I apologize for the delay, but I’ve been really busy working on the site and trying get all the back-end stuff fixed after Google left me out for dry.  No need to worry, this doesn’t concern most of you that have been following this site for a long while.  It mainly concerns those that are just now coming on board, and by the looks of it, there are many PF newbies!

In the meantime, I’m serving up a platter of deep, dark and delicious house music with a side of hot sauce to keep it extra spicy.  In fact, the majority of this set is pretty much peak hour, big room madness that explores the darker side of the progressive movement, while keeping the hooks a plenty!

The first three songs come at you like a ton of bricks.  Mr. Malo’s remake of the 1988 hi-nrg classic “S-Express” and Hi-Tack’s production of the 1999 Trance classic “Out of the Blue” by System F stay true to the originals while updating the sound for today’s floors.  The latter is nothing short of sweeping, majestic pleasure recalling the original with layer upon layer of thick heavy synths.

Since we’re on the remake kick I also dropped the Ultra Nate 90’s big house classic “Free.”  You may remember the breezy, bouncy Bob Sinclar take on my recent T-Dance Edition; well Teo Moss and Daniel Shems take the progressive route and deliver something new and fresh.  I was thinking the other day that I may very well expedite  Ultra through the nomination process and honor her by inducting her into the Diva Hall of Fame.  Stay tuned.

Every few years, Ish Ledesma of the late 70s group Foxy (Get Off), takes his late 80s girl group Company B and remixes one of their hits.  Over the years, “Fascincation” has definitely had it’s share, including a complete re-work by the fabulous Suzanne Palmer.  However, none of them ever really stood out for me; that is until now.  Veteran  DJ/producer Giuseppe D. had the good sense to keep the hooks of the original, while giving it that Millennium punch it desperately needed.  On the opposite end, Players Please deliver an unlikely progressive rendering of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “The Power of Love.”  Deep, very dark and definitely delicious!

Toni Braxton’s latest “Make My Heart” get’s a series of re-works courtesy of Atlanta records, her current label.  None of the original three that were sent out as promos made the final cut.  Instead, they went with other producers to promote this release.  Shame, because I am totally in love with the Behrouz remix, which is why I kept it in the set.  Regardless, their choices were still outstanding and you can expect the Alexander and Mark VDH production to be hitting up the Spring Edition.

Another BIG winner for me is “Ready For the Fight” by the always unpredictable Young Punx.  While there is a big electro remix by Wes Clarke, it’s all about the Gramaphonedzie (Marko Milicevic) remix for me.

Frankly, I think this entire set is one giant masterpiece of late night mayhem and I’m certain you’ll agree.  As promised, this one is OTH.  I’ll be taking the rest of the week off to give myself a break and allow you folks to digest everything that has already been posted this year.  I should be back the following week with the first two of a year long project I will be starting “Chrome: Millennium Edition (the First 10 Years).  It also appears that the Spring Edition will make an early appearance this year and of course I’m already lining ‘em up for the next T-Dance set, which by all accounts is shaping up to be pretty darn funky.

That’s all I got for today.  It’s hump day, so time to start thinking about the weekend.  After all, it’s all downhill from here!  I’ll be back next week.

Until then, ENJOY!

1. Mr. Malo - S’Express 2.1 (Mario Lopez vs. C-Base Remix)

2. System F - Out Of The Blue 2010 (Hi-Tack Extended Mix)

3. Hatiras feat. Slarta John - Spaced Invader (Hatiras’ 2010 Vocal Mix)

4. Block & Crown feat. Roxanne - Confusion (B & C Pacha Mix)

5. Toni Braxton - Make My Heart (Behrouz Remix)

6. Kim Sozzi - Secret Love (Wendel Kos First Sunlight Remix)

7. Jodie Aysha - Pozer (Zer Zer Zer) (Bassmonkeys Extended Mix)

8. The Young Punx feat. Count Bass D - Ready For The Fight (Gramaphondzie Remix)

9. Players Please - Feels Like Fire (Club Mix)

10. Company B - Fascinated (Giuseppe D. Tune-Adiks Remix)

11. David Vendetta vs. Tara McDonald feat. Alim - I’m Your Goddess (Extended Mix)

12. CyberSutra feat. Marcia Juell - Fly Away (Rossko Club Mix)

13. Ultra Nate - Free (Teo Moss & Daniel Shems Remix)

14. Nightstylers feat. Loridana Majori - No More Lies (Galea & Ruane Extended Mix)

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?omy0mtmaliy

With a heart full of soul and a voice that glides effortlessly between house music and jazz, Kim English embodies everything a true artist is composed of.  For over ten years, she has been delivering music that has not only kept us dancing but inspired us at ever turn.  With a strong belief in a higher power, her music encompasses all that is good in this world.  When she sings about finding the strength in one’s inner self or from those that surround her or even from the almighty, you know immediately that she means it.

Her music doesn’t go down the typical route of “you done me wrong” or “don’t let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya.”  Instead, she sings about faith and perseverance.  Her songs are about joy, love, happiness and self worth.  Even when she sings about lost love on “Treat Me Right”

I can’t make you love me I got to know who I’ am inside Cause I know my value I no longer waste my time There’s someone who’s for me Yes it is only a matter of time I’ am strong and can be alone Until I’m treated right

she demands R-E-S-P-E-C-T!  Mind you, not just as a person, but a woman on a mission to spread the message; in a polite way of course.

Kim is quite possibly the most unlikely diva to be honored in this series, but deserved nonetheless.  She doesn’t have a potty mouth and doesn’t thrill us with fancy costumes and jewelry.  No tricks or gimmicks here.  Instead, she captivates us with her voice and her music.  It’s for this very reason that Party Favorz is honoring Miss English by inducting her into the Diva Hall of Fame.  Step right up Kim, your honor awaits you.

I’ll be back tomorrow with part 2 and will discuss the failures of our fallen hero.  Not to belittle, but to provide understanding and forgiveness.  For now, entertain yourselves with the softer side of Kim.  Enjoy!

Album : The Diva Series: Kim English v1

Disc : 1/2

Genre : Soulful, House, Gospel, Jazz

Year : 2010

Total Time : 1:24:00:00

1. It Makes A Difference (Kyle Smith Soulful Vox Club Mix)

2. Been So Long (Wamdue Remix)

3. Time For Love (Frankie Feliciano Remix)

4. Missing You (Frankie Feliciano Album Version)

5. My Destiny (DJ Exacta Electro Chill Remix)

6. Tomorrow (Todd Edwards Extended Club Version)

7. Unspeakable Joy (Maurice Joshua House Mix)

8. Nitelife (Masters At Work Nite Mix)

9. Supernatural (Jonny Montana Remix)

10. Learn To Luv (83 West Vox)

11. Love That Jazz (Extended Vocal Mix)

12. C’est La Vie (Scott Wozniak Soulful Mix)

13. Everyday (Maurice Joshua Club Mix)

14. Treat Me Right (Maurice Joshua Club Mix)

15. Nothing’s Impossible (Nu Soul Club Mix)

16. Higher Things (Jazz n’ Groove Prime Time Club Mix)

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?emv35myjzyj

What exactly is soulful, funky and nudisco have to do with each other?  IT’S TIME FOR SOME T-DANCE BABY!  Sorry, I didn’t mean to scream at everyone, but I’ve been listening to these mixes for over a week and just can’t get enough.  They put the sunshine back in my life when there wasn’t any, and I mean that literally.  Thankfully, the ATL has been sporting that bright fiery ball in the sky for the past several days.  So if where you live ain’t quite there yet, this should help you get through the rest of winter.  Trust me, better weather is just around the corner.

I’ve got three sets out of these mixes and for those that like to burn them to disc, all of them fall just under the 80 minute threshold.  This first one is on the house (pun intended) and the rest will be part of the premium content.  I’m not going to sit here and tell everyone this little experiment is working fabulously, because it’s not and I didn’t expect that it would.  What I will say is that it is working well enough to at least cover about 2/3 of my expenses and that alone makes it worth continuing without breaking my piggy bank (what little I have).  So for now, I’ll keep on keeping on with the site and continue tracking it’s performance over the next couple of months.

Be request, I’ve got a very special Diva Series on tap for next week followed by the next installment of the BPM Edition and then the first two sets of the Chrome Edition: Best of the Millennium | The First 10 Years.  Obviously, I’ve got my plate full and I’ll do my best to keep up.  Judging by some of the promos that have been coming out and with WMC just around the corner, it looks like it’s going to be a very HOT spring and summer; just the way I like it!

I’ll do my best to get part 2 out tomorrow, followed by the third installment on Sunday.  I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend and as always, ENJOY!

Album : T-Dance Edition 2010

Disc : 1/3

Genre : House, Funky, NuDisco, Soulful

Year : 2010

Total Time : 1:19:55:00

1. Jay Williams - Could This Be Love (Club Classic Mix- Extended DJ Version)

2. Nick Bridges feat. Amanda Wilson - Underneath My Skin (Kinny’s Soul Revival Mix)

3. Denzal Park - Filter Freak (Original Mix)

4. Distant Soundz feat. Rozalla - Lovefool (Trilogy Project Club Mix)

5. Sofia Rubina - Make Me Beautiful (PDM Vocal Mix)

6. Juanjo Martin & Albert Neve feat. Nalaya - Supermartxe (Original Mix)

7. Groove Junkies feat. Diane Carter - Midnight (Stuttering Munx Vocal Mix)

8. Soulmagic - We Love This Music (Original Mix)

9. Alexis Gershwin - The Man I Love (Mr. Mig’s Retro-Fi Extended)

10. Steve Mac, Paul Harris & Sam Obernik - Bonafide (Soulshaker Remix)

11. The Black Project - In The Disco (Original Mix)

12. Freak Fu - Go For It (Original Mix)

13. Seffi feat. Elif Bicer - Kill Me (Original Mix)

14. DJ Dealer & Cyon Flare - Fire (Anthem Mix)

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?5mnrtqkmndu

Every once in a blue moon, everything just falls into place.  I can say without any modesty, that that is the case for the very first BPM Edition of 2010.  This and the upcoming final two sets that comprise volume 1 fell together with such ease that even I am amazed at how awesome these sets are.  I did perform some modest editing, but for the most part the songs are as is.  Basically, the only thing I had left to do was go back and remaster all the songs to rein them in for a smoother listening experience.  In short, this entire edition ROCKS!

By August of last year, I began experimenting with this series and started mixing in underground house with the mainstream.  I had received a perfectly legitimate critique of my work from someone on my Podbean site.  Basically, the song selection was redundant.  When the same producers remix everyone under the sun over and over, you run the risk of having your sets sounding the same or better yet, like a month old loaf of stale bread.  As a result, I started playing around with the set list and frankly, I’m more than pleased with the end result.  Going forward, this series will continue to be more inclusive of a variety of styles from electro, mainstream, funky and progressive house.  On the first two sets you’ll find a good mixture, while the third set relies more on underground house with a smattering of mainstream, which delivers a more peak hour feel.  The goal here is to hit all the right notes, without coming across as generic or the same shit everyone else is doing.  Just trying to keep it fresh.

Ultimately, my goal is to continue to deliver the finest selection of non-stop dance podcasts for your workouts, parties and/or drive time to and from work, while providing exposure for artists and producers that most of you may never had heard of otherwise.  The old saying goes “you have to spend money to make money” doesn’t necessarily apply here, because I just don’t even come close to covering my costs.  Nevertheless, I’ll be happy if I can break even and keep things chugging along.

Right now, it’s a balmy 34 degrees outside, though the sun is out; so who am I to bitch?  For me, any day with sunshine and without rain is like a gift from the gods and certainly one I don’t turn down.  So, I’m going to wrap this up and enjoy the rest of my day.  I hope everyone is staying warm and having a fabulous weekend.  I’ll be back on Tuesday with part two.  Until then, enjoy!

Album : BPM Edition 2010 v1

Disc : 1/3

Genre : Electro, House, Progressive

Year : 2010

Total Time : 1:23:40:00

Track : 1 Title : Shine Like A Superstar (7th Heaven Extended Mix) Artist : Ella

Track : 2 Title : Baby By Me (Digital Dog Club Mix) Artist : 50 Cent

Track : 3 Title : Telephone (DJ Dan Extended Vocal) Artist : Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce

Track : 4 Title : Shame On Me (Chew Fu Festival Fix) Artist : Amanda Blank

Track : 5 Title : Fancy Free (Wawa Club Mix) Artist : Sun

Track : 6 Title : Feelin’ Alone (Alex Mourinho Extended Version) Artist : 2 Gether feat. Sarinah

Track : 7 Title : Keep It Goin Louder (Mixin Marc Remix) Artist : Major Laser feat. Nina Sky

Track : 8 Title : For Your Entertainment (Bimbo Jones Club Mix) Artist : Adam Lambert

Track : 9 Title : Suddenly (Cicada Mix) Artist : BT

Track : 10 Title : Memories (Club Mix) Artist : David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi

Track : 11 Title : One Beat Away (Arno Cost Remix) Artist : Cicada

Track : 12 Title : Hanging From The Ceiling (Tune Brothers Remix) Artist : Gabi Newman & DJ Angel feat. Alex Senna

Track : 13 Title : Naturally (Dave Aude Club Mix) Artist : Selena Gomez & The Scene

Track : 14 Title : Whoomp! (There It Is) (Housecat Mix) Artist : Doodge & Viper feat. Tag Team

Track : 15 Title : Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes) (Wawa Special Extended Mix) Artist : Michael Buble feat. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?nnjtjztwjmn

What happens when the worlds of Hip Hop, Heart, Hall & Oates, Erik Prydz & Daft Punk collide?  While that’s not exactly a question I would have ever thought to ask myself, the answer is simply The Trademark Experience (TME).  The TME is a production crew out of Philly that consists of Tom, Tom and you guessed it Tom.  He sings, he raps, he writes, he produces (with a little help from his friends) and is basically a one man show with many talents.  That’s not to say his work is monotone, rather he adds a lot of color by featuring other local artists in his songs.  Tom was kind enough to forward a copy of his mixtape Volume 3 to me last week for preview and I can honestly say I was blown AWAY!  With a heavy hand in hip hop, Trademark’s sound relies on a keen pop sensibility that’s spread over multiple genres including dance, electro-pop and 90s R&B.

Kicking things off is a rework of the massive Eric Prydz filtered classic “Call On Me.”  Adding a sensible rap punches up the overall mix, providing freshness to a familiar tune, while boosting the song to another level.  Frankly, this should be played on dancefloors across the globe now, it’s that well done. 

Call On Me Remix by the Trademark Experience

The mood abruptly shifts to a big hip hop beat “Ecstasy,” which is one of several radio friendly tunes that are begging for airplay.  Be sure to check out the bonus remix featuring South Philly Sheed towards the end, which kicks it up a notch. 

“Losing My Mind” is slower number with hypnotic synths and rap reminiscent of PM Dawn.  When TME sings “I, I, I, I, I, I, I think I’m losing my mind,” the addictive chorus sticks in your head like gum on the bottom of your shoe.

“Let Me Get That” featuring the vocals of KTA is a huge electro stomper.  TME and KTA trade barbs “I want that vibe, I want that shine, I want that dress, I want that slide, I want that hit, I want those hips, I want that cash, I want that ass!” showcasing the the aspirations of the “everything now” generation. 

“Out of Touch” moves more into electro-pop territory where TME’s rap takes center stage while the chorus from the familiar Hall & Oates pop hit of the same name pulls it all together, creating some seriously sweet earcandy.   

“Until I Met You” is a bonus track (?) produced by The Presidentz with an unaccredited vocalist (though I’m guessing KTA).  This is another radio friendly track that deserves immediate attention!  This time Heart’s massive classic “Alone” provides the hook that glues TME’s rap together.  Brilliantly written and produced, I wonder why this was included as a “bonus” selection and not part of the actual body of work.  Regardless, this is a wonderful treat and further proves the “pop” smarts of the Trademark Experience.

Until I Met You by The Trademark Experience

Ultimately, Volume 3 is a solid piece of work replete with hooks that will be playing in your head long after it’s over.  One can only wonder what several of the songs on here would sound like if Jump Smokers, Chew Fu or Space Cowboy got their hands on this stuff.  Until then, you might want to hop on over to the Trademark Experience’s Fan Page and download Volume 3 for yourself.  The nice thing is that it’s FREE!  While you’re there, you can also check out some of his videos and always remember, if you like his work, let him know.   

Released today, Tom remarked about Volume 3 “I can say without exaggeration, fabrication, or hyperbole, that this is my greatest accomplishment… this is my masterpiece.”  Well, if this is his masterpiece, I want parts 4, 5 and 6 that are sure to follow.  Trademark Experience clearly has a long shelf life and outdoing yourself should never be an option, rather an imperative. A+

Track List :

1. Call On Me Remix

2. Ecstasy (prod. by Jim Conway)

3. Around The World Remix

4. Losing My Mind (prod. by 4H2A)

5. Psychedelic ft. KTA (prod. by 4H2A)

6. Can’t Get You Out Of My Head (prod. by Soop)

7. Hater Man

8. Let Me Get That ft. KTA (prod. by 4H2A)

9. Co-Star (prod. by Soop)

10. Out Of Touch Remix

11. End Of Forever ft. KTA (prod. by 4H2A)

12. What A Feeling Remix

13. Ecstasy Remix ft. South Philly Sheed (prod. by Jim Conway)

14. Good Lovin’ Remix ft. Chill Moody

15. Until I Met You (prod. by The Presidentz)

http://www.facebook.com/thetrademarkexperience

http://www.myspace.com/thetrademarkexperience

http://www.youtube.com/user/TrademarkExperience

# Bonus Tracks

It’s 2010!  Right out of the gate and just in time to get your (my) lazy ass back into the gym for Spring Break (can you believe I’m already talking about that), DJ Bill Bennett delivers the first body pumping circuit mix of the year; and what a way to start it!  Jam packed with his biggest hits off of the amazing Big Muscle of the Rhythm album (Breakaway [Inaya Day]; Fame [Suzanne Palmer]; Manhunt [Pepper Mashay] & Abigail’s now classic gay anthem, Forever Young), Big Muscle Remixed kicks it up 100 notches with non-stop circuit mayhem. 

In addition to the hits, you also get first time ever remixes of “Sexual High” with Eve Gallagher; “Touch Me, Feel Me” with Jason Hunter and one of my favorites off of Bill’s debut album “Big Muscle” with the Party Favorz’ favorite potty mouth girl, Thea Austin.  Look for additional remixes and a video for Big Muscle later this year.  Another guaranteed blazer is one of my best of 2009 “Maybe God Is Trying to Tell You Something” by Sweet Feet Music featuring Jeanie Tracy & Pepper Mashay!  Bill adds a lot of seasoning to Edson Pride’s mix, making for a prize winning formula that’s guranteed to go down gritty, yet tasty.

From beginning to finish, this is one solid set that will get your heart pumping and the blood flowing.  Now I know many of you have been stuck in sub-below temperatures for a long-time now, but trust me, this will thaw you out and get you back in the groove.  Currently, you can download the album from iTunes or purchase the physical CD at any of these stores nationwide:

Best Buy Stores (North America) The Funny Bone Portland, OR Borderline Chicago, Il Boy Next Door, Atlanta Brushstrokes, Atlanta Gaymart, Palm Springs Graffitti’s, Key West J & R Music World, NYC Just 4 Us, Detroit Melody Records, DC Obelisk The Bookstore, San Diego Outwrite Bookstore, Atlanta Perfect Beat, Los Angeles Pride Factory, Ft Lauderdale Rainbow Road, Minneapolis Rainbow’s & Triangles, NYC Tapelenders Video, Dallas Torso, Columbus

Bill is currently in the studio with Matt Zarley working on a new track for this summer. Bill is also doing a REMIX tour; scheduled dates include (Rich’s) San Diego, CA; (Backstreet) Detroit, MI; (South Beach) Houston, TX; (Manor) Wilton Manors, FL with more to come.  For booking information go to www.djbillbennett.com

1. NOH8 Morning Mass Intro

2. Forever Young (Bill Bennett and Pete Masitti’s Decadance Mix)

3. Fame (Klubjumpers Hands In the Air Club Mix)

4. Manhunt (Bryan Reyes Sex In the Office Club Mix)

5. Chacal’s Song (Edison Pride Club Mix)

6. Maybe God Is Trying to Tell You Something (Bill Bennett vs. Edison Pride Club Mix)

7. Breakaway (Twisted Dee & Jayito Club Mix)

8. Tonight I Dream (Bryan Reyes Dream Anthem Club Mix)

9. Sexual High (Bill Bennett and Pete Masitti’s Guitar Hero Club Mix)

10. Big Muscle (Bill Bennett and Pete Masitti’s Ibiza Club Mix)

11. Joy In My Life (White Party Interlude)

12. Touch Me, Feel Me (Bill Bennett and Pete Masitti’s South Beach Club Mix)

I apologize for the delay, but everything has been a train wreck since the beginning of the year.  I’ve got a 2010 reset button sitting here on my desk,  but I just don’t want to hit it until I know the time is right.  While I was working up the stamina to put out this final podcast for 2009, I went ahead and put together a really kick-ass blog for our good friend Ian over at TSO Presents.  He has been putting out these awesome sets that range from electro, progressive, and trance to funky and soulful house.  If you haven’t checked him out yet, now would be a good time.  I was so pleased with the end-results from his blog design and having already designed one for another Party Favorz friend Toni (a.k.a. DJ Freeze) I decided to go ahead and offer my services to anyone interested in sprucing up their site.  Granted, I’m going to have to start charging for my work, but I think you’ll find my prices very reasonable.  If anyone is interested, feel free to contact me via email located in the “about me” section of this site or in my Facebook profile.

As promised, I made the donation to Equality Across America on Wednesday last week, but I was waiting for it to clear my bank.  I figured they would send me some sort of confirmation for tax purposes or at the very least “thanks.”  When that didn’t happen, I contacted Mark Reed (one of the organizers) who said he would look into it and I have yet to receive a response.  So, for the time being, I grabbed this off of my Bank of America statement so you guys can see that the money was in fact donated as promised.  I assured everyone that I would be as transparent as possible, so I am presenting this to you as a sign of good faith on my part.  Don’t forget, the Gay Anthem sets are still available via the sidelink on my main site http://www.partyfavorz.net or on the top tab of my Podbean site http://partyfavorz.podbean.com.

I also wanted to discuss the future of Party Favorz.  After going through my finances for last year and the year before, I realized I’m not coming remotely close to recouping the money I put into this site versus the donations I receive.  That is NOT to say that I don’t appreciate your generous gifts, because I do.  However, between hosting, music, artwork (that is not my own making) and several other miscellaneous items, this site costs me quite a chunk of change to run.  When I really started to add these numbers up, I couldn’t quite believe it; then again, I’m no accountant.  So, going forward, I am going to be asking for a $2.50 donation per mix.  Granted, I will give away the first mix in each set for free and the donation will only be for each remaining set in a series.  For instance, if I put out BPM Edition 2010 v1 and it has three sets in it, you’ll receive the first one at no cost, however a donation of $2.50 will be required for each of the last two in order to download them.  This is something I have tried to avoid, but my expenses outside of this blog have increased substantially, and I can no longer justify the cost to maintain it.  I realize I could strip out the hosting, the artwork, direct downloads, the streaming and some of the other goodies you guys may not even think about and enjoy nevertheless; but if there is one thing my mom always taught me, it’s that if you aren’t going to do something right, then there is no point in doing at all.  So, if you guys are willing to help out in that manner, that’d be great.  If not, I’ll have no choice but to shut things down.  For now, we can consider this a trial, which I’m willing to run through March.  If it doesn’t pan out, then it doesn’t.  I just want everyone to realize this is NOT meant as some form of punishment, it’s just what I have to do in order to keep this site up and running in its current state.  I have weighed all available options including a flat fee monthly donation, but that would prevent new people from discovering this site.  The per download option provided at a low (I think reasonable) rate allows me to occasionally give things away at no cost, which in turn would provide opportunities for would be followers to experience my work.  This was not an easy decision to make, but it is one that is necessary for the survival of Party Favorz.  I hope everyone can appreciate my need to invoke these changes and if you stick with me, I won’t let you down.

Finally, I want to thank each and every one of you that have supported my efforts to bring high quality dance music for your workouts, parties or personal listening pleasure during 2009.  Just over two years and counting, this site has been a blessing for me and from some of the messages I’ve received, it’s like an addiction to others;  just call me Doctor House, but I don’t make house calls .   I hope everyone’s year is off to a good start and I should be back in a couple of weeks with the first BPM edition of 2010, followed by the Winter Edition.   For now, check out the Gagalicious video by our good friend The Herminio Experience.  If you like this, you really need to check out the rest of his work.  From Madonna to Britney and everyone in between, his videos ROCK!

Until the next time . . . ENJOY!

Album : Party Favorz 2009: Year-end Edition v8 Disc : 8/8 Genre : Circuit, Progressive, Tribal, Mainstream Club Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:57:33:00

Track : 1 Title : Give Me Love (Warren Rigg Club Mix) Artist : Stephen Keyes

Track : 2 Title : Dirty Desire (Razor N’ Guido Club Mix) Artist : Utada

Track : 3 Title : I Want That Man (Alex Acosta Big Room Vox) Artist : Jenn Cuneta

Track : 4 Title : Bad Bad Boy (DJ Escape & Dom Capello Club Mix) Artist : The Perry Twins feat. Niki Haris

Track : 5 Title : Russian Roulette (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Club Mix) Artist : Rihanna

Track : 6 Title : Be Alright (Offer Nissim Tel Aviv Club) Artist : Kristine W

Track : 7 Title : Beautiful U R (Yinon Yahel Club) Artist : Deborah Cox

Track : 8 Title : Hear You Hum (Main Floor Mix) Artist : Jeremy Word feat. Deanna

Track : 9 Title : Up Your Heart (Danny Verde Mix) Artist : Andrea Carnell

Track : 10 Title : Drop A House (Razor ‘N’ Guido Mix) Artist : DJ DeMarko! feat. Heather Leigh West

Track : 11 Title : I Want Your Sex (Mike Rizzo M2 Original Club Mix) Artist : Jipsta

Track : 12 Title : Hell No (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Club Mix) Artist : Judy Torres

Track : 13 Title : I Can Stop The Rain (DJ Jose Spinnin’s Bearlin Club Mix) Artist : Carol Hahn

Track : 14 Title : Loca (Ranny vs. The Popstar Mix) Artist : Ranny feat. Nina Flowers

Track : 15 Title : Sundays At Heaven (Cajjmere Wray’s Heavenly Club Mix) Artist : J.Velarde & Luque & Vitti feat. Giovanna

Track : 16 Title : You Used To Know (Cajjmere Wray Remix) Artist : Andrea Carnell

Track : 17 Title : Wrong (Peter Rauhofer Vocal Mix) Artist : Depeche Mode

Track : 18 Title : Not The One (Johnny Vicious Extended Mix) Artist : Andrea Carnell

Track : 19 Title : Manhunt (DJ Jose Spinnin’ Sex In The Office Club) Artist : DJ Bill Bennett feat. Pepper Mashay

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?medx52zyyot

Album : Party Favorz 2009: Year-end Edition v7 Disc : 7/8 Genre : Circuit, Progressive, Tribal, Mainstream Club Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:56:50:00

Track : 1 Title : Bring The Love (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Anthem Mix) Artist : Nicki Richards

Track : 2 Title : Love Struck (Tracy Young Club Mix) Artist : V Factory

Track : 3 Title : Epic (Alexander & Mark VDH Mix) Artist : Ranny feat. Rachel Panay

Track : 4 Title : Into the Night (Shpank’s Big Room Club Stomper) Artist : Carol Hahn

Track : 5 Title : Loca (Alyson Calagna Sunrise Remix) Artist : Pagano feat. Wilmien

Track : 6 Title : Miss You (T. Moran & W. Rigg Drums To The Soul Mix) Artist : Ron Perkov

Track : 7 Title : That Jungle Sound (Tony Moran Remix) Artist : Alan T. vs. Ferosh

Track : 8 Title : On The Floor (Tracy Young Club) Artist : Kaylah Marin

Track : 9 Title : Beautiful (Tracy Young Monster Club Mix) Artist : Akon feat. Kardinal Offishall & Colby O’Donis

Track : 10 Title : Track 1 Artist : Donna Summer

Track : 11 Title : It Out (Altar Anthem Mix) Artist : Altar & Jeanie Tracy

Track : 12 Title : Khanty (Original Remix) Artist : Josh Riptide feat. Divo

Track : 13 Title : It’s Alright, It’s Ok (Johnny Vicious Club Mix) Artist : Ashley Tisdale

Track : 14 Title : Whateva (Peter Rauhofer Remix) Artist : Ralph Falcon feat. Alex K & Alan T

Track : 15 Title : Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Original Mix) Artist : Carl Kennedy & Baby D

Track : 16 Title : Love Story (Andy Moor’s Vocal Mix) Artist : Nadia Ali

Track : 17 Title : Forever Young (DJ Bill Bennett and Pete Masitti’s Decadance Club Mix) Artist : DJ Bill Bennett feat. Abigail

Track : 18 Title : Never (7th Heaven On The Floor Club Mix) Artist : Kristine W

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?tmhytiymmj1

Album : Party Favorz 2009: Year-end Edition v6 Disc : 6/8 Genre : Circuit, Progressive, Tribal, Mainstream Club Year : 2009 Total Time : 2:10:36:00

Track : 1 Title : Maybe God Is Tryin’ To Tell You Somethin’ (Element 9 Mix) Artist : Sweet Feet Music pres. Soul Sista Shakti feat. Jeanie Tracy & Pepper Mashay

Track : 2 Title : Exotique (Johnny Vicious Mixshow) Artist : Safire

Track : 3 Title : Sweat (DJ Escape & Johnny Vicious Club Mix) Artist : Erin Stevenson

Track : 4 Title : Goodbye (DJ Paulo Club Mix) Artist : Kristinia DeBarge

Track : 5 Title : I Stay In Love (Ralphi’s Melodic Club Vox Mix) Artist : Mariah Carey

Track : 6 Title : You Without Me (Chris Cox Club Mix) Artist : Tina Sugandh

Track : 7 Title : Drama Queen (Texting U) (Barry Harris Big Club Mix) Artist : Simone Denny + Barry Harris

Track : 8 Title : I’m Not Getting Enough (Ralphi Rosario Vox Mix 1) Artist : Ono

Track : 9 Title : Paparazzi (Peter Rauhofer Club Mix) Artist : Lady GaGa

Track : 10 Title : Bulletproof (Razor N Guido Vocal) Artist : La Roux

Track : 11 Title : Sweet Dreams (Steve Pitron & Max Sanna Club Mix) Artist : Beyonce

Track : 12 Title : I Didn’t Know My Own Strength (Peter Rauhofer Club Mix) Artist : Whitney Houston

Track : 13 Title : Did You See Me Coming (Ralphi Rosario Club Mix) Artist : Pet Shop Boys

Track : 14 Title : Why You Wanna Hurt Me So Bad (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Booty Mix) Artist : Nicki Richards

Track : 15 Title : Cover Girl (Joe Gauthreaux’s Runway Anthem) Artist : RuPaul

Track : 16 Title : Love Is The Look (Rosario K-Y INTRIGUE Club) Artist : Kristine W

Track : 17 Title : It’s Over (Edson Pride Club Mix) Artist : DJ Scott Mann feat. Amuka

Track : 18 Title : Video Phone (Spin Sista Remix) Artist : Beyonce

Track : 19 Title : Body Rock (Tony Loves Manny Mix) Artist : Oceana

Track : 20 Title : Devotion (Original Mix) Artist : Bingo Players

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?mhmiyi2zo1c

2009 was certainly a divalicious year!  As I had previously mentioned, Lady Gaga was the shit last year.  However, no one was more prevalent than Miss “put a ring on it” Beyonce.  With the release of her third solo album “I Am . . . Sasha Fierce,”  it was like the gift that kept on giving throughout the year.  She released no less than nine, yes nine singles from that album; four of which landed in the top spot on the charts.  The video alone for “Single Ladies” is worth it’s price in gold.  Often imitated, but never duplicated, that song started a global dance craze with video after video on YouTube paying homage to the funky dance moves culminating in an appearance on Saturday Night Live with Justin Timberlake in tights, acting as one of her backup dancers.  Sadly, NBC pulled the plug on embedding, however you can still view it here.  Even more memorable, is Shane Mercado’s dance perfect performance of the song in his apartment which garnered world-wide attention.

But wait, there’s more!  We finally witnessed the return of the queen of all divas, Whitney Houston.  Despite what other’s have said about her vocals, she can still sing circles around 90% of the artists in the Top 40.  Janet released a double disc of number ones which spans her career from the late 80’s to present day.  Rumor has it that she has teamed up with her former cohorts Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for her next album.  As someone that grew up with Janet, I have high hopes that this might actually bring her back to the charts, with some tough funky electronic beats.  Mariah released a new album to mixed reviews.  Frankly, I think it tried a little to hard, though I don’t fault her as much as her label trying to capitalize on her resurgence several years back.  I say put her in the studio and let her rip without trying to mold her into some Top 40 tween.  Regardless, Mariah is a HUGE marketing machine with her name attached to a whole lot products.  Eventually, I think she’ll release an album of material that reflects who she really is and not what some label execs think she should be doing.  Hey, I can dream can’t I?

Then, we have Madonna.  She has finally wrapped up her contract with Warner Brothers and signed a massive deal with Live Nation.  She released the greatest hits package “Celebration” with the title track as a new single.  Catchy enough, it failed to garner the excitement that previous efforts like “Hung Up” did.  The remix package along with it’s follow-up “Revolver” are pretty dismal, which may have more to do with WB than Madonna herself.  Nevertheless and once again, she also went on to  have the largest tour of the year.  The Sticky & Sweet tour trucked on through countries that most had never heard of and sold out every single venue, making her a good bet for Live Nation.  Reports have her working with Lady Gaga for a 2010 release.  With the pairing of two of the most dynamic performers in music history, this will be very interesting to see what they come up with. 

Several years in the works, we finally saw the release of the “Power of Music” by the hardest working woman in clubland, Kristine W.  This amazing album which already contained four number one club hits (Walk Away, The Boss, Never and Love Is the Look) by the time of it’s release, managed to spin out another one “Be Alright,” during the summer.  With the recent release of the single and mixes for “Power of Music” I fully expect this to be Kristine’s sixth number one off of the album, with several more to go by the end of the year.  If you’re into solid dance music with a pop edge and powerful vocals, the “Power of Music” is an album not to be missed.  I also recently viewed the “Ultimate Music Video Collection”  Kristine released in December, which was a fabulous trip down memory lane and contained a 2008 re-work of “Feel What You Want.”  What makes this so special to all the other bootlegs floating around the internet is 1) I never knew this existed 2) it’s a perfectly executed mashup with the original version of Loleatta Holloway’s “Love Sensation” and 3) I gotta HAVE IT!  The video collection also contains short episodes of several live performances from her much anticipated album “Straight Up with a Twist.”  If you’re into familiar club tunes re-worked into a jazzy collective, you WON’T want to miss this once it’s released. Without a doubt, 2010 is going to be Kristine’s year.

Other divas we adored in 2009 were Deborah Cox whose “Beautiful U R” was one of the biggest club hits of the year (according to Billboard Dance/Club Play Charts); Niki Haris was working it out with “Bad Bad Boy” and “This Time Baby;” 80’s disco diva Carol Hahn continued her streak of big anthems with “I Can Stop the Rain” and “Into the Night;” Britney had a successful year with her “Circus” tour and a double set greatest released late in the year; The most famous person in the Asian community who doesn’t get radio play (scratch head) Utada with “Come Back to Me” and “Dirty Desire;” Suzanne Palmer, Nadia Ali, (Yoko) Ono, Abigail and Andrea Carnell were also a huge presence in 2009.  We were also treated to a tour by Kylie for the first time in like a cugillion years as well as by the mother of all divas, Grace Jones.  All in all, 2009 delivered the goods when it came to the women we love!    

I realize I am WAY behind on getting the last four sets up for you guys, so I plan on posting two more tomorrow without comment and I’ll wrap things up on Sunday with the final edition.  I’ll also be discussing the Gay Anthems donation I promised and the future of Party Favorz.  Until then, have a fabulous weekend and as always, ENJOY!

Album : Party Favorz 2009: Year-end Edition v5 Disc : 5/8 Genre : Circuit, Progressive, Tribal, Mainstream Club Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:49:32:00

Track : 1 Title : Diva (DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio Vocal Remix) Artist : Beyonce

Track : 2 Title : This Time Baby (Myke Rossi Mix) Artist : Eddie X pres. Niki Haris

Track : 3 Title : Bad Romance (Aaron Paetsch Club Mix) Artist : Lady Gaga

Track : 4 Title : Everybody Shake It (Ralphi’s Big Room Mix) Artist : Ralphi Rosario feat. Shawn Christopher

Track : 5 Title : Crazy Possessive (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Explicit Club Mix) Artist : Kaci Battaglia

Track : 6 Title : Come Back To Me (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Club Mix) Artist : Utada

Track : 7 Title : Miles Away (Johnny Vicious Club Remix) Artist : Madonna

Track : 8 Title : Circus (Razor n’ Guido Vocal Mix) Artist : Britney Spears

Track : 9 Title : I’m The Sht (Ralphi Rosario Vocal Mix) Artist : Bebe Zahara Benet

Track : 10 Title : Love Sets You Free (DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio Club Mix) Artist : Charlie

Track : 11 Title : More Is More (Ralphi Rosario Dirty Club Mix) Artist : Heidi Montag

Track : 12 Title : Let The Music Play (Chris Cox & Trent Cantrelle Remix) Artist : Shannon

Track : 13 Title : Million Dollar Bill (Freemasons Club Mix) Artist : Whitney Houston

Track : 14 Title : Nothing’s Impossible (The Str8jackets Asylum Rub) Artist : Kim English

Track : 15 Title : Radio Active Love (Warren Rigg & Reed McGowan Radioactive Club) Artist : Paul James feat. Carol Jiani

Track : 16 Title : You Are (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Club Anthem) Artist : Tony Moran feat. Frenchie Davis

Track : 17 Title : Breaking Dishes (Ralphi & Craig J Mix) Artist : Rihanna

Track : 18 Title : I Believe (Ralphi Rosario Club Vocal) Artist : The Absolute feat. Suzanne Palmer

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?nani1ymye5m

When I was a kid, I used to mow lawns for money to pay for my records.  I never received an allowance and my dad wouldn’t pay me to mow the lawn (though I still had other chores), so I started mowing all the neighbors lawns.  I charged $10 a job, unless they had an extra large yard, in which case the rate was $20.  Every weekend, I would hop on my bike with the money I had earned and ride several miles to the nearest record store to buy the latest 45’s.  Much like my willingness to bike several miles for my music, to this day, my dedication and passion for music has never faltered.  I’ve always paralleled music to various points in my past.  The good, the bad and the so-so, music is like a soundtrack to my life.  The first time I kissed a girl, the first time I kissed a boy (and liked it), when my brother died, when I went off to college, it’s all there like a bad episode of “Cold Case.”

You may be asking yourself, why the heck is he talking about “when he was a kid?”  I’m glad you asked.  With four more sets to go, I HIGHLY recommend that you take these mixes and back them up somewhere for future enjoyment.  I promise you, 10, 15, 20 years from now, you’ll want to dig them out and remember the time you were fierce, flawless and on top of the world.  Maybe 2009 was the year you came out of the closet, maybe it was the year you fell in and out of love, or even the year you lost your job.  Whatever the reason, you’ll dance, you’ll sing and will be telling your friends “remember when music was good.”  I realize that everyone thinks I’m the energizer bunny, but I won’t be here forever, nor will these time capsules of your life, unless you save them.  It’s entirely up to you, but I would certainly trust me on this one.   

I also thought that now would be a good time to talk about the “Gay Anthems” four mix set I put out last November.  If you remember, the proceeds from these kick-ass mixes were to go to Equality Across America.  This organization is leading the fight to garner equal rights for the LGBT community here in the US.  If anybody here follows Towleroad, you’ll understand the bigotry and hatred that is spewed against us from various groups, including our very own representatives in the United States Congress.  Winning (as if this is a game) my equal rights along with every other gay, lesbian, bi or transsexual person, for now and future generations, is something that I am deeply passionate about.  In fact, if we don’t start receiving some serious concessions from our government, I see this heading to the streets of America in the very near future.  Mind you, not the bread crumbs that President Obama keeps throwing out to keep us placated, but out right full equality in life, work, home, health and yes marriage.  We won’t stop until we are given FULL EQUALITY with equal protection under the Constitution. 

The good news is that with your help, I have officially reached my goal of $500.  In fact, I just tallied up the donations this morning and we currently stand at $530.91.  WooHoo!!!  I will officially be making a donation in that amount on Wednesday this next week.  However, if you haven’t had a chance to download these great mixsets, never fear.  I have added a link to the side of my blog titled “Gay Anthems” and a tab at the top of my Podbean page for easy access to all of the mixes.  I also went back and placed an “add to cart” button so you can purchase everything all at once.  If we can push this thing over $600 by next week, that would be SUPER- DUPER FABULOUS!  I want to thank everyone that has contributed to my efforts to give back the only way I can at the moment.  Let’s keep it going!

I also have other plans for future donations that include my Chrome Edtion.  I was looking at Billboard’s “Best of the 2000s” in the Dance/Club Play category, and was pretty much appalled.  It starts out decent enough, but once you get into it, it’s pretty shameless.  As someone that has followed the charts all of my life, I understand how they determine year-end rankings.  Based on a numerical assignment for each week a song is on the charts with bonus points for making the top ten and even more for the number two and one position, more often than not, important songs are left out of the tally.  So, I’ve decided to create my own “Top 100+” of the past decade.  I will spread them out through the year so as not to hit everyone at once.  I’ll lower the donation amount for each mix, in hopes of getting more of you on board.  If you read the first two paragraphs of this post, you’ll appreciate the significance of this project.  I promise this will be SPECTACULAR!  I was thinking of setting up voting every other week that includes a list of personal picks and a write in (just in case I overlook something) for the best songs from each year within the decade.  Once those are tallied up, then I can begin the project.  I would really like to get everyone on board with this as I think that together we can make one hell of a decade long best of!

Finally, I want to mention a very worthwhile project that one of Party Favorz’ very good friends Lovett is involved in.  He is working through an organization called “El Porvenir” who work to improve the standard of living of poor people in Nicaragua through sustainable self-help water, sanitation and reforestation projects. In its 14 years of operation, they have completed 350 projects and served over 14,000 people.  He has a goal of raising $1,100 and is currently at $200 as I write this.  Here’s is the request he forwarded to me:

Subject: Please help me make a difference!

Hi Everyone!

The New Year brings new beginnings, and new opportunities in life.  I, along with a group of leaders in South Florida, are standing to make a difference for a community in rural Nicaragua.  Our goal is to create a clean water source for a village that does not have one.  I am asking for your donations to help make a difference for these people, and to show them how powerful people can be when they come together.  Any amount you can donate WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

I’ve created a fundraising page, which you can access with the following link:  http://www.facebook.com/l/ca0b4;www.firstgiving.com/FL164

I would like to thank you in advance for giving what you can, and creating a better world for ALL to live in.

Thank you, and much love!

Lovett

I personally donated to this worthwhile project and hope that you guys can muster up a little something to help out.  At the end of the day, it’s not always about us, but those we can help that don’t have the means to help themselves.

That’s about all I got for today.  This will be the last of the BPM year-end edition and I will begin to rollout the Original Party Favorz year-end edition early next week.  Those waiting for the best of the mainstream circuit of 2009, it’s coming soon.  Until then, try to stay warm, have a fantastic weekend and as always, ENJOY!

Album : Party Favorz 2009: Year-end Edition v4 Disc : 4/8 Genre : Mainstream Club, Electro-pop, BPM Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:48:07:00

Track : 1 Title : Bad Boys (Moto Blanco Vocal Mix) Artist : Alexandra Burke feat. Flo Rida

Track : 2 Title : T.O.N.Y (Mark Picchiotti Mix) Artist : Solange

Track : 3 Title : I Don’t Know Why (Viale & DJ Ross Remix) Artist : Moony

Track : 4 Title : Say It (Warren Clarke Remix) Artist : Booty Luv

Track : 5 Title : Boys And Girls (Moto Blanco Club) Artist : Pixie Lott

Track : 6 Title : Takin’ Back My Love (Jody Den Broeder Club Mix) Artist : Enrique Iglesias feat. Ciara

Track : 7 Title : When Love Takes Over (Original Mix) Artist : David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland

Track : 8 Title : I Gotta Feelin’ (David Guetta Remix) Artist : Black Eyed Peas

Track : 9 Title : Gonna Make U Sweat (Summer Party Mix) Artist : Pronto

Track : 10 Title : Everybody (Club Mix) Artist : Rudenko

Track : 11 Title : Clothes Off (Soul Seekerz Club Mix) Artist : Miami Starfish feat. Jermaine Stewart

Track : 12 Title : Get Shaky (Ian Carey Original Mix) Artist : The Ian Carey Project

Track : 13 Title : Don’t Upset The Rhythm (Go Baby Go) (Soul Seekerz Club Mix) Artist : Noisettes

Track : 14 Title : I Will Be Here (Wolfgang Gartner Remix) Artist : Tiesto & Sneaky Sound System

Track : 15 Title : Magnificent (Dave Aude Club Mix) Artist : U2

Track : 16 Title : Left My Heart in Tokyo (Pete Hammond Contemporary Remix) Artist : Mini Viva

Track : 17 Title : I Do Not Hook Up (Bimbo Jones Club Mix) Artist : Kelly Clarkson

Track : 18 Title : Hush Hush (I Will Survive) (Dave Aude Extended Mix) Artist : Pussycat Dolls

Track : 19 Title : Remedy (Stonemasons Club Mix) Artist : Little Boots

Track : 20 Title : The Sound Of Missing You (Extended Mix) Artist : Ameerah

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?hdmuwif4dmh

2009 was the year that online dance music retailers really solidified and grabbed their slice of the ever-growing music market.  As online legal distribution for dance music begins to really take off, there are now a plethora of these sites vying for a piece of the pie.  No one has been more successful at putting out quality house music that you won’t find in your local record store than Beatport, Traxsource and Juno.  Oh wait, I forgot, there is no such thing as a local record store, so let’s just say iTunes or Amazon.  With literally thousands of dance labels around the globe, these three companies do a great job of not only promoting the music you might not otherwise hear (or maybe you danced to it at your local club but didn’t know where to get it), but breaking them down into specific genres so the individual can hone in on their specific taste.  For me, I go straight to the “house” category in Beatport, “soulful” in Traxsource and the “funky” category in Juno.  That’s where I know I’ll find some gem that’s not being heard anywhere around here and is something I can share with you guys in my podcasts. 

Of course, with everyone trying to grab their share in a crowded and quite frankly limited field, we also witnessed the demise of XpressBeats and the merger of Juno and DJdownload (though, I’m not really certain what purpose that served).  I’m guessing there will be a couple more casualties this year.  Even though I won’t go into speculation, I have a pretty good idea who’s on their last legs as I write this.  Ultimately, the success of these online dance music retailers relies on three key factors: 1) Identifying the niche that’s currently being underserved by major distributors and filling it with the content that consumers are begging for 2) Layout and design that’s easy to navigate  3) Speed, speed, speed!!!  People don’t want to spend forever and a year looking for something.  Your search must be fast and intuitive in case of misspelled words.  If I had to add one final suggestion, that would be 2 minute previews as opposed to the 30 seconds you get from the majors.  Frankly, the only service that has mastered all of the above is Beatport.  Juno has definite layout and speed issues that rely too much on your systems cache, which causes frequent inoperability with their player.  Traxsource is pretty fast, but the layout is not particularly great nor do they do a good job of breaking up the genres for specific interest.

The one online service I really and I mean REALLY want to see succeed is Masterbeat.  Only two years old, they are the ONLY online distributor that has managed to negotiate with the big labels to sell Beyonce, Rihanna or Madonna and other big name artists with dance remixes.  The problem they’re having at the moment is that those very same labels are pretty much dictating how they run their business and have forced them to add additional servers to accommodate their entire music catalogue.  As you can probably realize, that not only costs money, but detracts from the original purpose of the site, which is to target more mainstream dance music along with popular underground house.  As a result, the front page is confusing at best with a top ten chart that’s pretty much irrelevant.  I think a good redesign of the layout would go a long way to help fans sign up for what they want and target the consumer’s specific interest.  It’s doable, but once again there’s that pesky money investment factor.  Hopefully, Brett will be able to work this all out in the near future.  Frankly, if the labels would stop using the remixes as a loss lead by floating all this stuff out on the internet, they might actually be able to make some money; I digress, what the hell do I know?

In some cases, you can go to iTunes for specific dance mixes by an artist, but then they want to sell you videos, books and soon concert tickets, perfumes and clothing lines by that artist, not to mention the results have everything they ever appeared on, including karaoke.  If you don’t believe me, give it about a year, because that’s the direction everything is heading.  With more artists signing with Live Nation, that’s how they make money by reinvesting the artist’s name into everything imaginable that can’t be bootlegged on the internet.  Hey, I’m all for capitalism and grabbing your piece, I just don’t want to be bombarded with everything by an artist when I’m only looking for one thing.  Regardless, I expect iTunes to turn into the Wal-Mart Superstore of online entertainment.  So, if you love to one-stop shop at Wally World then you’ll probably appreciate it.  If you’re like me and detest the mega-shopping experience, then it won’t have any appeal.  If information overload and mega this and mega that is what it takes to get you the consumer to open up your wallet, then so be it; just count me out.   

Whew!  I am so glad I got that off my chest.  I know, I know this is just bloviating on my part, but with a background in business management and retail that successfully targeted a niche market, this is something that has great interest to me.  The only time you guys probably think about it is when you go to spend your money online and have a bitch of a time finding something you know is there.  So, let’s forget all of that and get on with the music of 2009!  Before you do, I thought I would go ahead and share another memorable moment from the year.  In case you missed it, here is Stevie Bishop’s take on Lilly Allen’s fabulous song “Fuck You.”  Enjoy!

Album : Party Favorz 2009: Year-end Edition v3 Disc : 3/8 Genre : Mainstream Club, Electro-pop, BPM Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:52:00:00

Track : 1 Title : Release Me (Cahill Club Edit) Artist : Agnes

Track : 2 Title : Human (Armin Van Buuren Club Remix) Artist : The Killers

Track : 3 Title : Waking Up In Vegas (Manhattan Clique Bellagio Remix) Artist : Katy Perry

Track : 4 Title : Windmills (Club Mix) Artist : Meck

Track : 5 Title : Your Love (Original Mix) Artist : Max Vangeli & Digital Lab with Simone Denny

Track : 6 Title : Music Matters (Axwell Remix) Artist : Faithless feat. Cass Fox

Track : 7 Title :  Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer) (Club Mix) Artist : Freemasons feat. Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Track : 8 Title : Addicted (Club Mix Re-edit) Artist : Serge Devant

Track : 9 Title : Paparazzi (Dave Aude Club) Artist : Lady Gaga

Track : 10 Title : Make Me (Dave Aude Club Mix) Artist : Janet

Track : 11 Title : Bottle Pop (Moto Blanco Club) Artist : Pussycat Dolls

Track : 12 Title : My Man (Cahill Club Mix) Artist : Jade Ewen

Track : 13 Title : Evacuate The Dancefloor (Cahill Remix) Artist : Cascada

Track : 14 Title : Chillin (Bimbo Jones Club Mix) Artist : Wale feat. Lady Gaga

Track : 15 Title : Bad Romance (Dave Aude Club Mix) Artist : Lady Gaga

Track : 16 Title : Let It Rock (Tony Arzandon Remix) Artist : Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne

Track : 17 Title : The Fear (Stonebridge Club Mix) Artist : Lily Allen

Track : 18 Title : Tik Tok (Fred Falke Club Mix) Artist : KeSha

Track : 19 Title : Boom Boom Pow (David Guetta’s Electro Hop Remix) Artist : Black Eyed Peas

Track : 20 Title : Lala Song (Tocadisco Remix) Artist : Bob Sinclar feat. Sugarhill Gang

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?cnnylelfnnz

2009 was a good year for the DJ/Producer.  As I mentioned in my first post, David Guetta was successful in bridging the gap between electro-house and radio.  Not unlike the 70s when disco bubbled up from the clubs and became mainstream, electro and funky house are well on their way to becoming the new Top 40 du jour. 

No one appeared more often on remix productions than Dave Aude.  There is no doubt he had his hand in better than half of the massive club hits of the year.  He was often paired against Moto Blanco who continue to whip up their sugary-disco confections.  More often than not, those productions fell flat as they became formulaic opening up Dave’s work as the favorite for dancefloors across the globe. From Beyonce to Lady GaGa and everyone in between, Dave was the guy you went to for a guaranteed floor filler; and boy did he deliver! 

The other winner this year was Cahill.  While the Freemasons have been busy working their magic on future releases off of their sophomore album “Shakedown 2,”  Cahill appears to have slipped in and taken up the slack where the ‘masons may have become cost prohibitive for many labels.  Hailing from Liverpool, UK, Anton Powers, Tim Condran and Scott Rosser (i.e. Cahill) are poised to become the next superstar production team.  While they left their mark on many hits in 2009, none were more prevalent than newcomer Agnes’ “Release Me.”  Of course it didn’t hurt to remix a superstar like Mariah either and it’s those kind of remixes that tend to get people noticed.  With future productions in the works by Pixie Lott & N-Dubz plus new singles from Lemar and Cascada, I fully expect nothing less than club domination in 2010 from these guys.      

While Dave was hitting the electro masses and Cahill was working their magic in the electro-pop scene, DJ Escape was pounding out the tribal beats on the circuit.  Whether he was pairing up with Tony Coluccio, Johnny Vicious or Dom Capello, DJ Escape (a.k.a. Jeff Jonas) found himself churning out many of last year’s biggest club hits.  Most notably, his work on several of Beyonce’s singles gained him the kind of notoriety that most DJ/producers can only dream of.  Since the early 90s, hard work and dedication to his craft have clearly paid off as he has become one of 2009’s most in demand producers as well as performers.  You’ll be hearing a lot of his work in the final four of this podcast series coming next week.

Finally, 2009 witnessed the return of some of clubland’s most cherished.  I’m talking about Barry Harris, Pete Hammond and Razor N’ Guido.  Barry as you know, was one half of the acclaimed Thunderpuss production team and R-n-G (a.k.a. Guido Osorio and Peter Osback) were responsible for Kim English’s 1999 hit “Unspeakable Joy”  amongst others.  Pete Hammond is the former chief engineer and producer for Stock Aitken & Waterman (SAW) and was responsible for shaping classic 80s Hi-NRG dance hits like Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” and Donna Summer’s “This Time I Know It’s For Real.”  He has now gone back and updated that sound for a whole new generation of clubgoers.  Already churning out the hits, these guys are a breath of fresh air in an already crowded field where many DJs nauseously drop an acapella over the same drum loop.  Party Favorz extends a very warm ‘welcome back’ to these masters of production and looks forward to hearing and dancing to their work in 2010.  

Working off the same vibe as my 2009 BPM series along with a little T-Dance thrown in for good measure, I bring you part deuce of the Party Favorz 2009 Year-End Edtion.  I’m doing my best to get out the first four by the end of the week, with the second half slated for next, which will be more inline with the original series.  Until the next time…enjoy!

Album : Party Favorz 2009: Year-end Edition v2 Disc : 2/8 Genre : Mainstream Club, Electro-pop, BPM Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:55:38:00

Track : 1 Title : Bulletproof (Dave Aude Club Remix) Artist : La Roux

Track : 2 Title : If U Seek Amy (Mike Rizzo Funk Generation Club Mix) Artist : Britney Spears

Track : 3 Title : Long Distance (Jody Den Broeder Club Mix) Artist : Brandy

Track : 4 Title : Already Gone (Bimbo Jones Club Mix) Artist : Kelly Clarkson

Track : 5 Title : I Need You Now (Cahill Mix) Artist : Agnes

Track : 6 Title : Show Me The Way (Original Club Mix) Artist : White Shoes feat. Sharon May Linn

Track : 7 Title : My Life Would Suck Without You (Chriss Ortega Club Mix) Artist : Kelly Clarkson

Track : 8 Title : Show Me What I’m Looking For (Haji & Emanuel Club Mix) Artist : Carolina Liar

Track : 9 Title : Halo (Gomi & RasJek Club Mix) Artist : Beyonce

Track : 10 Title : What I Cannot Change (Kaskade Mix) Artist : Leann Rimes

Track : 11 Title : Sexy People (Funk Generation Vocal Club) Artist : Lolene

Track : 12 Title : I Hate This Part (Moto Blanco Club Mix) Artist : Pussycat Dolls

Track : 13 Title : Can’t Get Enough 2009 (Original Vocal Club Mix) Artist : Soulsearcher

Track : 14 Title : Love Emergency (Original) Artist : Kurd Maverick & Sam Obernik

Track : 15 Title : Love Game (Dave Aude Club Mix) Artist : Lady GaGa

Track : 16 Title : Hang On (Pete Hammond Extended Mix) Artist : Plumb

Track : 17 Title : Battlefield (Bimbo Jones Remix) Artist : Jordin Sparks

Track : 18 Title : Nasty Little Rumor (Bimbo Jones Vocal) Artist : Shena

Track : 19 Title : Celebration (Oakenfold Remix) Artist : Madonna

Track : 20 Title : New In Town (Bimbo Jones Club Mix) Artist : Little Boots

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?jeowjyomhdw

I can’t think of a better way to start 2010 off than to remember 2009.  Okay, maybe not everything from last year, rather the fantastic house music that made us dance, sing and celebrate!  2009 was the year a diva was realized.  Yup, I’m talking about Kelly Rowland.  So she found herself without a record label and at the same time collaborated with David Guetta to create the most memorable song of the year.  “When Love Takes Over” blew our minds, while rattling dance floors across the world; once it previewed at WMC, it was unstoppable.  Looks like life without Destiny’s Child, muchless Sony is looking pretty damn good these days.  However, she still has that pesky little thing to wrap up with Sony.  Destiny’s Child is slated to release a final album later this year.  Then again, if Beyonce (another winner this year) doesn’t stop bombarding us with new material, a new album by DC may even be delayed.

David Guetta was definitely the man of the year.  His collaboration with the Black Eyed Peas brought us two monster smashes “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Got a Feelin.”  Not only were these monster club hits, but also massive Top 40 hits that tied up the number one spot for most of the spring.  Word up to the old school tired-ass hip hop artists; either change with the times or your ass will be left behind.  Frankly, I don’t care if I ever hear another song with “shawty” in it again.  Pu-leaze!  The minute some white bread tween like Jesse McCartney starts using it, it’s time for a change!  Regardless, you can thank David and the BEP for breaking that stale mold of Top 40 radio in the U.S.  Now let’s see what other pop artists do with it in 2010.  Justin, you’re up next my man.

The sleeper hit of the year was “Release Me” by newcomer Agnes out of Sweden.  Her meat and potatoes style of pop are not only well written, but pretty damn catchy.  Coupled with the right producer (Cahill), her music translated quite well onto the dancefloor.  In fact, I’d say she gave 2008’s newcomer Solange a definite run for her money in that category. 

While the biggest news of the year came from the death of one of pop music’s biggest icons Michael Jackson, it was Lady GaGa who drained the rest of our attention.  “The Fame” was released in August of 2008 to critical acclaim by the only sites that matter.  Arjanwrites, Electroqueer and Popjustice all praised the album with it’s dance ready electronic beats and pop sensibility.  While the lead single “Just Dance” was blowing up in clubs all around the world, true to fashion Top 40 radio resisted until January of 2009 before the GaGa came crashing through their doors and forced them to add it to rotation or risk becoming irrelevant (not that they aren’t already).  The rest was history.   Spawning four number singles and dance hits, LG was on a roll.  By the end of the year, we were treated to “The Fame Monster,” a collection of eight brand new songs with it’s lead single “Bad Romance” taking the lead.  I fully expect to be hearing LG on the radio and in the clubs 24/7 throughout 2010.  Make no mistake, she is star of her own making and there just isn’t anyone that can match her talent.  In fact, when publicity whores like the Fred Phelps bible-thumping wingnuts clan get involved, you know she’s doing something right!

Starting things off, we got Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” whose video spawned a million imitations.  No doubt, she was at the top of her game in 2009 with chart topping hits like, “Halo” and “Sweet Dreams” amongst many, that kept Beyonce in the news.  We also have Lady GaGa’s second release “Poker Face,” which even got the 100 year old Baba Wawa reciting the words “bluffin with my muffin” on national TV during an interview with the Chanel clad Princess of the dancefloor.  You also get a double shot of Mariah and P!nk’s latest.  I’m still waiting for LaFace to release the absolutely beautiful “I Don’t Believe You” as a single (fingers tapping on the desk).  Unfortunately, they went with “Funhouse” that didn’t even make a dent at radio, muchless the clubs.  I’ve also included a one-off from Britney’s latest greatest “3” if anything for the fans.  Probably the most curious song in this set is “Patron Tequila” by the Paradiso Girls and the always annoying Lil Jon.  It’s one of three hit songs about getting drunk this year.  I don’t know if this is a trend or not, but it sure made for a lot of dancefloor roguery (a word I felt compelled to sneak in somewhere, thanks Sarah).  Erika Jayne’s “Give You Everything” made the cut.  Her “Pretty Mess” album released in June, is one of my favorites from the year and totally underappreciated.  Think Madonna meets Prince, this album is packed with one smart electronic pop song after another.  I’m hoping to see future releases from it in 2010.  Finally, we have newcomer Anjulie’s massive “Boom,” which topped the club charts earlier in the year.  With a very distinct voice and strong song writing credentials under her belt, this Canadian gal should be around for a very long time.

While this is hardly all the news in a nutshell, I’m going to save some more tidbits for future posts (seven more to go).  In the meantime, if you’ve been living under a rock, check out this re-interpretation of Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.,”  (my guilty pleasure of the year) by NYCFudge called “Party in the FIP.”  Enjoy!

Album : Party Favorz 2009: Year-end Edition v1 Disc : 1/8 Genre : Mainstream Club, Electro-pop, BPM Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:50:23:00

Track : 2 Title : Poker Face (Jody Den Broeder Remix) Artist : Lady GaGa

Track : 3 Title : I Want To Know What Love Is (Moto Blanco Club Mix) Artist : Mariah Carey

Track : 4 Title : Party In The U.S.A. (Cahill Club Mix) Artist : Miley Cyrus

Track : 5 Title : T-Shirt (Josh Harris Club Mix) Artist : Shontelle

Track : 6 Title : Obsessed (Cahill Club Mix) Artist : Mariah Carey

Track : 7 Title : Love Sex Magic (Alexander & Mark VDH Club Mix) Artist : Ciara feat. Justin Timberlake

Track : 8 Title : Patron Tequila (Dave Aude Club Remix) Artist : Paradiso Girls feat. Lil Jon

Track : 9 Title : IfULeave (Mig vs. Rizzo Club Mix) Artist : Musiq Soulchild feat. Mary J. Blige

Track : 10 Title : The Right Way (Original Vocal Mix) Artist : Wawa & Herd feat. Amanda Wilson

Track : 11 Title : Please Don’t Leave Me (Digital Dog Club Mix) Artist : P!nk

Track : 12 Title : Sober (Bimbo Jones Club Mix) Artist : P!nk

Track : 13 Title : You And I (Deadmau5 Remix) Artist : Medina

Track : 14 Title : One Love (Extended Version) Artist : David Guetta feat. Estelle

Track : 15 Title : Outta Here (Kaskade Club Mix) Artist : Esmee Denters

Track : 16 Title : Give You Everything (Moto Blanco Club Mix) Artist : Erika Jayne

Track : 17 Title : 3 (Groove Police Club Mix) Artist : Britney Spears

Track : 18 Title : Now I’m That Bitch (Mike Rizzo Funk Generation Club Mix) Artist : Livvi Franc

Track : 19 Title : Boom (Mike Rizzo Funk Generation Extended Mix) Artist : Anjulie

Track : 20 Title : Everybody In Love (Cahill Club Mix) Artist : JLS

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?j2ylnm22itq

For all those who stood up and were counted

For all those for whom money was no motive

For all those for whom music was a message

I want to thank you

For making me A little more sure

A little more wise

and courageous

You told me to look much further

You told me to walk much more

You told me that music matters and to chase the dogs back from my door

I won’t stop here

I won’t be still until the sun sets on us all..

-Faithless feat. Cass Fox

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!!!

When I was a kid, my parents didn’t have a lot of money.  Our vacations usually consisted of road trips to Houston to visit our cousins and go to Astroworld (now Six Flags) or to the beach for a few days.  These road trips always took place during the day when my sister, brother and I could play the “Love Bug Game.”  You know, that’s where you count how many Volks Wagon Beetles you could find on the road or even dilapidated sitting out in some field or junk yard.  Our Christmas trips to Momo and Boonpa’s house in Corpus Christi were pretty much the same, but we were always driving at night.  Dad was a manager at “Wally’s Shoe Store” and would work until 6pm before coming home and piling us kids in the Plymouth to make the three hour trip. 

It was those trips during the cold night that were different from the rest.  After a long day at work, dad didn’t want a bunch of misbehaving kids in the back of his car for a three hour drive.  To counter that, he would have us all play “The Quiet Game.”  Whoever could be the most quiet during the whole trip, would win a nickel.  Now, when you put my sister between my brother and I, that plainly wasn’t going to happen.  She would pinch, tickle and kick to get us to squeal.  Thinking about the candy I could buy with a nickel, I really wanted to win, but keeping my mouth shut for any length of time was just not humanly possible.  Ten minutes into the drive, I would be asking “are we there yet?”  This has pretty much been my mantra for 2009.  How much longer until I get there, wherever “there” is? 

Several of you that I communicate with privately, have told me you lost your job this year.  While others I follow on Facebook may have lost a parent, a friend or are just uncertain and unhappy with your current circumstance.  Whatever the reason that made 2009 such a miserable year, let’s all make a pact.  Starting the day after Christmas, decide what it is you want to achieve in 2010.  Make a plan, write it down and put it on your desk or fridge, somewhere visible that will serve as a reminder.  We still have a week to go before the New Year and what better time than these last few days to plan ahead?

In a recent post, I suggested that Rick’s doctor would show up in a Santa hat and tell him he’s through with dialysis.  That didn’t quite happen, though we received some more good news.  Monday, he was taken off dialysis for the week after they drew a blood sample.  The doctor did call yesterday with those results and said everything was still normal.  So, this next Monday, they will draw another sample and if things remain the same, he’s off for good with a bi-monthly follow-up.  Considering he hasn’t taken a full bath in over six months because of possibly infecting his catheter (which has already happened once), this is really great news.  I’m already picturing the Herbal Essence commercial where the girl in the shower starts having an orgasm when she washes her hair.  I’m guessing that having hot sudsy water pouring over your body after having sponge-bathed for six months might feel pretty damn good.  If anything, I miss his horrible singing in the shower, which will be a welcome return to normalcy once that happens LOL. 

So, starting on the 1st of January 2010, it’s going to be all about ME.  ME! ME! ME!  I know, that’s very Marsha Brady of me and we still have a couple more things to go with Rick, but we’re getting “there;” as will you.  I wish the BEST possible year for each and every one of you.  Just remember, if you say you “can’t,” then you “won’t.”  If you say you “can,” then you most certainly “will.”  Make it happen folks!  If you do, then you won’t be asking yourself “are we there yet,” because you’ll already know that you’re on your way.

From Rick, Keith and Katherine, we wish you and yours a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a rockin’ NEW YEAR! 

P.S. Stephen, I know you’re reading this.  So, when you’re finished sampling the French cuisine in Paris, you and I have a lot of work to do!  

Here at Party Favorz, we (meaning I) never rest on our laurels.  As such, I am sending up my final mix of the year so I can spread joy and happiness to all of my fellow gay men (and women) throughout the world this season.  This final mix continues much in the same vein as its predecessors, with a little Christmas cheer thrown in to round out the mix. 

I realize that many of you in the US and the UK are just now digging your way out of the snow, while many more of you in the Midwest are gearing up for massive blizzards in the next couple of days.  If it’s any conciliation, the ATL has been having beautiful sunny days in the low 60s, which we are going to lose tomorrow as the rain heads south (oh joy).  At the very least, if you’re stuck and can’t go out, you can make your own little party.  Just make sure your fridge is stocked and that your significant other or BB (best buddy, what did you think I meant!?!!) is with you before the storm.

I’ll be back early tomorrow with my final thoughts of 2009, the year that was and will NEVER be again.  So sit tight my little PFr’s, Santa will be back one last time before signing off for the year.  Until then, ENJOY!

Album : Party Favorz 2009: Holiday Edition 2009 v3 Disc : 3/3 Genre : Circuit, Progressive, Tribal Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:20:02:00

Track : 1 Title : On The Floor (Tracy Young Club) Artist : Kaylah Marin

Track : 2 Title : Take Control (Tracy Young Mix) Artist : Amerie

Track : 3 Title : Oh Holy Night (Illicit Club Mix) Artist : Kristine W

Track : 4 Title : Lost In You (Arenna Mix) Artist : Ceevox

Track : 5 Title : Totally Numb (DJ Brazilian Beats Tribal Mix) Artist : Tod Miner

Track : 6 Title : La La La (Hot Rats Remix) Artist : Leggz feat. Stephanie

Track : 7 Title : Push n’ Pull (Viani Mix) Artist : Noferini & Marini vs. Sylvia Tosun

Track : 8 Title : Kumbaya (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Jungle Mix) Artist : Sir Ivan

Track : 9 Title : Fresh Out The Oven (Hex Hector Club Mix) Artist : Lola without Pitbull

Track : 10 Title : Bad Romance (Aaron Paetsch Club Mix) Artist : Lady Gaga

Track : 11 Title : Loca (Ranny vs. The Popstar Mix) Artist : Ranny feat. Nina Flowers

Track : 12 Title : Khanty (Original Remix) Artist : Josh Riptide feat. Divo

Track : 13 Title : Struck By Luv (Nick Harvey Tribalelectric Club Mix) Artist : Lectroluv feat. Alvaughn Jackson

Track : 14 Title : I Gotta Believe (Original Mix) Artist : J. Verner feat. Shine

Track : 15 Title : All I Want For Christmas Is You (Low Sunday Extended Mix) Artist : Mariah Carey

Track : 16 Title : Party Favorz Christmas Salutation

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?tmjhgqnzxjf

On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, Party Favorz Holiday Edition 2009 v2.  Enjoy!

Album : Party Favorz 2009: Holiday Edition 2009 v2 Disc : 2/3 Genre : Circuit, Progressive, Tribal Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:19:09:00

Track : 1 Title : You Are (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Club Anthem) Artist : Tony Moran feat. Frenchie Davis

Track : 2 Title : Musical Freedom (The Shapeshifters Classic Re-Work) Artist : Candi Staton

Track : 3 Title : Gotta Keep Workin (Edson Pride Massive Mix) Artist : Kelly Wills

Track : 4 Title : Bad Bad Boy (Ronnie Maze Remix) Artist : Perry Twins feat. Niki Haris

Track : 5 Title : Russian Roulette (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Club Mix) Artist : Rihanna

Track : 6 Title : Who Wants To Live Forever (Almighty Club Mix) Artist : Katherine Jenkins

Track : 7 Title : Hear You Hum (Main Floor Mix) Artist : Jeremy Word feat. DeAnna

Track : 8 Title : Can’t Say No (Oscar G Tension Vocal Mix) Artist : Lisa Pure

Track : 9 Title : Movin On 2009 (Surrender DJ’s Remix) Artist : Ronnie Maze feat. Lisa Pure

Track : 10 Title : Fuck You (Ralphi Rosario & Craig J Explicit Club Mix) Artist : Lily Allen

Track : 11 Title : Why Don’t You Love Me (DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio Club Mix) Artist : Beyonce

Track : 12 Title : Silly Boy (DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio Club Mix) Artist : Eva Simons

Track : 13 Title : I Look To You (Giuseppe D. Club Tune Adiks Mix) Artist : Whitney Houston

Track : 14 Title : Together (Push Remix) Artist : Barbara Sheree

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?dmndizom3mo

As promised, I’m sending up the first of three holiday sets for you guys.  Not much to say other than enjoy!

Album : Party Favorz 2009: Holiday Edition 2009 v1 Disc : 1/3 Genre : Circuit, Progressive, Tribal Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:19:18:00

Track : 1 Title : Dirty Desire (Razor N’ Guido Club Mix) Artist : Utada

Track : 2 Title : Drama Queen (Texting U) (Ralphi Rosario Club Mix) Artist : Barry Harris & Simone Denny

Track : 3 Title : Revolution Of Love (Allan Natal Remix) Artist : Lorena Simpson

Track : 4 Title : Trapped (Teo Moss, Ben Manson & Daniel Shems Club Mix) Artist : Pagano &  Wayne G feat. Peyton

Track : 5 Title : Wonderful (Barry Harris Saturday Night Mix) Artist : Billie Meyers

Track : 6 Title : Hot Mess (Edson Pride Darkroom Mix) Artist : DJW

Track : 7 Title : Video Phone (Spin Sista Remix) Artist : Beyonce

Track : 8 Title : I Wanna Know What Love Is (AlexSander Private Mix) Artist : Mariah Carey

Track : 9 Title : I’m The Sht (Ralphi Rosario Vocal Mix) Artist : Bebe Zahara Benet

Track : 10 Title : Express Yourself (Taito Tikaro, J. Louis & Ferran Remix) Artist : Danny Verde & Phil Romano feat. A. Buckley

Track : 11 Title : Rain (DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio Club Mix) Artist : Anjulie

Track : 12 Title : Into the Night (Shpank’s Big Room Club Stomper) Artist : Carol Hahn

Track : 13 Title : 3 (Ranny’s Electropop Mix) Artist : Britney Spears

Track : 14 Title : Did It Again (Ranny’s Sunset Mix) Artist : Shakira

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?mwhlymmjh1l

I bet you guys think I went off and forgot about you.  Well, I didn’t.  Things have just been a little hectic around here.  Rick finally had his biopsy on Tuesday and we were expecting results on Friday.  We did get a little glimmer of hope when they drew his blood and results showed him at 3.1 for his creatinine levels, well below the 4.0 the doctor wanted him at.  As Friday crept up on us, the doctor didn’t call and Rick pretty much had a melt down at work.  Though I’m not going to count our chickens before they’re hatched, I’m pretty confident that he will finally be off dialysis before Christmas.  Understanding how healthcare in America works, they’ve been milking his insurance for all that it’s worth.  Private insurance pays out more than Medicare, and to have a patient like him is like hitting the lottery.  I had Rick start getting his blood drawn elsewhere to prove my point and those results were consistently much lower than what his doctor was reporting.  Nevertheless, I fully expect the good doctor to show up on Wednesday bearing a Santa hat and give him the good news.  If that happens, I think he and I will count our blessings that this nightmare of uncertainty has finally ended. 

As you can see, this past week has been all about my man and spending more time with him, while ensuring him everything is going to be alright.  During that time, I was able to get the majority of my work done at night, while he was asleep.  Rest assure, the Holiday Editions are finished and I’ll be previewing them shortly on one of my much treasured trips around the city on this beautiful sunny day (albeit chilly).  I’ll be posting a mix each day Monday through Wednesday to ensure I meet my deadline.  After that, I’ll be taking a much needed break and begin focusing on my own efforts.

I hope everyone has gotten all of their holiday shopping done and are simply gearing up for the upcoming festivities that will allow you to sit back and relax while taking stock of your life and the treasures that surround you.  Whether they’re obvious to you or not, trust me, they do exist; you just need to look a little harder and you’ll be surprised what you uncover.  I’ll be back tomorrow with the first of three smoking hot Holiday sets. 

Until then, ENJOY!

Album : BPM Edition v10 Disc : 2/2 Genre : Electro, House, Progressive Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:09:55:00

Track : 1 Title : Revolver (David Guetta Extended Mix) Artist : Madonna

Track : 2 Title : Video Phone (Doman & Gooding Vocal Mix) Artist : Beyonce feat. Lady Gaga

Track : 3 Title : Riverside (Let’s Go) (Warren Clarke Remix) Artist : Sidney Samson feat. Wizard Sleeve

Track : 4 Title : Take Me Away (2009) (Out Of Office Remix) Artist : Haji & Emanuel feat. Erire

Track : 5 Title : Just Because (Thomas Gold Original Mix) Artist : Thomas Gold feat. Amanda Wilson

Track : 6 Title : Fade Like The Sun (Digital Dog Remix) Artist : Stunt

Track : 7 Title : Think You Want It (Original Mix) Artist : Colette

Track : 8 Title : Zipper (Stonebridge Mix) Artist : Pilotpriest

Track : 9 Title : Dirty Shake (Peter Brown Vocal Mix) Artist : Chris Montana feat. Soraya Vivian

Track : 10 Title : Deep Inside (Original Mix) Artist : David Penn & Rober Gaez feat. Sheilah Cuffy

Track : 11 Title : Back To The Rhythm (Mode CK Mix) Artist : Chris Kaeser feat. Max’C

Track : 12 Title : Get On Down (Sir Colin Remix) Artist : Guernica

Track : 13 Title : Free Up (Vocal Mix) Artist : St. Connection feat. Sam Wood

Track : 14 Title : La La La (The Str8jackets Asylum Rub) Artist : Leggz feat. Stephanie

Track : 15 Title : Wonder (Original Mix) Artist : The Black Project

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?jgemhuhuddl

Album : BPM Edition v10 Disc : 1/2 Genre : Electro, House, Progressive Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:25:40:00

Track : 1 Title : Tik Tok (Fred Falke Club Mix) Artist : KeSha

Track : 2 Title : Not the Time (Extended Mix) Artist : Michael Fall  feat. Cara

Track : 3 Title : Bad Romance (Dave Aude Club Mix) Artist : Lady Gaga

Track : 4 Title : Love Come Down (DJ Dan Club Mix) Artist : Diddy feat. Dirty Money

Track : 5 Title : Count Down (Original Extended) Artist : Diego Abaribi feat. Janet Gray

Track : 6 Title : Party People (Soul Seekerz Club Mix) Artist : Far Out Productions

Track : 7 Title : Glory Box (7th Heaven Club Mix) Artist : Eleze

Track : 8 Title : Time 2 Play (Bassmonkeys Remix) Artist : Soulshaker & Katherine Ellis

Track : 9 Title : Don’t Stop Movin’ (Ultrasound Remix) Artist : Mobin Master feat. Karina Chavez

Track : 10 Title : Louboutins (Jeremy Word Remix) Artist : J-LO

Track : 11 Title : Give It To Me (Peter Kharma & Andrew M Vocal Mix) Artist : Sophie 5 Stars

Track : 12 Title : My Number (Original Mix) Artist : Andy Duguid feat. Donna & Anthony

Track : 13 Title : Back & Forth (Tune Brothers Edit) Artist : Fedde le Grand feat. Mr. V

Track : 14 Title : Come With It (ATFC’s Motherlode Mix) Artist : Smashing Sebastian feat. C Reid

Track : 15 Title : Never Too Late (Jark Prongo Remix) Artist : Don Diablo

Track : 16 Title : Hear You Hum (Main Floor Mix) Artist : Jeremy Word feat. Deanna

Track : 17 Title : Push n’ Pull (Original Mix) Artist : Noferini Marini vs. Sylvia Tosun

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?ohmmgiojnmq

I know I promised this for Tuesday, but I have been  a VBB (Very Busy Boy) this week.  Half the time, I didn’t know if I was coming or going.  Despite that, I’ve already managed to knock out the final BPM Edition of the year and will start on the Holiday Edition tomorrow.  Rest assured, I’m not sitting on my tush doing nothing.  You folks can expect to be seeing a lot of posts between now and Christmas Eve.  So don’t think I’m spamming you, I’m just running a little bit behind and will be playing catch-up this next week. 

I also wanted to make a callout for anyone interested in being immortalized on one of my infamous Holiday Edition covers.  If you think your hot, or even just cute with a decent body and have a high res pic (preferably with a white or blank background, but anything will do) in a sexy Santa hat or outfit, forward it to me for consideration to make it onto one of my covers.  I’ll be heading out later today for the first ever Atlanta Santa Speedo Run, where my trainer/therapist Stephen will be running.  I’m hoping to get some shots of him in his Speedo and Santa hat that I can use for one of the covers.  Granted, he doesn’t know it yet, and we may have to leave it that way <grin>.

In the meantime, I’m serving up the long overdue “Cool Down” mix of the final 2009 T-Dance Edition.  There’s a heaping amount of soul and gospel in this set.  So as to keep it interesting, I tried my best to be very discerning about what went into this final mix.  I’ve been pretty much listening to this and Adam Lambert in my car for the last week and a half, while driving around town trying to get things done.  I can assure you, I wasn’t Christmas shopping either.  Santa hasn’t visited the Party Favorz household in over three years.  My guess is that Rick and I have either been naughty or it’s because we’re no longer listed in the phone book LOL. 

I love the soothing tempo and soulful vocals, which did a fantastic job of calming me while in heavy traffic in and around town.  So much so, I kept my birdie to myself, even in situations where it was warranted to let it loose and fly high and proud <grin>.  Instead, I would just say “Merry Christmas” to the offending idiot on the cell phone, who would speed up to cut in front of me and then proceed to go 40 mph or that jack@$$ that damn near ran into me in the Starbucks parking lot, even though I had the right of way.  Ahh yes, tis the season to be kind to my fellow man. 

Whether it’s the warm summer vibes of Bah Samba’s “Live in the Summer,” the uplifting “Sunshine (In This Heart of Mine)“ by Kehoe & Harmony, the heart tugging “Don’t Tell Me (That You’re Sorry)“ by Ethan White & Marie Tweek or the absolutely gorgeous “Home” by New York’s fabulously gifted Heather Johnson, there is a little something here to fill your mind, body and soul.  And, if soulful house isn’t your cup of tea, try it out anyway.  It might very well help you keep that birdie from taking flight while fighting traffic during this hectic time of the year.  Enjoy!

Album : T-Dance Edition 2009 v5  Disc : 3/3 Genre : Funky, House, Soulful, NuDisco Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:36:45:00

Track : 1 Title : Star (RP’s Club Mix with Intro) Artist : Reel People feat. Tony Momrelle Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 2 Title : Let Ur Spirit Go (Souldynamic Remix) Artist : Born to Funk Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 3 Title : Little W. 12th St. (Ralf GUM Main Mix) Artist : Ralf GUM & Monique Bingham Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 4 Title : For The Love Of You (Doruk Ozlen Main Vocal Mix) Artist : D’Moov feat. Nicole Henry Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 5 Title : Live In The Summer (Andy Ward Sunshine Mix) Artist : Bah Samba feat. Tasita D’Mour Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 6 Title : Funny Things (Random Soul Mix) Artist : Jay West feat. Ingrid Hakanson Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 7 Title : Sunshine (In This Heart Of Mine) Artist : Kehoe & Harmony feat. Sulene Flemming Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 8 Title : Get Up (Dub) Artist : Steven Stone feat. Tasha Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 9 Title : Don’t Tell Me (That You’re Sorry) (Jask’s Classic Violin Seduction Mix) Artist : Ethan White & Marie Tweek Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 10 Title : It’s the Spirit (DSF & DJ Dino Main Mix) Artist : DJ Romain & Darryl D Bonneau Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 11 Title : The Ones You Love (Original Mix) Artist : Frankie Knuckles & The Shapeshifters Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 12 Title : Your Kiss (Ralf Gum Vocal Mix) Artist : Bucie Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 13 Title : Gone (The Wizard Brian Coxx Original Mix) Artist : Yasmeen Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 14 Title : Back In The Day (Ralf GUM Vocal) Artist : Dutchican Soul feat. Andrea Love Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 15 Title : All About Love (Knee Deep Vocal Mix) Artist : Knee Deep feat. Cathy Batistessa Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 16 Title : Home (Tomo Inoue 12′’ Vocal) Artist : Heather Johnson Purchase : Juno

Track : 17 Title : Stand Up For Love (Original Jazz Mix) Artist : Lucien Foort feat. I-Fan Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 18 Title : It’s Holiday Time (Original) Artist : Jihad Muhammad Purchase : Beatport

Well I guess nobody read my “Terms of Use” last post accept one person who sent an email.  It took me over an hour and a half to put together and frankly, I thought it was pretty damn funny.  Then again, maybe I don’t share the same humor as everyone else.  Anywho, I won’t bore anyone with the details of this mix.  Just expect more funky, soulful house music with a hefty does of disco loaded on top.  I’ll have the cool down mix out by Tuesday and then I’ll be ramming the final BPM through so I can get to the Holiday Edition.  Until then, enjoy.

Album : T-Dance Edition 2009 v5  Disc : 2/3 Genre : Funky, House, Soulful, NuDisco Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:19:04:00

Track : 1 Title : Rapper’s Delight (M&K Mix) Artist : The Sugarhill Gang Purchase : Promo

Track : 2 Title : Get It On (Original) Artist : Sun City Hustlers Purchase : Beatport

Track : 3 Title : All Nite Long (D.I.S.C.O.) (Dimitri From Paris Jack LeDisco) Artist : Mousse T. & Suzie Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 4 Title : Love Shine (Andy & Dave Back 2 Funk Pure Mix) Artist : Sam Project Purchase : Juno

Track : 5 Title : Ready 4 Love (H n’ H Soul Survivors Sound Of Soul Mix) Artist : Timmy Vegas & Tim Phinn feat. Abigail Bailey Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 6 Title : Get You On (Mr. V Remix) Artist : Chris Domingo feat. Isabell Purchase : Beatport

Track : 7 Title : Keep Risin’ 2009 (Richard Earnshaw Classic Vocal Mix) Artist : Groove Invaderz feat. Nicole Tyler Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 8 Title : Lift Me Up (Nacho Marco Vocal Remix) Artist : Sylvain feat. Shark Purchase : Beatport

Track : 9 Title : Hooked On Your Love (Original Mix) Artist : Mr. Root feat. Pepper Mashay Purchase : Juno

Track : 10 Title : Make Me (Craig J’s Get It Up! Club Mix) Artist : Janet Purchase : Promo

Track : 11 Title : Nasty Little Rumour (Sheriff’s Nu Disco Mix) Artist : Shena Purchase : Beatport

Track : 12 Title : Some Songs (BC’s Club Mix) Artist : Benji Candelario Purchase : Beatport

Track : 13 Title : Bad Habits (Gomi & Ras Club Remix) Artist : Maxwell Purchase : Promo

Track : 14 Title : J feat. Big Brooklyn Red - Decide (DJ Meme Mix) Artist : Jay Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 15 Title : Break My Stride (Funkellers Funky Remix) Artist : Ronnie Maze feat. Tyra Juliette Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 16 Title : Million Dollar Bill (Frankie Knuckles Directors Club Mix) Artist : Whitney Houston Purchase : Promo

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?1ywtu2mdgii

TERMS OF USE Users expressly acknowledge that they access and enjoy Party Favorz at their risk and peril. Party Favorz is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis, as it is dependent on the availability of the Internet network. PARTY FAVORZ MAKES NO OTHER WRITTEN, VERBAL OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OF ANY KIND (INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE). Accordingly, Party Favorz shall not be liable for any damage or loss caused as a result of accessing or listening to the T-Dance Edition, including any butt shaking that requires hip replacement or loss of sexual control while tripping the light fantastic with yourself or a stranger resulting in an unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease. The Party Favorz user shall accept the risks and bear the costs inherent in the use of this site. Similarly, and subject to applicable laws and regulations, Party Favorz shall not be held liable for any direct or indirect damage, including but not limited to any loss of monetary funds as a result of a spontaneous impulse to purchase tickets to Cancun, Barcelona or any other destination that provides fun, sun and margaritas resulting in the absence of gift purchases for friends or family members during the Christmas or any other holiday season. The Party Favorz user shall accept full responsibility for any and all actions arising from taking heed of the sounds produced from said podcasts commonly referred to as the “devil’s music,” which may cause involuntary motions such as gyration and pelvis grinding similar to that of Adam Lambert’s recent appearance on the American Music Awards and possibly resulting in the cancellation of future appearances on said sponsoring network.   In addition, Party Favorz shall not be held liable for any sudden burst of joy or happiness resulting in co-workers holding you down and force feeding you fruitcake and eggnog while reciting Sarah Palin’s ficticous novel “Going Rouge.”  If you fully understand the terms outlined above, then mark the box below affirming your acceptance of these conditions.

Place ‘X’ below

NOW, ON TO THE MUSIC!

Album : T-Dance Edition 2009 v5 Disc : 1/3 Genre : Funky, House, Soulful, NuDisco Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:47:39:00

Track : 1 Title : Thinking of Someone Else (Mystery & Matt Early Reprise) Artist : Tinatin Purchase : Promo

Track : 2 Title : The Remedy (H&H Soulsurvivors Remix) Artist : Keith Thompson Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 3 Title : Come Into My Life (Wideboys Club Mix) Artist : Antoinette Purchase : Promo

Track : 4 Title : Groove School (Grant Nelson Remix) Artist : DeepCitySoul Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 5 Title : Believe In Sleeptalk (Jay Santi Bootleg) Artist : Studiopunks vs. ATFC Purchase : White Label

Track : 6 Title : Just Because (Phunkk Mob Mix) Artist : Thomas Gold feat. Amanda Wilson Purchase : DJ Tunes

Track : 7 Title : Can’t Get High Without U (Eric Kupper Classic Funk Mix) Artist : Joey Negro Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 8 Title : You’re Mine (Club Mix) Artist : Solitaire with Katherine Ellis Purchase : Xpressbeats

Track : 9 Title : Game Of Love (Full Vocal Mix) Artist : Jay Santi Purchase : Juno

Track : 10 Title : I Need You Now (Grant Nelson Mix) Artist : Agnes Purchase : iTunes

Track : 11 Title : Love That Jazz (Extended Vocal Mix) Artist : Kim English Purchase : Amazon

Track : 12 Title : This Is How We Do It (DJ Meme Mix) Artist : Loui & Scibi feat. Jacob A. Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 13 Title : Cool Lovin (Ralf Gum Classic Vocal Mix) Artist : DJ Dealer feat. Lisa Millett Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 14 Title : Party People (FOP Club Mix) Artist : Far Out Productions feat. Kimberley Roberts Purchase : Audiojelly

Track : 15 Title : Broken Hearted Girl (Ospina & Oscar P Club Remix) Artist : Beyonce Purchase : Promo

Track : 16 Title : I Need Somebody Tonight (Joey Negro Serious Mix) Artist : Thelma Houston Purchase : Traxsource

Track : 17 Title : Love Sensation ‘09 (Midnight Express Classic Gold Mix) Artist : Loleatta Holloway Purchase : Beatport

Track : 18 Title : Laidback & Groovin’ (Vocal Mix) Artist : Andy Craig feat. Rowetta Purchase : Juno

Track : 19 Title : Got To Be Real (Felice Remix) Artist : Groovesplitters feat. Shena Purchase : Juno

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?njoge2znzz4

I bet you thought I was going to leave you all without anything for the holiday weekend.  Now, I wouldn’t do that to you.  In a nutshell, you’re looking at a combo serving of electro-pop, funky house, big room and progressive house all rolled into one giant turkey wrap.  Mmmm, delicious!  I even added a little gravy on the side to dip it in.

This was going to be a double set, but the more I started listening to the songs that I set aside, the more they felt like filler or stuffing, and not the fabulous kind MoMo used to make.  So, I started cutting stuff out and went back to the drawing board with what was left and came out with twenty songs that I am totally feeling right now.  Keep listening, because just when you think you got your groove on, it’s going to change and then change again.  Think of it like hitting your “G” spot from different directions, all of which feel remarkably good.

After a bevy of hot releases earlier than usual this year, things have slowed down.  With all the big name releases dropping, I’m expecting a late influx on new releases in the next few weeks.  If so, we may get one final BPM for the year.  If not, I may just have to combine them with the upcoming Holiday Edition, which is still a few weeks out. So stay tuned on that front.

I hope everyone in the US has a fantastic Turkey day!  For the vegan lovers (Debra comes to mind) enjoy your tofu <grin>  Even though slavemaster Stephen has agreed to get up early Friday morning to work with me, I expect to be taking it pretty easy through the weekend.  Also, remember to relax folks, don’t let family get to you.  Rick and I have a break from that this year as mom damn near burnt the house down on one of her senior moments.  Currently she and dad are holding up at an Embassy Suites, waiting for all the repairs and smoke clearing to be done, so I guess it’s just as well.  I’ll be back sometime in early December as I look for something to cook up for you folks, while waiting for some new tunes to come rolling in.  Until then, HAPPY THANKSGIVING and as always ENJOY!

Album : BPM Edition v9 Disc : 1/1 Genre : Electro, Funky, House, Progressive Year : 2009 Total Time : 1:48:02:00

Track : 1 Title : I Promised Myself (7th Heaven Mix) Artist : Basshunter Purchase :

Track : 2 Title : Bad Romance (Bimbo Jones Vocal Mix) Artist : Lady Gaga Purchase :

Track : 3 Title : Make It On Time (ML Original Extended Mix) Artist : 20 Dollars Motel Purchase :

Track : 4 Title : You’re Mine (K Klass Remix) Artist : Solitaire with Katherine Ellis Purchase :

Track : 5 Title : The Soulshaker (Original Mix) Artist : Max Linen Purchase :

Track : 6 Title : Anyway (DJ DLG Bigroom Disco Mix) Artist : Armand Van Helden pres. Duck Sauce Purchase :

Track : 7 Title : Gimme Your Love (Newton Remix) Artist : Gary Blade Purchase :

Track : 8 Title : Meet Me Halfway (Richard Vission Remix) Artist : Black Eyed Peas Purchase :

Track : 9 Title : Make Me (Dave Aude Club Mix) Artist : Janet Purchase :

Track : 10 Title : Fresh Out The Oven (Space Cowboy Remix) Artist : Lola a.k.a. Jennifer Lopez Purchase :

Track : 11 Title : Supernature ‘09 (Club Mix) Artist : Cerrone Purchase :

Track : 12 Title : I Like Boys (Dystonix Mix) Artist : Nahja Purchase :

Track : 13 Title : 3 (Groove Police Club Mix) Artist : Britney Spears Purchase :

Track : 14 Title : Everybody In Love (Cahill Club Mix) Artist : JLS Purchase :

Track : 15 Title : I Wish (Cahill Club Mix) Artist : Mini Viva Purchase :

Track : 16 Title : World of Change (Lissat & Voltaxx Remix) Artist : Sonique Purchase :

Track : 17 Title : One Love (Extended) Artist : David Guetta feat. Estelle Purchase :

Track : 18 Title : Come Back (Sunfreakz Extended Mix) Artist : Sophia May Purchase :

Track : 19 Title : Sweet Disposition (Morgan Page Remix)) Artist : The Temper Trap Purchase :

Track : 20 Title : Undisclosed Desires (Thin White Duke Club Mix) Artist : Muse Purchase :

Cue File : http://www.mediafire.com/?qwovozt1yox

I’ve seldom failed at anything I’ve ever attempted (though it does happen, cigarettes come to mind, but soon).  Even at things that I didn’t particularly like, as in my past job with AT&T, I still excelled at what I did because it paid the bills and then some.  I remember being bored in college and dropped out to run one of the failing shoe stores my father had in South Texas.  I observed the daily operations and our customer’s purchasing patterns for about 30 days; then I went back to my dad with some recommendations.  Within six months, business doubled.  By the end of the first year, I completely remodeled and modernized the store.  By the end of the next year, we went from a measly $200,000 a year to quadruple that amount in sales.  I was hands on from creating these elaborate store front windows to meeting the discriminatory needs of an upscale client with a taste for beads, jewels and metallics.  Separating ourselves from the department store chains, I was able to develop a niche market that was very successful.  It is that same work ethic that I have used here and elsewhere that has given me great success in many of my endeavors.

While running the store in 1994, I began to experience a great deal of pain in my legs.  Ultimately, I was told I would never walk again.  Not satisfied with the answers I was getting, I sought out specialist from South Texas, to Houston and Dallas looking for a solution.  In fact, I never even got an official diagnosis until this past year.  Very simple, spinal myelopathy due to advanced HIV.  Now, how hard was that?  In May of this year, I was sent to yet another neurologist for some back issues I was having.  He immediately starts doing this routine that most of these guys do when they’re checking your spasticity.  I informed him that I was just there for the back issue and had given up on all the bullshit I’ve had to tolerate from his profession (no offense to him of course).  He then looks at me and very plainly states “I can have you walking in two weeks.”   Woa…hold on there cowboy!  Seriously doctor, I just wasted over a month at the Sheppard Center (world renowned spinal center where Christopher Reeves went to) while they tried to use this contraption to stimulate my nerves to walk again.  Of course, I found out later that insurance doesn’t cover it and for good reason.  IT DOESN’T WORK except on maybe less than .5% of people with similar issues.  He then proceeds to tell me about an operation where they implant this iPod sized contraption into my abdomen where it drips a drug called Baclofen into my spine.  The process is called ITB therapy using a mechanized pump that contains a reservoir of the drug and that can easily be adjusted via a hand held device to deliver the proper dosage.  It’s been used successfully in treating MS, pain management and a whole host of other ailments that can afflict the nervous system.  I had to think about this and did my own research, only to find that this procedure has been around since the early 90s and never once presented to me as an option; even when I was shitting Cadillac insurance policies out of my ass!  The overall success rate is very good, so naturally I was excited about the prospect of walking unassisted for the first time in over 10 years.

Flash forward to September when I had the operation.  Many of you that follow me on my personal page probably saw my notes about the complications and severe pain I went through afterward.  Despite experiencing what might be permanent hearing loss (I have to ask Rick to repeat what he’s saying multiple times) everything else has resumed to normalcy.  By late October, I was ready to begin PT with the recommendation I do water therapy.  Despite the fact that I have always been proactive in my health and don’t just take doctor’s orders without questioning them, I didn’t make any argument against it.  Even though, I have used that type of therapy in the past with little success, muchless improvement.  One week into the therapy, I did see some minor improvements and asked the doctor to increase my drip by 100mg (50mg would be normal increase).  Obviously, this was a very bad idea, yet he made no attempt to discourage me.  For over two weeks I tried to stick it out, but couldn’t tolerate it.  My entire body felt like jelly and I could barely support my body.  During the same visit, I also implied that I might hire a personal trainer to help with leg strengthening from the atrophy I incurred from years of poor walking and lack of proper exercise.  His only remark was to not hurt myself. 

The following week, I was in really bad shape and had to cancel my next appointment for water therapy.  The next day, the therapist called and cancelled that appointment.  She then calls back and reschedules for the following day.  When I go in, half way through our session, she informs me that she will be cancelling our future sessions as she didn’t feel there was anything else she could do for me.  Okay, so what now?  I call the doctor’s office the next day asking to speak with him and he basically tells me “to ride it out” with the personal trainer (you know, the one I haven’t even hired yet).  Geez, I wasn’t planning on hiring him full-time.   So, that’s the direction I was forced to take.  Anyone that has ever had a really good personal trainer knows they aren’t cheap.  So yeah, after paying our monthly bills, there isn’t much left over. 

I have made significant progress with Stephen my trainer; so much so I need to get off this rollator or as I like to call it my “man purse on wheels” and move to a cane.  The only problem, I need some professional gait training and at this point, it is not clear as to whether the doctor is willing to help me or not.  Maybe I offended him by suggesting a trainer in the first place.  I don’t know because he and I are not really communicating.  I’m trying to get scheduled after Thanksgiving with him and need to work out whatever it is between us.  I know you’re probably thinking “why not go to another specialist.”  Because, insurance won’t cover the liquid Baclofen which is $1,000 everytime I need a refill, which will be several times a year.  The doctor is covering all these expenses, which basically ties me to him, at least until I make my first million : ) 

As you can see, I really need to work this thing out.  I can’t do it without him.  Which, leads me to my opening statement about having never failed at things I attempt.  Since I lost my job in 2007, I’ve had plenty of interviews.  Prospective employers love my resume, they’re impressed with my phone interview, but when it comes to our face to face, I just don’t get the job.  I had been working with the Georgia Department of Labor just to get certified “disabled” by government standards so I could get preferential consideration for a/any government job.  That process took over a year and was humiliating to say the least, as they treated me as if I was one of their mentally challenged clients.  Then, when I get to the end of all the idiotic testing, I find out they don’t know how to fill out the paperwork, don’t know the procedures or anything about the process the government has in place for employing “status” candidates.  Frankly, I don’t like having to rely on other people for things I should be able to do on my own.  My current situation is one of those things.  Yet, I understand that I can’t do this without the good doctor’s generosity or help. 

Last week when I closed down Party Favorz, albeit temporarily, I was angry, tired, frustrated and felt like I had been banging my head against a wall, with little to show for it.  I’ve given up a lot to have this procedure done and it just seemed like it was all about to be flushed down the toilet for no good reason.  Over the next couple of days, a cooler head prevailed.  Certainly all the personal emails and well-wishes from you guys broke my heart.  One of you even managed to make me cry and that’s not an easy thing to do.  My intention for this site has moved far beyond my initial goal of keeping myself busy until something came along.  I’ve decided against continuing my education and am hoping to be enrolled in a three month accelerated program for recording and engineering, in the spring.  This is yet another process that will involve seeking help from an outside organization (financially speaking).  It’s what I’ve always wanted to do since giving up the opportunity in 1988.  Considering the shit hole the economy is in, I can’t think of any better time than now.  With all that I’ve got going on, my primary goal at the moment is to be able to walk again, without assistance.  I’ll settle for a cane if I have to.  I tried telling myself that if this doesn’t work out, at least Stephen (my trainer) says he can have me bikini ready by the spring LOL.  Frankly, I want to have my cake and eat it too; and that’s what I plan on doing.

Just so everyone knows, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.  Your kind emails and generous well-wishes mean more to me than I could have ever imagined.  In fact, I was pretty much shocked to be hearing from people I have never heard from about my work and what it means to them.  I never realized the kind of impact I was making, which does impart a sense of selfish pride on my part.  For all of that, I just want to say “thank you, thank you, thank you!”  Often times life can seem hopeless and impossible.  I know, because Rick and I are dealing with some pretty steep challenges at the moment.  Separately and together, his problems are my problems and vice versa.  With hard work and determination, I know we can make it happen.  So stick around, I may just surprise the hell out of everyone one day soon.  -K