Pioneer HDJ-2000 Headphones

I am in an extremely good mood right now. I just got a set of HDJ-2000 headphones.

I've always been a fan of Pioneer's HDJ-1000 series, in some respects. I love the sound quality that they had. I've tried Sony headphones many times, which have a pretty good name in the industry, but I just never really enjoyed them. I always felt happier going back to the Pioneer brand. In fact, I've owned three sets over the past ten years.

The problem with the 1000's though is that there was a serious design flaw. The parts connecting the earpieces to the frame are made of plastic. And they broke quite easily. I got my first two pairs at the same time, back around 2002 or 2003. I ordered a set from DJMR, who then wrote back and said that they were not available. I ordered a set from overseas, and as soon as that set showed up, DJMR sent me a record order with a set inside. I didn't bother returning the second pair, figuring that someday I'd need a second set anyway after I wore out the first set, and besides, it's always good to have extra pairs in the studio.

Before long, I became a victim to the broken plastic problem in one set. I wasn't really pulling on it at the time either - the headphones got knocked off a table onto a carpet floor, and broke. I managed to put them back together with a bit of crazy glue and part of a plastic bread bag tab, to help reinforce them. Unfortunately, between my two sets, I managed to have several more accidents, from pulling them off at customs in airports, to having other DJ's break them during sets. One set got repaired so many times that I finally threw it out and ordered a third. I know - seems crazy, but as I said, I really liked them. You can see a couple photos below which show where they always crack, and a crack that I fix and then covered with the plastic tab for reinforcement (in retrospect, I should have maybe used a dime).





About a month ago, I was doing some work in the studio and once again, had an accident with the older of my two pairs. So I called the music shop and asked them to order another set. They replied that the model had been replaced and only the 2000's were available. Same specs, but they looked different. I went online and looked at a photo, and didn't really like the look, but I went ahead and ordered them anyway. They showed up this week, and I opened them a few minutes ago.

The box that they came in is really quite nice. Sort of reminds me of the classy sort of packaging that Apple uses with iPods. But the packaging is going in the garbage, so that's pretty irrelevant.



The first really pleasant discovery was that the cord is detachable. If you break the cord, you don't have to replace the headphones - just buy a new cord. And the connection is very, very high quality, and very solid. Not the sort of thing that will ever wiggle and cause shorts, or fall out accidentally.

The real surprise was when I put them on. Soft padding, instead of the hard padding that the 1000's had. This model is extremely comfortable compared to the HDJ-1000's.

So we have the same high specs on the drivers in the headphones, a solid brand name, and a couple of great improvements. Pioneer really listened to feedback on this one. If you want to see a bit more detail, you can click on any of the photos in this post and see them in larger size.

Features:
- Lightweight magnesium design
- Protein leather surface with memory foam padding
- Removable Mini XLR connector
- 'i-hinge' design with 90° auto return
- Type: Fully enclosed dynamic headphones

Specifications:
- Frequency response: 5 Hz to 30,000 Hz
- Impedance: 36 ohms
- Sensitivity: 107 dB
- Maximum power input: 3,500 mW
- Driver units: 50 mm dome type
- Cord: 1.2-m-long one-side connection coiled type (extended length 3 m)
- Plug: 3.5 mm 3P mini-plug (gold-plated, threaded type)
- Weight: 290 g (without cord)
- Accessories: Carrying pouch, 6.3 mm 3P plug adaptor (gold-plated, threaded type)



I'll be using these both in live performance settings, and also in the studio. And the odd time when I'm in the house and have time to relax and listen to music, I'll use them in the living room. The current price in Canada is about $320.

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

Yukon Blonde

Last night was about the first regular Saturday night that I remember in many years where I was in Sackville while there were students around but I did NOT have to work or have a show. I was a little apprehensive about the thought of actually relaxing and having fun on a Saturday night (not that work and playing gigs aren't fun), but the evening ended up being far more enjoyable than I expected, by the end of it.

I found out that there was a pair of bands playing in town, namely Greg MacPherson and Yukon Blonde. This had some interesting potential, since I had actually met Yukon Blonde in Vancouver a year ago when they were recording out at my good friend Shawn Cole's studio, Fadermaster. I think I ran into them at Mushroom too.

Anyway, Shawn recorded their self-titled full-length album that came out earlier this year. The album is great - it was nominated for this year's Polaris Prize, which is pretty prestigious as far as the Canadian music scene goes. Here's the video for "Wind Blows," the only song from the album that I could find with a real video:



YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKUWpnQVZ0Y


Both groups put on an enjoyable performance. The show was at the Royal Canadian Legion. That was pretty cool too, since it was the first time I had ever been in there (despite the fact that one of my grandfathers served in the Canadian Navy). For those who didn't know, the Legion is one of Canada's largest community based service organizations, with nearly half a million members across Canada who contribute millions of dollars and volunteer hours for a huge variety of projects and causes.

Despite the time of year, Yukon Blonde (photo below) is NOT on their way to the Halifax Pop Explosion this coming week - their next shows are in New York. They've got quite a few shows lined up over the next month, so check them out if you can. Their MySpace profile has a list of upcoming shows:

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/yukonblondeband

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

Video: Classified, "Oh Canada"

Now that hockey season is heating up, I figured it was prudent to show a bit of Canadian nationalistic pride. Here's a video by Classified, a group from Halifax, which has been a favorite of mine for a while now. It's kind of funny seeing quite a few of my friends in this shoot.



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

Sorry that I had to use this smaller version with lyrics. The original on YouTube, which had a lot more views, just got blocked in Canada by Sony, for reasons which I haven't figured out yet. Probably because of the entire Heritage Council commercial that was also included. Viewers from other countries might be able to watch it though.

Anyway, big ups to Classified & IV for this little bit of Canadiana.

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

Turning Vinyl LP's into Useful Objects

So I have just FINALLY found a use for all those old copies of "The Macarena" that I have on vinyl!! Check out this video:



YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-KVx5U5NRA

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 031

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 (031) 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 031 - 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 DJ Bolivia's individual tracks from this link:

    djbolivia.ca/tracks

Here are Track Listings for episode 031:

01. Hado, "Black Rain."
02. Jairus Miller, "The Seventh Gate."
03. Antix, "Circade" (Magitman Remix).
04. Progression, "Different Day, Different Light" (Re-Ward Remix).
05. Idiot Box, "Fast Slow" (Original Mix).
06. Angelo & Nicosia, "Free Your Mind" (Original Rework).
07. Alex D'Elia & Nihil Young, "Other Side Of The Pillow" (Simon & Shaker From The Depth Remix).
08. Magitman & Brisker, "Braniac" (Original Mix).
09. Ad Brown, "I Just Do."
10. Outsiders, "Hallowed" (David Amo & Julio Navas Remix).
11. James Sadoway, "Never Suspect" (Stellar Mansion Remix).


This week, I decided to do something different. Most of the time, I try to use very new tracks, or in some cases, unreleased tracks from other producers. However, for this episode, I "dug into the vaults" and every track is older. I think I'll try to do this about once every five or ten shows, to feature some music that has been released over the past several years.

James Sadoway is in the process of re-doing his website. Check it out here:
http://sadowaymusic.com


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

Mix: Bolivia, "Live at Ninja Party 2010"

I'm really starting to feel like I'm getting caught up on the backlog of old projects in the past week or so. I now have the mastered version online of the set that I played at the Ninja Party in July. The levels were a bit up and down during this set, so I ended up compressing it quite a bit - unfortunately, the compression degraded the sound quality a bit (but it's still pretty good).

The Ninja Party is the most prestigious party of the annual DefCon hackers' convention, held in Las Vegas every summer. This was the eighteenth year for DefCon (and the third that I've played at it). Estimates for the number of people overall at DefCon vary, but reports are usually between about ten and twenty thousand attendees. The Ninja Party, however, has strict limits on attendance. Only one thousand "badges" are given out, and the badge acts as an official party invite. Each badge is also allowed a +1, so in theory, two thousand people should attend the party. tProphet (one of my good friends, who set up the sound system and show) and I didn't use our +1's, but probably every other one of the 998 badges did, so attendance was probably just shy of two thousand people.

The party was held at a boutique hotel just off-Strip, and since it hadn't yet opened to the public, the Ninja Party was sort of its christening. I played in a large open courtyard, with swimming pools. The shuttles that were taking people from the Riviera to the venue were mobile parties in themselves. When I climbed aboard, someone was dispensing vodka from a large pesticide spray container directly into peoples' mouths. The party itself was open bar, and playing in the warm weather under the skyline of the Strip was pretty surreal.

Here's a photo of my "badge." The badges were pretty high-tech (after all, it IS a hacker's convention), and change from year to year. This year's badge featured a sort of D&D type multi-user game, with the badges communicating with other nearby badges via wireless. Characters could fight each other, or solve challenges or go to certain locations to fulfill a set of ten goals. I saw one of the badges listed on eBay (lame) before the party for $2,000.





Here are track listings from the set:

01. Matteo DiMarr feat Dashka - Blower (Original Mix).
02. Laidback Luke feat Jonathan Mendelsohn - Till Tonight (Bolivia's Edit).
03. Philip Whirlpool - Time Has Come (Bolivia's Edit).
04. EDX - Thrive (Bolivia's Edit).
05. Victor Del Guio - Americano (Bolivia's Edit).
06. Bolivia - Highway 22 (Ninja Party Instrumental).
07. Peter Punck - The Mix (Bolivia's Edit).
08. Maurizio Gubellini feat Mia Crispin - Getting Personal (Bolivia's Edit).
09. Adam Beyer - Filthy Lobster (Bolivia's Edit).
10. Nick Muir & John Digweed - Tangent (Bolivia's Edit).
11. Stefano Noferini - Ghuroom (Bolivia's Edit).
12. Quivver - Boom Boom (Original Mix).
13. Phunk Investigation - Dark Floor (Bolivia's Edit).
14. Harry Choo Choo Romero - Phuture (Bolivia's Edit).
15. Saints & Sinners - Pushin Too Hard (Bolivia's Edit).
16. ALCA - Calling Africa (Bolivia's Edit).
17. Kid Culture & El Mundo Satori - Around You (Bolivia's Edit).
18. Mark Knight & Wolfgang Gartner - Conscindo (Bolivia's Edit).
19. Crazibiza - Spinning Around (Bolivia's Edit).
20. DJ Chus & Gonzalez Gonzalo - One Night In Havana (Bolivia's Edit).
21. DJ Josh Blackwell & Miss Babayaga feat Rachel - Professional Widow (Bolivia's Edit).
22. Peter Brown - I'll House U (Bolivia's Edit).
23. Spencer & Hill - Housebeat (Bolivia's Edit).

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!

Overall, I was really happy with the set, and the venue and event was incredible. The first half hour was pretty good, but after that, I felt like everything was flowing better than any other show I've ever played. Here's a couple of photos that Pinguino took at the event. You should be able to click on either photo to go to the full photo gallery, or click on the direct URL link below:






Penguino's DefCon 18 Photo Gallery:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinguino/4865105991/in/set-72157624667002016/lightbox/

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

Video: Chromeo, "Night By Night"

I'd like to think that I know a fair bit about music, because I pay attention to so many different genres. But that approach has its own downfall, because it is impossible to really become proficient in one or two genres if you're watching half a dozen. Time waits for no man, and time is my most precious commodity - worth far more than anything else to me.

A lot of the videos and bands that I feature in this blog will NOT be electronica/dance based. However, this particular act is an exception. It is also an exception for another huge reason: I am ashamed to admit it, but I didn't know anything about this act until 24 hours ago. Their name is Chromeo, and they're a duo from Montreal.

I first heard of Chromeo when reading some history of Hall & Oates (previous blog post). And then later in the day, one of my Berklee classmates mentioned the duo again in a discussion about grooves in music. I was stunned that these guys are from Canada (which admittedly has a smaller music scene) AND also have videos on YouTube totaling millions and millions of views, and yet, somehow they slipped through the cracks for me until now.

A few interesting facts:
- "Dave 1" is David Macklovitch, who does the guitar, lead vocals, and dancing.
- "P-Thugg" is Patrick Gemayel, who does keys, synths, and talk-box.
- The two childhood friends JOKINGLY describe themselves as "the only successful Arab/Jewish partnership since the dawn of human culture." (I try to stay away from political commentary in this blog and on my fan page, because music should unite people of all opinions, so please don't jump on this comment as anything negative from my own point of view).
- Dave 1's brother is A-Trak (1997 world DMC champ). Dave also worked in a record store with world-renowned DJ/producer Tiga.
- Their song, "Don't Turn The Lights On" was featured in FIFA 11.

So yeah, I stand humbled. Check out this video for "Night By Night."



YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppNC0uAaCv0

Doesn't that video make you want to shoot a video in a warehouse with a Freightliner?




One of my profs from Berklee (Loudon Stearns) pointed out a great link for me about Chromeo:

Motherboard TV Link: http://motherboard.tv/2010/9/21/electric-independence-chromeo

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

Live from Daryl's House

Anyone who knows their 80's retro has heard of "Hall & Oates," more properly known as Daryl Hall and John Oates. They had quite a large number of well known songs: "Private Eyes," "Kiss Is On My List," "Out Of Touch," "I Can't Go For That," and "Maneater" are just a few of nearly three dozen Billboard-ranked singles.

The story of how they met is kind of interesting. Both were leading separate bands at a "Battle Of The Bands" competition at the Adelphi Ballroom in Philadelphia, when the "Battle" got serious. Gunfire broke out between a couple of gangs, and there was a riot. They both were trying to make it to safety and ended up meeting each other in a service elevator. It also turned out that they were both attending Temple, and a while later, they started working together.

 

A few years ago, Daryl started broadcasting live musical jams from his own house, featuring a number of guest artist, representing everything from rock to soul to blues. He's got a website to archive all of these shows, at this link:

http://www.livefromdarylshouse.com


If you want to check something out, go to episode 33 (from a few months ago) which features a guest appearance by Train, from San Francisco. Each show is actually indexed so you can jump around pretty easily. There's a good performance of them singing, "Hey, Soul Sister."




Actually, there are all kinds of great performances, so I shouldn't dwell on just that one. But if you have time, take some time to look around the 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

Popcorn

One of my favorite songs when I was young was a song called "Popcorn," which my parents had on an old eight-track cassette tape.

The song was originally created by Gershon Kingsley in 1969, and then redone by a group called Hot Butter in 1972 (the version that I knew). The song made history as the first predominantly electronic song to crack the Billboard pop charts. A ton of artists have remade the song since then, including a fairly well-known version by Crazy Frog in 2005. However, the Swedish Chef from the Muppets has a video out now featuring the song.

 

Check it out, it's pretty awesome:



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

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 030

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 (030) 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 030 - 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 DJ Bolivia's individual tracks from this link:

    djbolivia.ca/tracks

Here are Track Listings for episode 030:

01. Stereofunk, "Happy Piano" (Peaktimeboutique Remix).
02. DJ Groover & Jelena Milosev, "At Night" (Nalder Clay & DJ Lewi Mix).
03. Patrick Hagenaar, "Work It Till Ya Pass Out" (Houseshaker Mix).
04. Roland Clark, "Black In My Soul" (Tiger Stripes Main Remix).
05. Proper Villains, "Put Me In A Box" (Faskil Remix).
06. Julian Jeweil, "Techno Corner" (Original Mix).
07. Philip Whirlpool, "Time Has Come" (Brother Mix).
08. Mark Knight & Wolfgang Gartner, "Conscindo" (Original Club Mix).
09. Marshall aka Luigi Rocca, "Just Believe" (Original Mix).
10. Rah Band, "Clouds Across The Moon" (Jay Lumen & Umek Hey Baby Remix).
11. Crazibiza, "Spinning Around" (Tommyboy Remix).


And here we are with episode thirty. I don't really have much more to say! Happy Thanksgiving Weekend, to everyone living in Canada.


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