Groove Line

Groovin' Around The Internet
While the world seems obsessed these days with iPods and other mp3 players that provide a wide range of music in shuffle presentation mode, there is still a large number of folks who want to listen to a steady diet of dance music and continuous DJ mixes while surfing the net. I have written about Fusion Radio Chicago in the past and still highly recommend it; however, other dance music outlets are out there, three of which I think are worthy of your attention.

If mixes by the big name DJs that regularly appear on the national gay club and circuit scene are what you desire, then I highly recommend www.MaryRadio.net . It plays radio edits of dance tracks as well continuous mixes from the likes of Roland Belmares, Peter Rauhofer, Kimberly S, Offer Nissim, Manny Lehman, and Tracy Young. MaryRadio only offers its own player and frustratingly does not automatically update the Now Playing when the next song or mix comes on, but the music is on point.

Based here in Chicago is the ever-growing and increasingly popular www.BoystownLive.com , also known as BTL.com. Programmed with a non-stop presentation of high-energy dance music tracks, BTL.com is reminiscent of a night of dancing at Hunters or after-hours at Charlie's. The site offers various player options, including Windows Media, Real, and Quickitme, and it conveniently gives you pertinent info about the track that is playing: artist name, song title, and which mix. You can also check out BTL on ChicagoPride.com as it became their "Pride Radio" stream this past May.

Finally, for those who like their dance music with a more classic house music sound and feel to it, there is www.DeepHousePage.com . Mixes are available and downloadable on this site from a wide range of past and present house music masters such as Frankie Knuckles, Lil' Louis, DJ Spen, Marques Wyatt, and Chicago favorites Derrick Carter, Craig Loftis, and Ralphi Rosario. The archive of mixes is really quite impressive with legendary live club sets as well as radio shows from the 1980s that originally aired on Chicago's WBMX Hot Mix 5 radio show.

Cox in A Different Light: Superstar and platinum-selling recording artist Deborah Cox is back in our consciousness with a marvelous new effort called DESTINATION MOON (Decca). Straying away from her R&B/Dance music roots, this new CD has Cox reinterpreting the works of the legendary Queen of the Blues, Dinah Washington. Expertly tackling jazz, blues, and big band genres, Cox covers Washington's biggest hits such as "All of Me," "What A Difference A Day Makes," "Misery" and "This Bitter Earth." The talent that Cox possesses has long been lauded by fans and critics alike and DESTINATION MOON is further proof of her amazing abilities.

OUT! Music: The second edition of Ultra's OUT. ANTHEMS has recently been released and is again mixed by NYC's DJ Ricardo! [No, the exclamation mark is not meant to show excitement on my part. It's actually part of his DJing moniker. Go figure.] This continuous mixed CD, which is gay-themed, is also hosted by Johnny McGovern, The Gay Pimp. Ok, let's hope they don't do the host thing again because I found it annoying with Johnny periodically bantering in-between songs. What's not annoying is the tracklisting with its wide range of dance music from the likes of David Guetta, Victor Calderone, Axwell, and Outwork. OUT. ANTHEMS 2 adeptly captures the diversity that's the hallmark of today's gay club music scene.

Another gay-targeted and marketed disc out right now is PARTY GROOVE: PRIDE 07, mixed by DJ Max Rodriquez (Centaur Music). It has been a popular continuous mix CD as its high-energy vocal tracks hit the right note and tone for summer. It starts off with a remake of "We Are Family" and includes new remixes of "Above The Clouds" by Amber and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Nikki French. This mix screams "Gay Pride!"

Lovin' Love: Based out of Minneapolis, Chuck Love is a jack-of-all-trades house music artist who I've been groovin' on for the past two years and who is surely about to make a huge global splash with the recent release of his double-CD set called BRING ENOUGH TO SPILL SOME (Om Records). Highlighting his musical and production talents, CD1 is a 14-track long-player featuring Love's original material: a collection infused with a soulful jazzy flavor that is an absolute aural delight and that gives me the same type of warm fuzzy feelings I get when I listen to Miguel Migs, Kaskade, and Afro-Mystic. He played all the instruments on these songs and on his two biggest hits, "Spread The Love" and "Soul Symphony," enlisted the vocal talents of DeMonica and Fourfeet, respectively. Demonstrating his abilities in the DJ booth, CD2 is a continuous mix in which Love shows a trackier side to his House personality with a mixture of old favorites and new bangers. The mix has a Farina-esque flair to it, includes all Love remixes, and features tracks by the likes of Andy Caldwell and Colette. BRING ENOUGH TO SPILL SOME is a fantastically complete package that loudly announces that Love can do it all, and that includes him being a house music star.

Shuffle. -Press Play-
There are three singles I'm recommending for immediate addition to your MP3 Playlist. First up is "Stay" by Simply Red. Remixer Grant Nelson transforms the album version ballad into a soulful groovy house track while the 7th Heaven treatments have a bit more energy and a "T-Dance on the terrace" appeal. The red hot Rihanna has just released another single from her new CD GOOD GIRL GONE BAD (Island Def Jam). "Don't Stop The Music" is sure to please her many fans and three sets of remixes by Jody den Broeder, Wideboys, and Solitaire is sure to lead to wide-spread iPod and club play. The final iPod addition is Valeria's "Girl I Told Ya" featuring Aria. A tad bit annoying in its album form, it becomes an infectious piece of electro-pop-dance once remixers Dave Aude and Trent Cantrelle get their hands on it. This has Berlin on a Friday night with DJ Greg Haus written all over it.

Long-Player Recommendations –
ELEMENTS OF LIFE – DJ Tiësto (Ultra Records). An artist album with 12 unmixed dance tracks by the #1 DJ in the world (at least that's what the influential DJ Mag says about him). There's some really good music on this CD including "Carpe Noctum" and the global hit "Dance4Life." Tiësto proves he's more than just a trance DJ; he truly is an artist.

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE WORLD – Erasure (Mute). This British duo – Andy Bell and Vince Clark – has sold more than 20 millions albums worldwide throughout their enduring career and are set to add to that number with this "back to basics" Erasure sounding long-player.

NEW YORK CLUB ANTHEMS: VOL.2 - Various Artists (Star 69). This fantastic continuously mixed CD by Hector Fonseca features that driving tribalectric sound that's been rocking Gotham of late. It's filled with playful and imminently danceable beats that are tough, funky, and groovy all at once.