis Costello & The Roots, "Walk Us Uptown"
26. Franz Ferdinand, "Treasons, Animals"
27. Betty Who, "You're In Love"
28. Haim, "The Wire"
29. One Direction, "Little Black Dress"
30. Thundercat, "Oh Sheit It's X"
31. Miley Cyrus, "Maybe You're Right"
32. Lorde, "Royals"
33. Snoop Lion & Miley Cyrus, "Ashtrays & Heartbreaks"
34. Kelly Rowland, "Freak"
35. Superchunk, "Me & You & Jackie Mittoo"
36. Eleanor Friedberger, "Stare At The Sun"
37. Paramore, "Still Into You"
38. Macklemore, "Can't Hold Us"
39. One Direction, "Best Song Ever"
40. Fall Out Boy, "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark"
41. Lonely Island, "Yolo"
42. Katy Perry, "Roar"
43. Avril Lavigne, "Here's To Never Growing Up"
44. Daft Punk, "Get Lucky"
45. Disclosure, "When A Fire Starts To Burn"
46. Taio Cruz, "Dynamite"
47. Robin Thicke, "Blurred Lines"
48. Katy Perry, "Dark Horse"
49. Bruno Mars, "Treasure"
50. Selena Gomez, "Come And Get It"
51. Sak Noel & Sito Rocks, "Party On My Level"
52. Demi Lovato, "Heart Attack"
53. Inna, "Be My Lover"
54. Psy, "Gentleman"
55. Miley Cyrus, "Wrecking Ball"
56. Eminem & Rihanna, "Monster"
57. Ylvis, "What Does The Fox Say"
58. Martin Garrix, "Animals"
59. Avicii, "Wake Me Up"
60. Darius Rucker, "Wagon Wheel"

I didn't list the remixes that I used for any of the dance tracks (starting around track 40 onward) because I've edited a lot of them to make them unique. So in other words, you wouldn't be able to find them on the internet.




My helper, Amanda, playing some music early in the evening.



To download any of my studio mixes or recordings of lives shows, visit:


Then go into the folder called "Bolivia's DJ Mixes & Live Shows"

Thanks for your support!



I'm Jonathan Clark, known online as DJ Bolivia.  Do you want to learn more about DJ'ing and music production?  If so, visit:



If you happen to enjoy techno tracks, most of my tracks are available as free downloads from this link:



Thanks so much for visit, and for your support!  I really appreciate the fan base that I've been able to build up over the years.

Also, if you want to visit any of my other sites, here are a few links:
    YouTube:  youtube.com/djbolivia
    SoundCloud:  soundcloud.com/djbolivia
    Blogger:  djbolivia.blogspot.com
    Main Site:  www.djbolivia.ca

Friday, February 7, 2014

SHG Radio Show, Episode 195

Welcome to this week's edition of Subterranean Homesick Grooves™, a weekly electronica-based radio show presented originally on CHMA FM 106.9 at Mount Allison University in Atlantic Canada (but expanded to a distribution on other terrestrial radio stations), and also distributed as a global podcast through iTunes and numerous other sites. The show is normally programmed and mixed by Jonathan Clark (as DJ Bolivia), although some weeks feature guest mixes by other Canadian DJ's. The show encompasses many sub-genres within the realm of electronic dance music, but the main focus is definitely on tech-house and techno, and a small amount of progressive, trance, & minimal. Liner notes for this episode (SHG 195) can be seen below.

Para la información en español, vaya aquí.




Here’s a link so you can listen to the show or download it from SoundCloud:



In addition to being able to download each episode from SoundCloud, you can also visit our DJ Mixes folder on Dropbox (which allows for bulk downloads).  That folder hosts hundreds of episodes and other DJ mixes.  Here's the link:


And of course, you can download Bolivia's individual tracks from this link:



Here are Track Listings for episode 195:

01. Stefano Noferini, "Vegas" (Ron Costa Remix).
02. Mihalis Safras, "Arabic" (Original Mix).
03. Marco Bailey, "The Fox" (Mattew Jay Remix).
04. Tini Garcia, "Communication" (Original Mix).
05. Djose Elenko, "New Year" (Original Mix).
06. Ismael Dewler, "Schizophrenic" (Original Mix).
07. Miguel Bastida & DJ Fronter, "Stimmen" (Original Mix).
08. DJ Boris, "Give Yourself" (Danny Serrano Remix).
09. Vlada Asanin, Juan Ddd, & Johan Dresser, "Mexicana" (Original Mix).
10. Eric Sneo, "Access E" (Original Mix).
11. DJ PP, "Just Nina" (Jerome Robins Remix).
12. Toni Carrillo, "Oh Yeah" (Original Mix).



Here are links to either personal websites, Facebook pages, or [usually] the SoundCloud pages for a few of the original artists and remixers/producers listed above.



Stefano Noferini (Italy)
Ron Costa (France)
Mihalis Safras (Greece)
Marco Bailey (Belgium)
Mattew Jay (Italy)
Tini Garci (Spain)
Djose Elenko (Spain)
Ismael Dewler (Spain)
Miguel Bastida (Spain)
DJ Fronter (Colombia)
DJ Boris (Russia)
Danny Serrano (Spain)
Vlada Asanin (Spain)
Juan Ddd (Colombia)
Johan Dresser (Colombia)
Eric Sneo (Germany)
DJ PP (Uruguay)
Jerome Robins (Canada)
Toni Carrillo (Spain)


Subterranean Homesick Grooves is a weekly specialty EDM music show with a basic weekly audience base of about 1500 listeners per week through podcasting and direct downloads, another hundred or so listeners through SoundCloud, and an unknown number of listeners through terrestrial FM broadcast. If you're a radio station programming director, and would like to add Subterranean Homesick Grooves to your regular programming lineup, contact djbolivia@gmail.com for details. We currently release SHG as an advance download to a number of stations globally on a weekly basis (at no charge), and we welcome inquiries from additional outlets.


We also have a file containing complete track listings from all of DJ Bolivia's radio shows, studio mixes, and live sets. The PDF version can be viewed from within your browser by clicking directly. Both the PDF and the Excel versions can be downloaded by right-clicking and choosing the "save link as" option:

View as PDF file: http://www.djbolivia.ca/complete_track_history_djbolivia.pdf
Download Excel file: http://www.djbolivia.ca/complete_track_history_djbolivia.xlsx





Follow Jonathan Clark on other sites:
        SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/djbolivia
        YouTube: youtube.com/djbolivia
        Facebook: facebook.com/djbolivia
        Main Site: www.djbolivia.ca
        Music Blog: djbolivia.blogspot.ca