Groove Line

Here’s a musical itinerary to places near and far!

Destination: Miami, FL
During the last weekend of March South Florida once again will be the center of the dance music universe as DJs, producers, record label personnel, and plain ole fans and party people from around the world show up for the Winter Music Conference. Part of WMC is much like a typical industry convention with display booths featuring new equipment and technology and with panel discussions regarding the pressing issues of the day. But the part of WMC that is unlike any other industry confab is the non-stop - and at times over-the-top - parties and gatherings featuring the world’s biggest DJ names and dance artists at venues all around town. Some have compared WMC to a gay circuit party, but in fact WMC makes a circuit event look like a small town high school homecoming dance. This is partying on a grand scale; amateurs need not show up.

Destination: The Internet
Yes I admit that I’m biased toward - and have a vested interest in - Fusion Chicago, the Internet radio station, but even if I were totally objective I’d still be recommending this dance music outlet to you. In addition to my weekly Sunday night Groove Line show, which features the best that the global house scene has to offer, Fusion has two other mixshows that truly know how to deliver . On Friday nights from 10 pm – 11 pm, DJ Spinn gets the weekend off to an incredible start with his New York City-influenced style that has him blending tribal, hard house and Latin beats to perfect effect. Then on Saturday nights from 10 pm - midnight, Indy’s DJ Deanne (a Fireball ’05 Welcome Center DJ) creates peak hour excitement to match what you might get were you to actually go out clubbing. Catch Fusion directly from their web site (www.fusionchicago.com) or via iTunes Radio (they are listed in the Electronica sub group of stations)

Destination: London, United Kingdom
If you haven’t heard of Goldfrapp yet, then you need to get with it. The British duo – Alison Goldfrapp & Will Gregory - had two hit singles in 2003 with “Strict Machine” and “Train” and are now about to release their third album called Supernature (Mute Records) here in the U.S. Already a chart-topping success in the U.K., the 11-track Supenature demonstrates Goldfrapp’s complete artistic control of their pioneering electronic sound and crystalline vocals. This is subversive, edgy electro-pop music, with just a bit if funk added in at times, bathed in a “discotronic” soundscape. Fun stuff indeed!

Destination: CD Player & The Dance Floor
Heather Headley, has released her second album called In My Mind (RCA Records) and it is sure to return her to the R&B and pop musical limelight. This 12-track CD project is highlighted by production assistance from the likes of Babyface, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and India.Arie. The first single, the title track “In My Mind” is a phenomenal song in its own right and has fantastic remixes that will move dance floors. The Dave Hernandez mixes have a wonderful transcontinental feel, combining melodic guitars reminiscent of West Coast house with the soulful pianos of East Coast garage. The fuller sounding Freemason mixes contain an infectious general house groove that will undoubtedly attract folks to the dance floor when played.

Destination: Tel Aviv, Israel
Israeli superstar DJ Offer Nissim has been making quite a name for himself this past year: a critically acclaimed artist album of dance tracks was released in May 2005 and he’s had numerous impressive DJing performances around the world. He keeps the momentum going with the recently released maxi-single, “First Time” (Star 69 Records), which features Maya on vocals. This song, with remixes by Peter Rauhofer, Hector Fonseca, Airmale, and Ohzee & the Butcha, is already in heavy rotation with the likes of Carl Cox and Paul Van Dyk and is sure to climb global dance charts. In addition, the maxi-single contains the unreleased “On My Own.” Further evidence of Offer Nissim’s burgeoning success: he’ll be one of the DJs at this year’s Saint-At-Large Black Party in NYC later this month.

Destination: Cable Television
Currently, the most compelling reality show - in a very tragic “I-can’t-believe-they-are-debasing-themselves-in-this-manner” - is VH1’s The Flavor Of Love . In this weekly Bachelor-esque show, a group of 20 women have been vying for the attention and affection of Flavor Flav, the gold-toothed hype-man of the legendary rap group Public Enemy who famously wears super large clock necklaces. This show is so low brow - with its Red Lobster dates, blind-folded sniff tests, and the girls spitting loogies at each other – it’s only slightly above Paris Hilton’s The Simple Life.

Destination: San Francisco, CA
The folks at San Francisco - based Om Records have been pumping out high-quality and stellar house music for 10 years now and as a celebration they are releasing a 3-CD set called OM:10 – A Decade of Future Music . The release contains both new and never before released tracks as well as classics from the entire Om roster, which includes Kaskade, Marquess Wyatt, Colette, Groove Junkies, Afro-Mystic, and Chicago legend Mark Farina. From Om’s trademark jackin’ funky deep house to soul based hip hop, to groovin’ downtempo, OM:10 has a little bit of something for everyone! This is a real treat and a must-have for all serious house-heads.