Lindsey Stirling – Amazing Electronic Violinist

Posted on March 8, 2013 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

I was introduced to Lindsey Stirling and her music about a year ago. I am a member of Conscious Dance Deejays and there is where I was pointed to her music.

From the Conscious Dance Deejays Site:

“Our group is for people who provide music for: freestyle dances, ecstatic dances, dance jams, barefoot boogies, healing dances, dance rituals, community dances, contact improvisation, Earthdance, 5Rhythms (TM), Sweat Your Prayers (TM), Nia, Soul Motion (TM), Body Choir (TM), Core Connexion, Biodanza, or any dance form promoting freedom of expression and/or positive social or individual change.”

For those who may not of heard of Lindsey Stirling, she is amazing! I love her music, mission and intention as an artist and woman.

Lindsey Stirling Crystalize Music Video

Lindsey Stirling (born on September 21, 1986) is an American violinist, musician, dancer, performance artist, and composer. She presents choreographed violin performances, both live and in music videos found on her YouTube channel, Lindseystomp, which she introduced in 2007. In 2010, Stirling was a quarter-finalist on the fifth season of America’s Got Talent, where she was known as the Hip Hop Violinist.

Since 2010, Lindsey Stirling has released a self-titled album, an EP, and several singles. She performs a variety of music styles, from classical to pop and hip-hop to dubstep. Aside from original work, her discography contains covers of songs by other musicians and various soundtracks.

In December 2012, YouTube announced that Lindsey Stirling’s song, “Crystallize”, was the #8 top viewed video of 2012 with over 42 Million views. Stirling recently completed collaborations with Youtube Artists Tyler Ward and Pentatonix.

Lindsey Stirling Elements Music Video

Lindsey Stirling was born in Orange County, California and grew up in Gilbert, Arizona. She moved to Provo, Utah to attend Brigham Young University to study therapeutic recreation. She resided in Provo until December 2012, then moved back to Arizona to be closer to her family.

At the age of 5, after being influenced by the classical music records played by her father, Stirling began to study the violin. She took private lessons for 12 years. When she was 16, she joined a rock band with four friends called Stomp on Melvin. As part of her experience with Stomp on Melvin, Stirling wrote a solo violin rock song, and her performance helped her to win the state title ofArizona‘s Junior Miss and claim the Spirit Award in the America’s Junior Miss Finals competition. Lindsey Stirling was also a member of the Charlie Jenkins Band.

Lindsey Stirling Silent Night Music Video

In 2010, at the age of 23,Lindsey Stirling was a quarter-finalist on the fifth season of America’s Got Talent, where she was described as a “hip hop violinist”. Stirling’s performances were dubbed “electrifying” by the judges, and won the acclaim of the audience, but after she attempted to step up the dance level in her quarter-final performance judge Piers Morgan told her, “You’re not untalented, but you’re not good enough to get away with flying through the air and trying to play the violin at the same time”. Sharon Osbourne commented, “You need to be in a group. … What you’re doing is not enough to fill a theater in Vegas”. In her blog, Stirling confided, “I was devastated at the results … It was painful, and a bit humiliating; however, I had to relearn where it was that I drew my strength”. Stirling decided to continue to embrace her unique style of performance, promoting herself on the Internet. In a 2012 interview she remarked, “A lot of people have told me along the way that my style and the music I do … is unmarketable. But the only reason I’m successful is because I have stayed true to myself”.

Shortly after her performance on America’s Got Talent, cinematographer Devin Graham contacted her in hopes of making a YouTube video together. They agreed to shoot a music video for her song, “Spontaneous Me”. It was filmed the week of May 9, 2011. The video boosted Stirling’s popularity, and she began making music videos for her YouTube channel regularly. Graham has filmed almost all of her videos, while Stirling often does backup camera work and assists with his music videos. Stirling’s YouTube channel, Lindseystomp, which she created in 2007 and which is named after her first band “Stomp on Melvin”, is the main repository for her music videos. During 2011, the channel rapidly gained popularity and has over 242 million total views and over 1.5 million subscribers, as of February 2013. Her music is featured on Pandora, Spotify, and Last.FM. Lindsey Stirling also created a second YouTube channel, LindseyTime, in September 2012, in which she posts videos related to her life, vlogs, behind-the-scenes content, etc.

Lindsey Stirling performing at VidCon 2012.

Lindsey Stirling has experimented in combining violin playing with hip hop and dubstep. Stirling’s collaborations with other musicians and singers have included Shaun Barrowes (on “Don’t Carry It All” – The Decemberists), Jake Bruene and Frank Sacramone (on “Party Rock Anthem” – LMFAO), Tay Zonday (on “Mama Economy”), Peter Hollens (on “Skyrim” and later with “Game of Thrones”), Alisha Popat (on “We Found Love”), John Allred (on “Tomb”), Kurt Schneider and Amiee Proal (on A Thousand Years), Megan Nicole (on “Starships”), and The Piano Guys (on “Mission Impossible”). She has also collaborated with the Salt Lake Pops orchestra and Alex Boye. Stirling’s debut album was released on September 18, 2012 in conjunction with a North American tour that same month.

Lindsey Stirling Cover Macklemore Thrift Shop Music Video

This is hysterical! I appreciate such a passionate and talented musician like Lindsey Stirling can make such a fun and playful video.

What do you think of Lindsey Stirling and her music? What Lindsey Stirling song did you like best?

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ

Your Party, Your Music, Your DJ

973.908.8147

DJMysticalMichael@gmail.com

Macklemore Thrift Shop

Posted on March 4, 2013 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

From the first time I heard Macklemore Thrift Shop, I knew this was a song I would play again and again, and it would be a hit. I did not know how much of a hit Macklemore Thrift Shop would be though. As someone who enjoys shopping at thrift shops and vintage clothing stores, I am so happy there is a Pop Culture song that honors this fun, creative and well, thrifty way to shop.

Macklemore Thrift Shop Music Video (Has curses)

I typically try my best to not review songs that have graphic language but in this case I made an exception because the video is hysterical and the curses actually add the song, not just make it ‘cool’.

Macklemore Thrift Shop Story

“Macklemore Thrift Shop illustrates the speaker’s interest in buying cheap clothing from thrift shops, disdaining designer labels and trends. He claims to enjoy donning “your grandad’s clothes” and impulsively buying something just because “it was 99 cents”. Macklemore spoke to MTV News about the meaning of the song: “Rappers talk about, oh I buy this and I buy that, and I spend this much money and I make it rain, and this type of champagne and painting the club, and this is the kind of record that’s the exact opposite,” he explained. “It’s the polar opposite of it. It’s kind of standing for like let’s save some money, let’s keep some money away, let’s spend as little as possible and look as fresh as possible at the same time.” Upon asked why he thought the track was so successful, Macklemore replied: “I think hip-hop goes in waves, and it’s something that’s different. It’s a concept. It’s obviously against the status quo of what people normally rap about. This is a song that goes against all of that. How much can you save? How fresh can you look by not looking like anybody else? And on top of that, you have an infectious beat and a hook that gets stuck in people’s heads.” The song has been called a critique of the product placement common in modern hip hop.”

Macklemore Thrift Shop is a song by Seattle-based American rapper Macklemore and his producer Ryan Lewis. It was released as the fifth and final single from their collaborative debut studio album The Heist (2012) on October 8, 2012 and features vocals from Wanz. Despite being released on Macklemore’s independent label, with distribution by ADA, the single was met with unexpected commercial success, also a sleeper hit, peaking on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 1 while selling over 3 million copies in total, also reaching number 1 in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, France, Denmark, Australia and New Zealand. The song is the first independently-distributed title to top the Billboard Digital Songs since “We Are the World 25 for Haiti” in February 2010. It is also the second independent song in history to achieve the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, nearly 20 years after Lisa Loeb‘s “Stay (I Missed You)” in 1994. A music video was released to accompany the song’s release.

What could make me happier as a DJ than a song that reaches Billboard #1 about a thrift shop, being unique on an independent label! Thank you Macklemore Thrift Shop for providing some hope to the American record industry.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ

DJ Urban and Old Skool Mix 2010

Posted on February 10, 2013 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

A friend of mine was Security at a small club in a country club in Freehold, NJ I was professional DJ during the Winter of 2010/2011. He seemed to not appreciate most of the DJs there but we became friends quickly. He shared that I was the one professional DJ he heard during his eighteen years as Bouncer and Security at many clubs that the professional DJ understood the concept of diversity in music to build a good client base at a club. I used to laugh when he said this, because it seems so obvious to me but not to many professional DJs. I do not say this with arrogance, I truly just don’t get it why so may DJs clutch to one genre so fiercely.

DJ Urban and Old Skool Mix 2010

Urban & Old Skool Mix 2010 - DJ Mystical Michael

Before I left the club, I made him a mix of his favorite songs and think it is a fun mix of music from that year including R&B, Dance, Hip Hop and Pop with some old classics as well. That was the basis for the DJ Urban and Old Skool Mix 2010.

Let me know what you think of The DJ Urban and Old Skool Mix 2010.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

The Beastie Boys (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)

Posted on February 10, 2013 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

The Beastie Boys (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)is a classic song and The Beastie Boys are legends that have left a legacy across genre and generations. I remember when I was the professional DJ at a graduation party for a friend of mine. Halfway through the night, my friend Mark came up and handed me a record and said, “Play this”.

“What is it?”

“Don’t worry, just play it”.

It was his party so I played it. It was The Beastie Boys (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party). I was hooked. Very few artist have been as experimental and creative with their bold attempts to try few things for themselves and for all musicians simultaneously like The Beastie Boys (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party).

The Beastie Boys (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party) Music Video

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Fun-Da-Mental Ja Sha Taan

Posted on February 10, 2013 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

I have been playing Fun-Da-Mental Ja Sha Taan as a DJ for a while and it continues to grow on me. I find myself chanting Fun-Da-Mental Ja Sha Taan while walking around going about my day sometimes. As a Multicultural Wedding and Party DJ in New Jersey, I hear a lot of music and listen to a very diverse mix of grooves and jams. This one has taken over lately.

Fun-Da-Mental Ja Sha Taan

Fun-Da-Mental - Ja Sha Taan (Transglobal Underground Karachi Deathcult Mix)

If you are not familiar with the group Fun-Da-Mental, they are a British group that are often considered radical for their political views and music. They are a diverse group of musicians that typically produce Islamic World Fusion with Asian and Afro-Cuban beats and rhythms. They have gone through several reformations of their musicians but continued to create powerful, conscious music to dance and raise awareness about the treatment of Asian and Afro-Carribean British populations. I think it is important as a professional DJ we need to support artists that are willing to create music that stands for the rights of people who are marginalized or discriminated against like Fun-Da-Mental Ja Sha Taan.

“Fun-Da-Mental is a British-based multi-ethnic hip-hop–ethno-techno–world fusion music group formed in 1991. The group is notable for its energetic fusion of Eastern and Western musical forms, for its outspoken political stance, and for its strong Islamic affiliation and advocacy. Fun-Da-Mental’s political stance has led to the group earning the label “the Asian Public Enemy“. The group’s work has led to international attention and collaborations with artists from Pakistan, South Africa and Siberia.” Wikipedia

Listen to Fun-Da-Mental Ja Sha Taan and crank it up! Just make sure you have enough room to move, this is forceful and addictive. You have been warned.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Janet Jackson If

Posted on February 5, 2013 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

This past Saturday night I felt inspired to put together a Janet Jackson medley while mixing at a professional DJ gig that began with Janet Jackson If. I am surprised she is not played more these days. Her music is so well designed for dancing and creative movement. Her vocals are soft and somehow forceful and sensual simultaneously.

Janet Jackson is the first and only artist in history to produce seven top five hits from one album, Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814. In addition to receiving recognition for the innovation in her records, choreography, music videos, and prominence on radio airplay and MTV, she was acknowledged as a role model for her socially conscious lyrics.

Janet Jackson If Music Video

I remember driving kids in the van we used to pick them up from school to the program I was coordinating at the time. They played Janet Jackson If again and again, and the girls would practice all her dance steps every day while we were getting ready to begin. I got to know every beat of Janet Jackson If without ever choosing to play it or listen to it:) As a long-time fan of Diana Ross and The Supremes and a professional DJ, it inspired me to hear her sample beats from them along with the powerful guitar chords that introduces the Janet Jackson If.

Janet Jackson If Story

“Janet Jackson If deals with a female narrator’s fantasies of being someone’s girlfriend. The track contains a sample from Diana Ross & the Supremes‘ 1969 song “Someday We’ll Be Together“, and is built on a heavy metal guitar riff heard throughout the song. The combination of heavy hip hop/new jack swing beats with an electric guitar and a trip hop sound was a relative departure in sound for Jackson, and an extension of styles she developed on her previous album, Rhythm Nation 1814. A remix of “If” entitled Brothers in Rhythm House Mix appears on Jackson’s 1995 remix album janet. Remixed. The single contains a B-side called “One More Chance”, a cover of a song her brother Randy wrote, produced, and performed for The Jacksons‘ 1984 Victory album.” wikipedia

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Dance School With A Mission

Posted on January 22, 2013 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

Tonight I had the opportunity to enjoy a dance performance by The Everett Company Stage School in Providence, Rhode Island, A Hip Hop Holiday. It was fun seeing local youth dance with such passion, commitment and purpose. Unfortunately, the media often portrays Hip Hop Culture as something bad and violent. Those who know better, are aware of the historical roots of Hip Hop as a Social Movement.

Fun Dance Party with Rhode Island DJ

“By 1989, hip-hop had long since graduated from its humble, thrilling origins as innovative party music in the Bronx in the late 1970s. Hip-hop had become a movement, a collective platform for African-American youth to voice frustration and inspiration alike. It had spread through inner cities and as far as suburbia, but was still seen as a sort of underground and lacked the big pop stars and cash flow of genres like R&B or rock.” (Dead Prez)

For me, it was a means of those who needed a voice to find one and speak their minds through music, verse and poetry. It was possibly the next wave of social movement after the Sixties.

Dance Saved My Life

Time, money and the record industry have shifted a significant majority of the popular mainstream Hip Hop artists message and style to meet the needs of White, suburban culture. Hip Hop often does not resemble the sound and voice of its humble beginnings as social movement for change.

Fortunately, there are many excellent dance schools like Everett that are keeping it alive and sharing it with youth of all shapes, colors and sizes. The dancers echo the deep commitment of their Creative Director, Sokeo Ros

It was a pleasure to support such a valuable piece of dance, education and culture for talented youth!

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Jay-Z Turns 43 Today!

Posted on January 20, 2013 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

Generally, when I focus a spotlight on an artist, they are someone that has had a successful musical career over several decades but Jay-Z is a unique talent and deserves special attention. Born Shawn Corey Carter, Jay-Z is one of the most popular Rappers in the world. He has brilliantly expanded his financial interests into fashion, record producing, sports, real estate and sports bars. He was raised in the Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn, NY and struggled in school and with the law. His father left him and his siblings, and in 1982, he shot his brother in the shoulder for stealing his jewelry. His mother has spoken about Sean banging beats on the kitchen table as a kid late night and keeping his brothers awake.

Jay-Z has been known for his support of President Barack Obama, global water shortages, same sex marriage, Hurricane Katrina and young voter turn-out. He has been criticized along with his wife Beyonce Knowles, for not being more politically active at times, most notably by Harry Belefonte who said they, “have turned their back on social responsibility”.

Jay-Z has Collected Fourteen Grammy Awards

Jay-Z has collected fourteen Grammy Awards, he holds the record for most number one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard Top 200 with eleven, four number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and has sold over 50 million albums worldwide. Many consider him one, if the not the greatest Rapper of all time. He is a favorite by any professional DJ who specializes with music from R&B, Hip Hop, Rap and Pop.

“Shawn Corey Knowles-Carter(né Carter; born December 4, 1969),^[2] better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in America. In 2012, Forbes estimated Carter’s net worth at nearly $500 million.” Wikipedia

Party on Wedding Dance Floor with DJ Mystical Michael Jay-Z

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Grandma Smacks Wedding DJ With Cane!

Posted on January 7, 2013 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

I know better. It would be different if I was a twenty-one year-old Wedding DJ who thinks Dance Music started with Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” or I only played Top 40, House or Hip Hop.