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This is the time of year that all is right
with the world. New projects are flowing, warm weather is on
the horizon and the Winter Music Conference is in full swing!
True, my schedule is also at its fullest during this event as
there are panels during the day and the endless parties at night
and I can count on getting virtually no sleep for a week and
existing on pure caffeine but...this is definitely what keeps
me in the business. It is the one place that artists, industry
people and fans can all come together as equals. It gives artists
and producers a chance to launch new material, fans a chance
to get up close and personal, and industry people a chance to
network like no other convention can. It is a place to all come
together and celebrate the music that we love best!
Speaking of celebrating, Robyn Z certainly
has a lot to celebrate with her new release. I think that she
will agree with me when I say that she produced her best work
ever with the delivery of her brand new baby boy Hunter Stone
Crompton on December 7, 2000 by cesarean section at 4:49 PM.
He weighed in at 7 lbs. 9 oz. and was 19" long. During her
pregnancy, Robyn began writing a song about Hunter entitled "My
Little Star" and hopes to release this as well as other
material in the near future. "This song is all about my
son, what he means in my life and how it has dramatically changed
now that he is here in my arms," Robyn says. In addition
to caring for her family, Robyn has also been working with some
of the west coast producers and hopes to bring that Bay Area
sound to her debut album.
Since I mentioned Bay Area producers, that
brings Randy Taylor-Weber to my mind. Have any of you heard his
track "I Must Go On" by Julissa? I know that I have
mentioned the comps that the song is on, DMA Freestyle Flava
3 and Galaxy Freestyle Dance 2 several times before, but this
track is simply awesome and worth mentioning again. It has the
fresh freestyle sound that we all love from Randy but, Julissa's
vocals are simply incredible. He has done several remixes that
are soon to be available on vinyl and maxi CD and are sure to
get heavy airplay. If you haven't discovered this yet, get the
comps right away because this is by far one of the best songs
I have heard in a very long time.
I received a special call this month from
one of my favorite freestyle artists ...none other than Angelina
herself! I have been getting so many letters asking about her
new release that I just couldn't resist pumping her for info
on what she has lined up next. With all of the fierce competition
these days, she wasn't ready to spill all the beans but here
is what she had to tell us.
"I'm really excited about the new
album," she says. "It's the best work I've ever done.
I can't tell you the producers that we have been working with
but I guarantee that it will be a big surprise because they are
very well known in the dance music industry and each one adds
their own flavor. We've really branched out in the selection
of people that we are working with on this project. I've had
a lot more control over the direction of this new release. We've
taken our time to assure that there will be something to please
all tastes from pop to freestyle to house. We've done over 30
solid tracks and now it's down to figuring out which ones represent
our music best. So, wish me luck because they say that the third
time is the charm!"
Although she wouldn't reveal the name of
the new CD, at press time it has a street date of March 28, so
by the time this column is on newsstands we will only have a
very short wait to see what she and Upstairs Records have in
store (no pun intended) for us. Angelina is one of freestyle's
best known artists and her music has opened many doors for our
artists at radio all across the country. I for one can't wait
to hear what she has been working on for so long and seriously
hope that all of you will support her by picking up your very
own copy of the album from your local retailer.
For a very long time now many of us have
felt that the market has been over-saturated with way too many
compilations that are of poor quality. I have been one of the
people voicing this complaint the loudest. However, there is
a brand new label called Silverback Records that has released
a collection that very well may just set the new standard of
quality. It is called The SBP Product and contains 12 tracks
by many new artists. The label is going to be working radio on
select tracks, the first of which will be "What Am I To
Do" featuring DJ Pauly. For those of you that do not recognize
the name, DJ Pauly is an on air personality for Orlando's WPYO
95.3 Party FM. He can be heard daily 5 to 9:30 AM on "The
Marc & Pauly Show." Needless to say, this comp will
definitely be getting some love from the Florida market and justifiably
so, as the music on this CD really blows me away. All of the
music has that new breakbeat sound that is hitting out of Florida
mixed with a traditional freestyle feel. It is one of the hottest
things to land on my desk in ages and I am really expecting big
things from it. As if quality wasn't enough there is also a remix
of the classic "Those Were The Times" by its original
artist Miguel Reyes. This song was first released in 1994 and
blew up in several key markets across the country and received
heavy spins at radio launching Reyes' solo career. You have got
to check out this release or you will really be missing out.
Freestyle veteran Tolga Katas will soon
be reemerging into the dance scene with the launch of his new
west coast based label TFK Records (818-980-3980). Tolga has
been involved with many stages of freestyle from producing and
writing six albums for Stevie B (including Stevie's top Billboard
hit "Dream About You") and two albums for Linear (including
Linear's multi platinum #1 Dance smash and top five charter "Sending
All My Love") to owning two very successful record labels,
Futura and Summit Entertainment. Futura spawned "Sending
All My Love" and Summit delivered the smash by MTS titled
"I'll Be Alright." Tolga says "TFK Records will
be committed to developing dance music and bringing it to the
mainstream. Our goal is to put our music back in the spotlight."
If his past accomplishments are any indication of what he can
accomplish, Tolga is sure to make a mark with his new venture.
There is no official release schedule at this time but, I will
keep you posted. (Here's a little freestyle trivia tip for you
- Robyn Z actually interned for Tolga in the Summit Entertainment
days...small world huh?)
Anyone remember Nocera? She was the original
artist to release "Summertime, Summertime" and "Let's
Go." She has hit the scene once again with her new project
called "Voice Of The Satellites." The good news is
that this CD features her unique sense of melody and crafty lyrics.
The bad news is that while this album is full of trip hop and
break beats it is also heavily laced with drum and bass giving
a very electronica feel. (Well, not really bad news because it
is a great dance project...it's just not freestyle).
Whew...there was a lot to cover this month.
It looks as if our music is really heating up for the summer
months ahead. If you are reading this at WMC, be safe, and if
you are reading it from home, try and join us next year, as this
is THE dance event of the year.
Upon closing, I just want to take a minute
and thank all of you for your kind e-mails and letters as well
as those of you that have sent packages. Your support is greatly
appreciated by myself and everyone else here at DMA. Until next
month take care and remember, it's all about the music!
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