i've given up on hopes of leaving, a broken bridge at every choice that i make

when i was making the aforementioned cd on sunday, i was looking at some of the tracks that one of my favorite djs, Luke Fair, has spinning in his recent sets. Luke Fair, the young canadian dj that I have spoken about before, has a certain style that runs the line of funky and progressive house music without becoming too dark and monotonous. in fact, i often think that i like to emulate his style of mixing and song selection.

i came across a group called "add 2 basket" that really intrigued me. after further research, i found out more about this dj duo that call themselves by this name. and here it goes....

add 2 basket is actually made of Shootie (who is one half of the group the Monkz) and the guy pictured above, named Andras Genser. Genser is a DJ from Budapest who was born in 1979. ironically enough, his love of music started at a young age, much like myself. in fact, i was even further intrigued to find out that he actually went through a point in his life where he was into hair bands, of which he calls his "hard rock season". just like andras, i was really into glam bands in the late 80's, attending the concerts of tesla, poison, and warrant to name a few.

it wasn't until the age of 20 that andras discovered his love of house music. while working as a bell boy during the day, andras saved his tips to which the money went straight to buying house music on vinyl. while working at this five star hotel, he met several "A-list" djs such as sander kleinenberg and nick warran, because as bell boy he was required to carry their record bags to their respective rooms. turns out, it was a chance meeting with harry "choo choo" romero that later landed him a gig at Pacha Budapest, after he gave one of the promoters there his mix and he like what he heard.

while spinning at Pacha, he met Shootie, and they began spending time together in the studio. a collaboration ensued, and soon they decided that they needed to put a name to some of their work. but they wanted something that would stand out, something that was catchy. turns out, their name comes from online record stores, as when you are purchasing music online, and you find a track you like, you must "add it to basket". as their productions improved and work began to take more solid form, they formed an online digital label called "add 2 basket records" which is available on Juno, 3 beat, beatport, and dj download. they have had over 2000 downloads to date.

this past october, andras was invited to sweden on a renaissance halloween party to play alongside nick warren and nic fanciulli. pretty cool that only 4 years before, he was carrying their record bags. check out http://www.beatport.com/ for digital downloads of add 2 basket.

it's hard to describe their style. blending house music with 80's, pop, disco, funky, synthesized, melodic and electro, it somehow really works. i love it.

part of me

how was the weekend? just fine i guess. i spent some quality with flippen on friday night. we dined in the highlands and made an appearance at Amsterdam where i found out they have a kitchen as evidenced by the large condiment cart near the door. i thought you weren't supposed to dine where ya disco? lord i know a certain queen who would love one of those at his house. 'cause you know, nothing is too good for a dipping sauce :)

brett's birthday part on saturday night was much fun. chris's house was full of a very hot and sexy A-list crowd but a definite lack of alcohol. of course, i guess word got around cause there were clearly more people there than had been invited. but then i was criticized by a fellow music blogger at the party for getting too personal and open on my blog. i thought that was what a blog was for, to talk about the things going on in your life, an online diary of sorts? alas, i do know i have spoken a lot about the people in my life, mainly tim, as it seems that was one of the only ways i was able to communicate my feelings with him. pretty sad that these days the most meaningful things to people are expressed in text messages, emails, and blogs. what happened to simply telling someone how you feel, like in person? oh i do remember...


i'm sure that people are tired of hearing about my failed relationships and near routine morning coffees with diane.. so now i look to focus more on music, as that is something i am passionate about and a part of my life where i have actually been successful.

the above picture is of a dj that i just discovered this weekend. his name is serge devant, and he grew up in St. Petersburg, in the old soviet union. serge was trained classically in the violin and piano before moving to the united states. after opening for Tiesto in 2005, Crobar requested him to become their resident DJ. he really has a great sound, and he has signed two new tracks, "surround u" and the forthcoming "part of me" due out later this year on Ultra records. The latter of which has been remixed by Emjae, and the result is a brilliant track with a georgeous male vocal. check out a clip here.

yesterday i sat down and mixed a new CD, this time leaning toward a more progressive sound, as i know with Shout events in the works, i will be playing a lot of freemasons this summer. the tracklist is below, and if you want a copy, i will be happy to email it to you.

DJ John Thompson
spring 2007

1.monkz - space dizko (add2basket remix)
2.emjae - hold me down (jim connor and raw shape remix)
3.damian strong - love shop (12" mix)
4.leama and moor - distance between us (jody wisternoff remix)
5.d-pulse - can't stop the morning light (phunktastike remix)
6.add 2 basket - lovey dovey (main vocal mix)
7.turbofunk - gotta move (trent cantrelle and chris cox mix)
8.the quasar - october (monkz remix)
9.blue amazon - and the rain falls (add 2 basket and monkz remix)
10.emjae - safe from you
11.karran & porter - what killed tony montana (phunktastike mix)
12.red squared - don't be afraid (tom novy vocal mix)

comments are welcome..

the clock was always ticking

today marks the kick off of the wconferenceinter music in miami, and i would love nothing more to be down there right now. so i must live vicariously through the posts of local djs around the world. that's okay, cause i know i will make it back to this week long celebration of music real soon.

and with the conference, comes loads of new music. i came across a new track by mutya buena, one of the original members of the sugababes, who left the group in 2006 to pursue a solo music career. if you remember back to early '06, the sugababes came out with a track called "easy" as remixed by seamus haji, owner of Big Love records. now mutya is working on a new album that is due out early summer of this year. her new track is a collaboration with george michael called "this is not real love", and the remix by Moto Blanco is superb. this time, miki moto and bobby blanco take a slightly more funky progressive approach in contrast to their normal straight up house sound. and it works. i am sure it will be a big track this week in miami.

you have it all, the latest, the greatest

i'm still trying to figure out why i felt so good today. i'm not complaining, but it just doesn't add up....

after two days on call, i was ready to cut loose and have some fun. so after the gym and a yummy breakfast at pot and pan, i set out on a bike ride with bret and johnbrown. it was a near perfect early spring sunday in atlanta, the sky so crisp and clear. we biked through GA Tech (a little too cold for the frat boys to go shirtless), atlantic station, and the highlands. lunch with dori at my favorite spot, Quattro, meant we also started drinking beer. on to BJ's for more libations where at one point i remember bj dancing on his coffee table to one of my new years cds. :)

then to blake's where it was clear upon entering that queens had been drinking since noon. and i mean cocktailed up and horny. if i had any question as to where Diane might be today, i could bet money she was with heyward......

follow up phone calls today revealed a juicy bit of gossip involving Hottie McPecs that lives just a few floors below me..... sprechen se deustch?

or so the story goes

well i am happy to report that my date last night was not retarded, contrary to what Eric may have thought. i will admit that i did have some reservations after speaking to him on the phone, but that quickly ended when i showed up to pick him up last night. he is a hottie collectible for sure. but more importantly, he is part of the extremely rare limited edition series 2 that I have been searching all over EBAY for: The Vietvanese Hairburner. and the most ironic part is that he lives just down the street.....on charles Allen......

the sun always shines on TV

.....and here is my niece, little Molly-Catherine, demonstrating what happens
when you decide to run down the hill after getting off of the school bus. note:
she didn't lose her front tooth in this accident, just secured a fractured arm
and a very colorful cast.

the new LA fitness over at atlantic station is now open and let me tell ya, it is
without a shortage of hot boys. and the native atlantans are really enjoying the
basketball courts....

it seems i am going on a date with the aforementioned boy i met last thursday
night. i admit it, i was tipsy. what? and eric has ASSURED me that he is in fact very cute......

distance between us

there is nothing like spring in atlanta. every year around this time, people all over the city come out of hibernation, and flock to the streets and parks. it's a chance for all those hot boys you don't see out at the bar to show off the body they have been sculpting in the gym all winter. today was no exception. from the uber-hot-shirtless-straight-boys playing volleyball, to my celebrity sighting of young Davis from the Real World Denver attempting to jog off a few extra lbs, it reminded me of why i love this time of year so much. yet it will only be a couple of months before the humidity, heat, and mosquitoes arrive, so get out and enjoy it.

changes in my life

i felt like i was in PTown this weekend. saturday morning started off cloudy and rainy, and like magic, the clouds broke and a beautiful day ensued. as did a nice bike ride.

dinner saturday night at fuel was real good. the salt-n-pepper-pizza-daddy-chef served up tasty slices and just like real rednecks we drank beer from coolers. it seems it takes a while to get a liquor license these days. just ask the people up in Gwinnett.

todd and brad's cocktail party for Ileana was fun and brought together a very eclectic group of people. i was tipsy and really not feeling like a night out and called it early. i did learn, however, that booty texts only work if the recipients inbox isn't full. who knew?

and then there was sunday. dori and i walked over to johnbrown's for a full on birthday celebration....lesbian style. the only thing missing was the meatballs and pigs n blankets. but lord did we drink some beer. we cut out at a respectable hour and walked back home only to see that cute jaredsapp skateboarding down Argonne. he scores big points for that. then it was on to Baraonda for a delicious dinner. and a little ogling at the wait staff. damn. can you say SAOP? i ignored the calls to blake's. smart thinking for once.

sorry for what i forgot to say, but you know how words get in the way baby.....lately

it's probably safe to say that i have had better weeks. i feel like i am just going through the motions at work. in fact, i am quite bored and find myself becoming annoyed with some of my coworkers. is it unreasonable to hold others you work with to the very same standards you strive for yourself? after all, piedmont is one of the premier heart centers in the southeast and it's time everyone starts acting like it. i really hope to make a move in '07, as i just don't ever want find myself fitting the mold of one of those single nurses from coweta county. i truly believe that there are bigger things out there for me, and sometimes i feel guilty for not pushing myself harder. i suppose it's easy to get stuck in what i would call a "comfort zone", but i know it's time to push forward. i ain't getting any younger.

then there's the boy scout. having sensed that something was wrong for the last two weeks, i finally pulled him aside this week only to find out he is really mad at me. it seems that i have been rude and mean to someone that i value as a true friend. and it has left me feeling really sad. i would never intentionally hurt someone that i care for, and my attempts to tease him were misinterpreted. and for that i am very sorry.

and finally there is Tim. the last six weeks have been great. we've spent a lot of time together, and i really did feel like things were moving forward, however, slowly. which isn't a bad thing. of course, i became a total girl on sunday night and simply posed the question "what are we doing?". it's been nearly four months, and i was simply sticking to one of the four agreements (thanks Flippy) ie: don't make assumptions. it seems that in every relationship, there is always one person that feels stronger about the other at different times. and now things are awkward and it saddens me. he is such an awesome person, and i wish he was ready to explore things further. i can feel good in knowing that i put forth an honest effort.

all of this heavy on my mind, last night i felt the need to get out and see people. so eric and i walked down to ecco for a respectable dinner and a few adult beverages. which turned into drinks back at my house with flippy and a strong showing of the junior league. then on to Whhhettt Bar where the cutest guy in the place decides to chat me up and ask me out. funny how that happens.

i hope this weekend will yield some positivity after such a trying week.

i'm not clean, i'm not pristine, i'm no queen, i'm no machine

gotta love some Fergie....

i have to admit that i sometimes find cheesy remakes of popular 80's tracks fun and enjoyable. for instance, LMC put out the track a few years ago, which mashed up U2's "with or without you" and the popular line from Whitney Houston, "take me to the clouds above". it worked. in fact, it might have made my New Years CD just a few months ago. just might.

i stumbled upon a track by the Hughes Corporation called "what a feeling" recently that was remixed by bimbo jones. yep, it's a remake of the popular track from the movie Flashdance. it's cheesy and dumb and really catchy at the same time. perfect for your ipod at the gym...

with the winter music conference two weeks away, i thought i would put together my predictions of what will be big this year. from the newest tracks to the up and coming producers and remixers. here we go:

1.Fedde le Grand - this 30 year old dutch dj and remixer became well known in 2006 with his hit track called "put your hands up for detroit". his newest track, called "take no shh" i predict will be played at all the big parties in miami.

2.Carl Kennedy - there is a lot of buzz over his latest track called "Ride the storm". it's really a hot song, reminding me of something by junior jack.

3.Michael Gray - what a big year for music for this DJ. from the popular house track "borderline" to his latest song called "somewhere beyond". the latter of which a vocal was recently added by Steve Edwards. also, i have heard clips of another track that is yet to be released called "walk into the sun" that may also be a big conference tune this year.

4.Dave Spoon - his popular song called "Sunrise" was huge in 2006, and now Seamus Haji (who owns Big Love records) have remixed this song and added a vocal. it's hot.

5.dirty south - man have these guys become popular. from their remix of depeche mode's "just can't get enough" to Chris Lake's "changes", i predict big things from them at the conference this year. the big buzz right now is their remix of Kaskade's new track called "sorry".

6.chris lake - from his song earlier this year called "changes" to the forthcoming tune called "carry me away", i can bet this guy will be played out in miami. he also has a new remix of a Robbie Williams track called "She's madonna" that is big buzz right now.

7. bob sinclar - this french house dj and producer returns from a big '06 with his track called "world, hold on". this time his track called "tennessee" and "champs elysees theme" that hold true to his signature house style.

8. miguel migs - there is big buzz over his new tune called "mesmerized". it's hot, perfect for hearing out by the Shore Club in miami. sexy, real sexy. it will definitely make the next "Beach House CD".

9.groove armada - the new track called "get down" is being talked about all over the internet. having produced quality house music for years, they can do no wrong with this one. i'm waiting for the remixes....

10. seamus haji - i love his signature big room funky house style. he returns with a remix of brand hew heavies "i don't know why". sure it's diva house, but it works.

honorable mention: new stuff from Funkagenda, sebastian ledger, kris menace, axwell, laidback luke, and roger sanchez. damn, i wish i was going to Miami this year.....

nothing can replace it

nothing like a little Chris Evans to brighten up your monday....

even your emotions had an echo, in so much space

they say that most disagreements in life, whether it be at work or at home, often times arise from miscommunication. in my case, it could probably be attributed to a lack of communication. i tend to analyze and over analyze things in my head, yet hold these feelings and thoughts inside for fear of the insecurities and vulnerabilities that may come from laying it all out of the line. in fact, every year when it comes time for my annual review, my only fault is that I tend to try to please everyone at work, often times avoiding conflict and confrontation. but alas, these are things that take time to change and overcome, and i'm working on it. so i spent that better part of last night thinking when i should have been sleeping, i know that relationships aren't easy, they take work and are never guaranteed. but as long as two people are clear about what they are feeling, a solid base can be established and you work from there.