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 The Mars Volta New Music and Tour for 2022  The Mars Volta are back. The duo of Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López have shared “Blacklight Shine”—their first new music since issuing Noctourniquet in 2012 and breaking up the following year. The new single arrives with a black and white music video directed by Rodríguez-López, which you can watch below. Along with the song, the Mars Volta have announced a string of North American tour dates—their first live shows since 2012. Find their full schedule below. The lyrics of “Blacklight Shine” help to illuminate the idea of “a wave of rolling blackouts washing memories onto shore, a heartbeat that still remembers everything,” Bixler-Zavala said in press materials. The Mars Volta teased their new single on Sunday (June 19) with a mysterious cube that appeared in Los Angeles’ Grand Park. An audiovisual art installation titled “L’ytome Hodorxí Telesterion” was erected to play “Blacklight Shine” for the first time in a public space. It runs through today (June 21), with a digital version of the experience launching on July 1. Bixler-Zavala hinted at the band’s return back in 2019, saying, “It’s NOT going to be is your ‘fav member lineup’ playing their ‘classic records’ in full etc. Maybe we’ll play old shit, who knows how we feel.” He continued: “No deadlines, no ball tripping, no drama, just 2 grown ass men using essential oils and bold new perfumes shooting ideas and scooting their ass across the fucking lawn trying to get rid of these worms.”

Just last year, the band dropped a massive 18-LP box set titled La Realidad de los Sueños. The deluxe release included the group’s entire studio discography, as well as Landscape Tantrums (unreleased material from the De-Loused in the Comatorium sessions) and a photo book with behind-the-scenes images.

From https://pitchfork.com/news/the-mars-volta-return-with-first-new-song-in-10-years-listen/

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Boys Noize returns, teaming up with French based producer Kungs for the nu-disco styled house track: Fashion. 

This deep but upbeat rhythmic hit is a modernized take on the 70s dance style, that hits with the style of modern house beats.  Sitting at a comfy 122 BPM’s this track will work over most crowds.  

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Missio: Bottom Of The Deep Blue Sea  New music finally coming from artists who actually live in Austin TX and not just those who were discovered at SXSW.   This atmospheric song is very reminiscent of A Perfect Circle, and i’m absolutely fine for that.  It fills a greatly missing void for atmospheric alternative rock.  This is the second release off of their debut album Loner that will be released on May 19th.   They’re currently on tour as part of Sirius/XM’s Alt Nation Advanced Placement Tour, which of course doesnt hit South Florida, or Florida at all.  

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DAVID BOWIE’S ‘LABYRINTH’ SOUNDTRACK GETTING FIRST VINYL REISSUE Trevor Jones and David Bowie’s soundtrack for baby-snatching cult film Labyrinth is receiving a vinyl reissue. The vinyl reissue comes on may 12th from Capitol, with artwork and EMI America branding replicated from the original release. This is its first pressing on vinyl since its original 1986 release.

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Lonely C & Baby Prince - Remember Those Days (Tanner Ross Remix) (Click image for link) 

Nu disco goodness!  A fun chill track for the upcoming summer days, it really gets going about 1:30 into it.  Enjoy! 

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Book Of Love with Astari Nite Friday April 28th at The Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale

Click the image for more info.

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Permanent Wave - Lunar Lost (Black Light Smoke Remix) Dark, Rhythmic, Minimal, and sexy as all hell.  A perfect track to get a night started 

Permanent Wave is an artist to keep an eye on.  

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Anyone following me knows of my affinity for Tiga.  His work has been an inspiration for me for years, and his previous work with Audion “Lets Go Dancing” is a staple in my set list for quite some time now.   This is a more subdued performance, deep in their Tech-House roots, and has a very classic Techno feel with modern accents thrown in, with Tiga’s unmistakable voice peppered in for great effect.  

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A beginner’s guide to DJ’ing.  

 Organizing music and prepping for your first gig.

 I’ve seen a lot of articles about tips and tricks for the mechanics of DJ’ing, but very little about what goes into prepping for a set and what you need to make sure to keep a great flow for the night.  My first set at a major club, I was sort of shell shocked.  I had done some minor things, and bar gigs, but I was not prepared with nearly enough music, or for the other DJ to play half of the things I was planning on playing.  I was a prize fighter who just got hit, and had no idea how to recover.  This is to try to make sure that doesn’t happen to you!

 First off, however much music you think you need, make sure to have triple the amount.  You’re doing an hour set? Have 3 hours’ worth of music. I mostly work counter culture events, so the songs I play tend to run a bit longer, at about 4-5 minutes a song, but an average pop music song, runs 3-4 minutes.  When you use these songs for DJ’ing you must automatically plan on cutting a minute off the song, about 30 seconds for an intro, and 30 seconds for an outro.  With pop music that can leave you with 2 minutes of a song, so looking at a normal playlist, you see your 20 songs is good for over an hour when you put it into an iTunes playlist, when you start DJ’ing, you only have a half hour of music.  

 A great reason to have triple the amount of music needed as well, sometimes you have a plan in your head for how the nights going to go, and you think everyone will love every song you play.  The reality is, no one will like every song you play, ever, it just won’t happen, and that’s OK.  However, sometimes no one will dig what you’re playing, nothing is hitting with the crowd, and you can barely get someone to nod their head with the beat let alone dance. That’s OK, these things happen to everyone, but being prepared and stepping outside of your comfort zone and playing some tracks that are a bit different then what you were planning on can sometimes save a night. 

 Once you have enough music it’s time to start organizing.  I keep everything organized by genre and era’s, you’ll need to find something that works for you.  I have a folder for indie, nu disco, house, goth, 80’s,  edm, techno, even one for movie soundtracks,  and then folders for chill rooms and opening sets within most categories.  This way i’m not fumbling through and wondering where my tracks are and I can focus on the set.  

 When playing, I always organize my sets first and foremost by BPM, and then by the key the song is in. Most DJ software has this built in nowadays, or, you can run the track through a great program called Mixed In Key that will get that information for you.  BPM and Song key are instrumental, especially when you’re starting off.  Your skill level will grow over time, you’ll start to learn tricks, and play with effects, and get more confident, but if the songs are good, and the tracks flow together, you can entertain a crowd and keep a great flow to the night, even if your skill level isn’t there yet.  

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Songs you should've heard by now: Sharam Jey - That Body (Original Mix) A deep house track that samples Ice Cube's Today was a good day. Amazingly chill and great dance track

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Throwback Thursday album: Human League “Dare”   Synth pop/ new wave mastery.  This was truly a genera defining album.  Dark yet poppy, Powerful  synth lines, and several memorable tracks. 

Standout songs:  The Things That Dreams Are Made Of

Seconds

Love Action (I Believe in Love)  -My personal favorite 

The timeless hit: Don't You Want Me 

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Two things you think would never go together ...but somehow does: Joy Division and Disco.  The Drop Out Orchestra’s remix of Love Will Tear Us Apart. Around a minute in, it really finds its groove and its actually a fantastic track.

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Why do french artists produce the best techno recently?  They just effing get it.  Love this track from Mikron: Skin

A perfect sexy minimal deep/tech house beat 

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Music you should've heard by now:  Siriusmo - Femuscle

A disgustingly good electronica disco track from a great German techno artist.