Running Out Of Chord Combinations

When you look at Western Music, there are only twelve notes to play with. So that's 12 possible tonic notes for scalar systems. 12 possible chord roots, although of course you can add inversions and sevenths and sixths and seconds and all sort of other upper-register notes to give a tiny bit more variety. But essentially, there are only twelve main chords to play with when writing a song. And furthermore, many of those don't "work together" harmonically, at least not in a sense that is pleasing to a listener of western music. So the number of basic chord combinations for verses and choruses and bridges is remarkably limited.

If you dig through contemporary pop music, you can find thousands of examples of songs that share a significant part of their overall chord structure. Sometimes the more recent songs were created on the patterns of earlier chord progressions unintentionally. At other times, I'm sure that chord progressions were mimicked completely on purpose. Some artists have even mimicked their own basic chord progressions in subsequent writing (Chuck Berry might be a good example).

If you know a bit of music and want a slightly more detailed overview, there's an interesting article on wikipedia that I came across the other day while doing some music assignments:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chord_progression

You should note that this is not a very complex article, so you need very little music background to understand it.

But does this whole situation mean that we're running out of songs? Is it getting harder and harder for musicians to come up with original song titles, lyrics, and music? Well, yes for song titles, although it's gotten to the point now where many song titles have been recycled for perhaps dozens of songs. Finding something completely unique for a song title is pretty difficult.

As far as lyrics and music go, the situation isn't so bad. I've heard lots of key phrases in songs that seem very unique, but which are mirrored in other songs that appear to be completely unrelated. Maybe they ARE unrelated, and maybe they aren't. And chord progressions form the background of songs, but a lot of work can be done in production to make them sound entirely different.

I'm going to leave you with a bit of an interesting example of how chord progressions can be mimicked, but in a way that it does not seem like the "new" song is copying the old. I don't know if the mimicry was intentional in this particular case, but think about two songs: "Imagine," by John Lennon, and "Jump," by Van Halen. Then take a moment to check this out:

http://soundcloud.com/jackstanleywp/imagine-a-jump-john-lennon-vs-van-halen

I think you'll find it to be an interesting listen.


Imagine-a-jump-john-lennon-vs.-van-halen by jackstanleywp

Now, someone needs to put together John Lennon's vocals with an instrumental from Van Halen. It works both ways.


Before I leave, check this out too:

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

djbolivia.ca/training

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

djbolivia.ca/tracks

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

Upbeat Workout Music, Mix #03

The response to the last pair of workout mixes that I posted on my blog has been phenomenal. The mixes have had thousands of downloads in the past twelve weeks. I was going to devote every sixth episode of my weekly radio show to doing these mixes, as an alternative to the progressive house that I usually play on the show. However, to keep people from being confused, I will stick to progressive house for the radio show after this week. However, I'll definitely keep making these workout mixes every six weeks. So you can look forward to the next one coming out in the first week of March.

The mix is an hour long, and anyone can download it (the download link is near the bottom of this post). As implied above, I used the same mix for my "Subterranean Homesick Grooves" radio show this week, to give it a bit of a bigger audience. However, the mix that you can download here doesn't have the radio station promos in it, so it will be better if it's being played in a gym.


Here are Track Listings for Workout Mix #03:

01. Katy Perry, "Firework" (Radio Version).
02. BoB, "Airplanes" (DJQ's Extended Club Edit).
03. Swedish House Mafia, "Miami 2 Ibiza."
04. Santito, "Voices Inside My Head" (Club Mix).
05. Martin Solveig & Dragonette, "Hello" (Club Edit).
06. Kylie Minogue, "Get Outta My Way" (Tommy Love Dream Mix).
07. Tim Berg, "Seek Bromance" (Samnuele Sartini Extended Mix).
08. Kaskade & Adam K, "Raining" (Original Mix).
09. Kaskade, "Fire In Your New Shoes" (Joachim Garraud Vocal Mix).
10. Tiesto vs Diplo, "C'Mon" (Original Version).
11. Robyn, "Indestructible" (Laidback Luke Club Mix).
12. Taio Cruz, "Break Your Heart" (Wideboys Club Mix).
13. ATB, "Could You Believe" (Original).
14. Armin van Buuren, "Not Giving Up On Love" (Glenn Morrison Remix).
15. Mischa Daniels, "Where You Wanna Go" (Album Version).


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":

chma.fm/Workout_Mixes_1-12.zip

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

www.djbolivia.ca/workout

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?

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

djbolivia.ca/dropbox 

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

Upbeat Workout Music, Mix #02

The response to the last workout mix that I posted on my blog was pretty amazing. The mix has had thousands of downloads in the past six weeks. As a result, I've decided that every six weeks, I'll devote an episode of my radio show to creating a new mainstream/top40 club dance mix.

The mix is an hour long, and anyone can download it (the link is near the bottom of this post). As implied above, I used the same mix for my "Subterranean Homesick Grooves" radio show this week, to give it a bit of a bigger audience. However, the mix that you can download in the link above doesn't have the radio station promos in it, so it will be better if it's being played in a gym.


Here are Track Listings for Workout Mix #02:

01. Freemasons & Wynter Gordon, "Believer" (Club Mix).
02. David Deejay & Ela Rose, "I Can Feel" (Le Que Remix).
03. Ke$ha, "We R Who We R" (James Rendon Club Mix).
04. David Guetta & Rihanna, "Who's That Chick" (Martin Souza Extended Edit).
05. Rihanna, "Rockstar 101" (Dave Aude Club Mix).
06. Taio Cruz, "Higher" (Radio Edit).
07. Pink, "Raise Your Glass" (Jump Smokers Extension).
08. Avicii & Sebastien Drums, "My Feelings For You" (Original Mix).
09. Pussycat Dolls, "I Hate This Part" (Dave Aude Club Mix).
10. Swedish House Mafia, "One" (Original Mix).
11. Empire Of The Sun, "Walking On A Dream" (Johan Baath Remix).
12. Black Eyed Peas, "The Time / The Dirty Bit."
13. Rihanna, "Only Girl In The World" (Liam Keegan Remix).
14. Yolanda Be Cool, "We No Speak Americano" (Jarleen Bootleg).


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":

chma.fm/Workout_Mixes_1-12.zip

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

www.djbolivia.ca/workout

I have lots more 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?

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

djbolivia.ca/dropbox 

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

Upbeat Workout Music, Mix #01

This week was my roommate Kati's birthday, so I decided to put together a dance music mix, for her to listen to when she goes running. A lot of people listen to other mixes from my website when they're running or working out, but I figured that this time, instead of using house & trance music, I'd use mainstream club dance tracks which are a lot more well known.

The mix is an hour long, and anyone can download it (the download link is near the bottom of this post). I actually used the same mix for my "Subterranean Homesick Grooves" radio show this week, to give it a bit of a bigger audience. However, the mix that you can download in the link above doesn't have the radio station promos in it, so it will be better if it's being played in a gym.


Here are Track Listings for Workout Mix #01:

01. Katy Perry, "Teenage Dream" (Liam Keegan Remix).
02. Dresden & Johnston, "Keep Faith" (Original Club Mix).
03. Afrojack, "Take Over Control" (Original Mix).
04. Kaci Battaglia & Ludacris, "Body Shots" (Dave Aude Club Mix).
05. Robyn, "Dancing On My Own" (Buzz Junkies Club Mix).
06. Hyper Crush, "Keep Up" (Tony Arzadon Remix).
07. Lady Gaga, "Alejandro" (DJ Nejtrino & DJ Baur Radio Mix).
08. Antoine Clamaran, "Gold" (Thomas Gold Remix).
09. La Roux, "Bulletproof" (Dave Aude Club Mix).
10. Stromae, "Alors On Danse" (DJ's From Mars Club Remix).
11. Taio Cruz, "Dynamite" (Mixin' Marc Club Remix).
12. Far East Movement, "Like A G6" (Disco Fries Remix).
13. Duck Sauce, "Barbara Streisand" (O God Remix).
14. Ke$ha, "Take It Off" (Jake Walmsley 2010 Electro Remix).
15. Flo Rida, "Club Can't Handle Me" (David Guetta Remix).


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":

chma.fm/Workout_Mixes_1-12.zip

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

www.djbolivia.ca/workout

   





It was pretty fun putting this mix together, since it was a bit of a change from the usual style of my radio shows. This is the type of music that I use when I'm playing club nights around home. I've already decided that I'm going to put together a mix in this style about once every six to eight weeks as a change of pace on the radio show, and I'll post them in this blog as a "workout mix" series. If you like this one, you can look forward to the next one on December 17th.

I have lots more 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?

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

djbolivia.ca/dropbox 

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

SHG Radio Show, Episode 045

Welcome to this week's edition of Subterranean Homesick Grooves™, a weekly electronica-based radio show presented on CHMA FM 106.9 at Mount Allison University in Atlantic Canada. 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 on progressive and tribal house, and a bit of trance & techno. Liner notes for this episode (045) 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:

DJ Bolivia · Bolivia - Episode 045 - Subterranean Homesick Grooves

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:

djbolivia.ca/mixes

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

    djbolivia.ca/tracks

Here are Track Listings for episode 045:

01. Katy Perry, "Firework" (Radio Version).
02. BoB, "Airplanes" (DJQ's Extended Club Edit).
03. Swedish House Mafia, "Miami 2 Ibiza."
04. Santito, "Voices Inside My Head" (Club Mix).
05. Martin Solveig & Dragonette, "Hello" (Club Edit).
06. Kylie Minogue, "Get Outta My Way" (Tommy Love Dream Mix).
07. Tim Berg, "Seek Bromance" (Samnuele Sartini Extended Mix).
08. Kaskade & Adam K, "Raining" (Original Mix).
09. Kaskade, "Fire In Your New Shoes" (Joachim Garraud Vocal Mix).
10. Tiesto vs Diplo, "C'Mon" (Original Version).
11. Robyn, "Indestructible" (Laidback Luke Club Mix).
12. Taio Cruz, "Break Your Heart" (Wideboys Club Mix).
13. ATB, "Could You Believe" (Original).
14. Armin van Buuren, "Not Giving Up On Love" (Glenn Morrison Remix).
15. Mischa Daniels, "Where You Wanna Go" (Album Version).



This week is the third time in the history of the show that I've done a mainstream/top40 mix, as is very obvious from the track listings. I've been making a mix of this style every six weeks, here on the show, but this will be the last time. The only reason I say that is because I don't want to confuse regular listeners of the show, who are expecting a mostly non-vocal progressive house style. However, for anyone who does like these mainstream mixes, I'll continue to make one every six weeks or so, and post them on my main DJ website. So you can look forward to another mainstream mix in the first week of March, and it will be listed as one of the "workout music" mixes on my main www.djbolivia.ca website.


More information is available on our Website:
   http://www.subterraneanhomesickgrooves.ca

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

SHG Radio Show Episode 044

Welcome to this week's edition of Subterranean Homesick Grooves™, a weekly electronica-based radio show presented on CHMA FM 106.9 at Mount Allison University in Atlantic Canada. 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 on progressive and tribal house, and a bit of trance & techno. Liner notes for this episode (044) 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:

DJ Bolivia · Bolivia - Episode 044 - Subterranean Homesick Grooves

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:

djbolivia.ca/mixes

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

    djbolivia.ca/tracks

Here are Track Listings for episode 044:

01. Aleks Patz & Alex Caytas, "Granholmstippen" (Original Mix).
02. Evren Ulusoy, "Deep In Tokyo" (Original Mix).
03. Evil Amigos, "Blanc" (Stephan Bazbaz Remix).
04. Neil Quigley, "Illusion" (Original Mix).
05. Bettosun, "Love" (Original Mix).
06. Ludowick, "My Own Reality" (Nemaier Remix).
07. Pako & Frederik, "Etnosat" (TC Maniak).
08. Faithless, "Insomnia 2011" (Mystic Deejay).
09. Dezza, "The Road To Hana" (Playton Remix).
10. Reagal, "Afternoon" (Original Mix).



More information is available on our Website:
   http://www.subterraneanhomesickgrooves.ca


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

SHG Radio Show Episode 043

Welcome to this week's edition of Subterranean Homesick Grooves™, a weekly electronica-based radio show presented on CHMA FM 106.9 at Mount Allison University in Atlantic Canada. 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 on progressive and tribal house, and a bit of trance & techno. Liner notes for this episode (043) 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:

DJ Bolivia · Bolivia - Episode 043 - Subterranean Homesick Grooves

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:

djbolivia.ca/mixes

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

    djbolivia.ca/tracks

Here are Track Listings for episode 043:

01. Umek & Beltek, "Is It" (Original Mix).
02. D Deluxer, "Between Time And Space" (Iliyan Mix).
03. Enzo Il Poeta, "Salvador" (Felix Navarro Remix).
04. Dhord, "Feedback" (Original Mix).
05. Zachary Zamarripa, "Delusions Of Grandeur" (Original Mix).
06. Francis Preve, "Jetsam" (Original Mix).
07. Compact Grey & Beatamines, "El Fantastico" (Dub Mix).
08. Julian Poker & Reconstruction, "RE2 One" (Original Mix).
09. William A, "Tall Glass" (Original Mix).
10. Lee & Slater, "First Date" (Original Mix).
11. Blake Jarrell & Thrasher, "Hosoi" (Simon & Shaker Remix).



Sorry about the extra day that it took to prepare this week's show. I just recently upgraded my studio computers to Windows 7, and from 32-bit to 64-bit. Getting all of my audio software running properly took just a bit longer than I had expected.


More information is available on our Website:
   http://www.subterraneanhomesickgrooves.ca


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

Voices Inside My Head

Lots of people are familiar with many of Sting's musical accomplishments, but not nearly as many are familiar with The Police. Sure, they had some major hits in the early to mid 1980's, like "Don't Stand So Close To Me" and "Roxanne" and "Message In A Bottle" (released in the late 1970's, but made popular again with the release of their greatest hits album), and all of their hits from the Synchronicity album. However, it is their earlier albums that I'm a big fan of. Incidentally, The Police were the top grossing musicians in the world in 2008, due to their reunion tour. Who would have thought it?

One of those early albums that I loved was Zenyatta Mondatta, even though I started listening to it almost a decade after it first came out. Oddly enough, this was the only one of their five albums that did NOT make Rolling Stone's list of the top 500 albums of all time (in November of 2003). It spawned hits such as "De Do Do Do," "Don't Stand So Close To Me," and "Canary In A Coal Mine." It also had "Shadows In The Rain," although most people are much more familiar with Sting's (admittedly much better) solo version from several years later (on Dream Of The Blue Turtles). Zenyatta Mondatta also had a lesser-known track called "Voices Inside My Head."


 

Voices has been remixed as a dance track quite frequently over the years. The version that I was always most familiar with was by KC Flight & Funky Junction, which I got on vinyl from Hooj Choons in 2001. Mind you, that version doesn't use Sting for the vocals, and it's more of a deeper, chuggy, progressive house track (especially the Fata Morgana remix).

There's a "new" version out right now by Santito. It was actually released a few months ago, but I've been listening to it a lot lately, and I think that it should do pretty well on the BPM & Billboard charts before too much longer. The club mix is a lot more mainstream than the KC Flight & Funky Junction track, so it's a lot more accessible to top40 clubbers. Also, it uses Sting's vocals, which is nice.

Here's a link, check it out:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmQ0IdSwHY4

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

djbolivia.ca/training

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

djbolivia.ca/tracks

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

Acronym Meanings in SHM's "Miami 2 Ibiza"

Or maybe I should have entitled this post, "AM's in SHM's M2I."

Miami 2 Ibiza has been a pretty popular track in the last few months for the Swedish House Mafia. There are a lot of acronyms in this track, and I figured most of them out right away when I was listening, but I had to think (and Google) a couple. So I thought I'd throw a post up to clarify things.

The Swedish House Mafia is composed of three well-known DJ's and producers, Steve Angello, Sebastien Ingrosso, and Axwell. Eric Prydz (also known as Pryda) was also a member of this group for a while, and they all keep a close association, although they technically don't consider him to be a member at the moment since he isn't living in Sweden anymore.

 

Their latest hit, "Miami 2 Ibiza," has a lot of acronymns, so here are the lyrics and my interpretation of the meanings:

Swedish House Mafia - "Miami 2 Ibiza"

She says she likes my watch, but she wants Steve’s AP
And she stay up all hours watching QVC
She said she loves my songs, she bought my mp3
And so I put her number in my Bold BB
I got a black BM, She got a white TT
She wanna see what’s hiding in my CK briefs
I tell her wear suspenders and some PVC
And then I’ll film it all up on my JVC

Uhh, scene one. Everybody get in your positions.
Pay attention, and listen.
We’re tryna get this in one take, so lets try and
make that happen.
Take one, action!

She pose for FHM, She like my Black LV
We spillin’ LPR, up on my APC
I’m in my PRP's and my Nike SB’s
Ravin’ with SHM, London to NYC
I got my Visa and My Visa
A diva and her dealer
B***h I’m up on the guest list with the Swedish House Mafia
You can find me on a table full of vodka and tequila
Surrounded by some bunnies, and it aint f***ing easter
I wake up in the morning with a mild case of amnesia
With a girl that like a girl like Lindsey Lohan, Queen Latifah
A few n****z are pullin, Yeah guetta must be fever
And that’s standard procedure from Miami 2 Ibiza

(Lyrics Copyright 2010, Swedish House Mafia).

Here's a list of the abbreviations and their meanings:

Steve's AP - Audemars Piguet Watch Company
QVC – Shopping Channel
mp3 – If I have to list this, you shouldn't be reading this blog.
Bold BB - Blackberry Mobile (Bold model)
BM - The MS3 Automobile (Mazda)
TT – Audi TT Automobile
CK – Calvin Klein
PVC - Type of Plastic
JVC - Japanese Electronics Manufacturer
FHM - Mens Magazine
LV – Louis Vitton
LPR – Laurent-Perrier Rose Champagne
APC - French Fashion Brand
PRP's – Denim Brand
Nike SB’s – Nike Skateboarding Shoes
SHM – Swedish House Mafia
NYC – New York City

Just a few clarifications on the above:

MP3 - just about everybody knows what an mp3 is, but do you know why it is those particular letters? It was originally MPEG3 and stands for Motion Picture Export Group standard 3 for audio encoding. But since DOS (MicroSoft's original Disk Operating System) only allowed for 3-letter file extension names at first, it was shortened to MP3.

BM - I'm not positive about the Mazda BM MS3. Maybe it's short for BMW, or for "Beemer."

APC - I don't know about this one either. Most people say it refers to the French fashion brand, but I thought it referred to a piece of live/studio performance equipment that ties in well with Ableton Live, namely Akai's APC40 controller. You can pretend it stands for whatever you want.

Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCH1AsUydSc




 

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

djbolivia.ca/training

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

djbolivia.ca/tracks

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

SHG Radio Show Episode 042

Welcome to this week's edition of Subterranean Homesick Grooves™, a weekly electronica-based radio show presented on CHMA FM 106.9 at Mount Allison University in Atlantic Canada. 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 on progressive and tribal house, and a bit of trance & techno. Liner notes for this episode (042) 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:

DJ Bolivia · Bolivia - Episode 042 - Subterranean Homesick Grooves

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:

djbolivia.ca/mixes

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

    djbolivia.ca/tracks

Here are Track Listings for episode 042:

01. Evada, "Challenge" (Original Mix).
02. Valentino Guerriero, "Tibetan Pray" (Original Mix).
03. Cristiano Latini, "Perfect Day" (Original Mix).
04. Blue Haze, "Subtle Nature" (Suffused Remix).
05. Future Keys, "My Salvation" (Masutti & Monaco Sinful Remix).
06. MAZ7, "Matur" (Gosh Kanov Remix).
07. Hiroyuki ODA, "Submarine" (Shingo Nakamura Remix).
08. Nick Nightingale, "Touched By The Sun" (Original Mix).
09. Florent B, "Flush" (Original Mix).
10. Vincent Vega & Sasha Craft, "Lost In Asia" (Ben Delay & Till West Remix).




Well, we've made it. One full year under our belt with the radio show. I guess that since this is the first anniversary of the show, this week should be episode 05, but we missed ten episodes along the way. Most of those would have been in the summer, when I was in the middle of nowhere, with no internet. This summer, that won't be nearly as much of an issue.

This week's show is almost entirely non-vocal progressive house. I was going to do a show at some point this month featuring some of my favorite tracks of all time, but I guess that one will wait until I have a bit more time to really think about which tracks to include.

I hope to see you all here next week ...


More information is available on our Website:
   http://www.subterraneanhomesickgrooves.ca


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

The Peppermill - Peppermill Records, Peter Krahn

Peppermill Records is a fun little netlabel based in the mountains of British Columbia, attempting to make interesting musical art. Although the label is sort of a Collective, a friend of mine, PK, is a driving force behind the entity.

Peppermill specializes in collaborative projects, with artists taking part from every corner of the planet. All the albums they make are free downloads once they're finished.


 

As their website suggests, "Because Peppermill is totally non-profit, we don't have money to spend on promos and so we highly encourage you to spread the word! If you like one of our releases, let your friends know, and write about us in your blog. Shout our names from the highest peak. Tattoo 'peppermill' across your bicep. Anything to help us grow! That way we can convince more talented people to take part in our projects, and we all win." So right now, I'm making this post to help promote them.

I first came across Peppermill when Peter mentioned it to me, because they published a double album of tree-planting songs. It was called, Hi and Ho, We Plant Trees. The songs were brilliantly witting and topical to the industry, and the album was well done. I promoted it on my tree planting website, and thousands of planters are familiar with the project.

Right now, Peppermill is in the middle of a rather intimidating project called 2999. Every Friday night for a full year (except New Year's Eve), they're releasing a new track by a different producer. The project started back in July, so they still have a full year to go. Basically, they asked their producers to envision what the world might look like 989 (now 988) years from now, to soundtrack the end of the 30th century. The works are often electronica-based, experimental, and avante-garde. Very innovative and creative stuff. If you're into that kind of music, I think you'll definitely find it to be very enjoyable. Click on the graphic above to go to the 2999 Project page on the Peppermill website.

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

djbolivia.ca/training

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

djbolivia.ca/tracks

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

Mix: DJ Bolivia, "She Dances For Me"

While I was cleaning up my main website this past week, I found a document with some notes about one of the mixes that I recorded a long time ago. The mix was called "She Dances For Me," recorded in 2003. Looking back at it, it marked a "fork in the road" when it came to my DJ'ing career. I just listened to the mix again this afternoon, and it's pretty awesome, so I'm wondering if I took the wrong fork!

The mix is is a very happy, bouncy mix of house music tracks. Lots of vocals, very club friendly. After that mix, I really started moving more towards trance and shortly thereafter, to progressive/tribal house. For years before I made this mix, I paid a lot of attention to club hits while I was DJ'ing - a natural process, since I was running a nightclub. I still paid a bit of attention to underground electronica, but I never used any of that music in my mixes - they were always a top40/house music style.

Although "She Dances For Me" has a few spots where the mixing is a bit rough for a few seconds, I feel that it really stands the test of time. Of the fifty or sixty mixes that I've ever put online, this is definitely in my top three favorites.


Here are the production notes that I found:

Recording Conditions: Good. Everything worked properly, and everything flowed. I picked the tracks the night before, and did a test run through, so when I got out to the studio to record this set, I was able to just start up and play right away. It just went incredibly well.

Equipment Used: The mixer was my Pioneer DJM-600, which I usually prefer for making demos, with a fairly new pair of Technics 1200's M3's along with an older Tech-12 Mark 2. I used Stanton Groovemaster (blue) needles this time around, for all three turntables.

Track Notes: I'm not going to get into a track-by-track breakdown on this one. These are almost all fairly new tracks. The only things worth noting were the fact that I used a couple of Harrison Crump songs (very individual and memorable), and Shawn Benson was doing vocals on a couple of the tracks. If I had to pick a favorite track from this album, it would be very hard - there are about five that I really enjoy immensely, although the Underworld and Streets tracks at the end would probably be near the top of my list. "Weak Become Heros" has one of my favorite lines ever: "Imagine the world's leaders on pills [ecstasy], then imagine the morning after."

Track Listing Breakdown: Some CD-burner programs allow you to set breakpoints for index marking a CD, so that the entire mix does not have to be played as one track, but rather you can skip back and forth to the start of songs within the mix. If you aren't familiar with how to do this, it can be a little tricky the first time you try, so check your user's manual or help file for assistance in setting this feature up properly. I didn't pick the exact times here down to the thousandth of a second - these were rough estimates, and you'll probably want to fine tune a bit:

Track 01 - 00:00 - The Logic Box, "Morph Cross."
Track 02 - 09:15 - Lawn Chair Generals, "One Thing."
Track 03 - 12:43 - Layo & Bushwacka!, "Love Story [vs. Finally]" [Bushwacka!'s Final Bootleg].
Track 04 - 17:40 - Martin Venet Joki, "Really Don't Stop."
Track 05 - 21:26 - Jay J & Chris Lum feat. Shawn Benson, "Stronger" [Louis Benedetti's Vocal Remix].
Track 06 - 28:18 - Groove Armada, "Final Shakedown."
Track 07 - 33:30 - Harrison Crump feat. Dajae, "Searchin'," [CR Project Vocal].
Track 08 - 37:59 - Medicine 8, "Rock Music Pays Off." [Original Mix].
Track 09 - 40:40 - Pound Boys feat. Shawn Benson, "Chains" [PB Vocal].
Track 10 - 47:58 - Porno DJ, "The Judgement" [Mauve Remix].
Track 11 - 53:01 - Harrison Crump, "Runaway" [Vocal Mix].
Track 12 - 58:30 - Underworld, "Two Months Off" [King Unique Sunspot Vocal Mix].
Track 13 - 65:00 - The Streets, "Weak Become Heroes" [Ashley Beedle's Love Bug Vocal].

Samples Used: I hesitate to call these true samples - these were just tracks that I did not include in the track listings because many of them I only brought up audibly for a few seconds to less than a minute. The tracks that are listed above and on the album liner were actually played through (sometimes a couple times) for most of their full length. I will list the approximate times you can hear these "samples" starting to come in, and what track each was (as far as I know, anyway - some are white labels):

01:00 Faithless, "God Is A DJ" [Radio Edit].
05:18 Fischerspooner, "Emerge" [Naughty Chiefrocker Remix?].
10:01 Rogue Traders vs. INXS remix of "One of My Kind."
12:28 Junior Jack, "My Feeling." (slight wobble in the mixing here for a few seconds, sorry).
15:35 Eminem vs. Horny (comes in again starting at 17:42).
21:09 Porn Kings, "Up to No Good" [Quicksilver Mix], comes in again at 22:06, both are very subtle.
29:32 Phil Collins, "In the Air Tonight" (one of the Kluster remixes).
38:15 Olive, "You're Not Alone" [Rollo & Sister Bliss?], and again for eight more bars at 38:59.
Finally, the "Spaced Invader" by Hatiras is actually just parts of an acapella version of that track. Also, there may be some other subtle ones that I didn't notice while re-listening to the mix.




There you have it. The MP3 file says that it is encoded at 320kbps, but unfortunately, I think the source file was only 192kbps. I'm not sure what happened there, but I'm not going to drop it down to 192kbps again and make it even worse. So unfortunately, the sound quality isn't perfect by today's standards, but it's still worth a listen.

This is the oldest demo mix that I still have on my website. It really reminds me of all the times that we'd kick everyone out of the bar at 2am, clean up, start buying shots, and have DJ competitions until eight in the morning. Or when I'd have any of a dozen DJ's from around the Maritimes staying at my place, and we'd be doing spin-offs in the studio for sometimes two or three days at a time. Great times, and great memories. Enjoy the mix!

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

djbolivia.ca/dropbox 

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:

djbolivia.ca/training

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

djbolivia.ca/tracks

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