The Audiofiles: Manic Monday – No Gloom in My June

“I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.” ― Oscar Wilde

Though I’m sure my parents would readily disagree with this statement – I don’t consider myself much of a whiner or a complainer; the fact of the matter is that I’m an only child – and twice over at that with divorced parents.  But that’s totally a story for another day – bottom line: the only type of wine I like comes in a glass and is paired with cheese.  That said – BLAAARG: <y Aunt has been at Mass-Gen with some rare, tropical illness that no one’s ever heard of or knows how to treat and – this isn’t me exaggerating to get my point across, or get your sympathy – she would’ve died last week if it weren’t for the quick thinking and overwhelming concern from a family friend. When ten of the best specialists in the world are running around like chickens with their heads cut off asking for “Dr.House” you know you’re in for a hell of a ride; thankfully, my family is rock solid and we’re sending all of our energy to get her better. To boot,  I’ve had a whale of a time dealing with a misanthropic apartment “manager” on various different issues and it literally makes my head want to explode and implode simultaneously. So this is me; trying to be calm, content and in the present.  This is me being constructive and moving forward.  And this is me, understanding that I can only control what is in my power; the universe has it’s own plan for all of us. 

So, that being said – I’ve been in search of an escape.  Most people view escapism as something external: somewhere you go or a new place to rest your existence.  But, why limit yourself?  To escape is to literally break free of confinement, control and convention – did you ever stop and think that all those mechanisms exist in your mind?  This weekend ended up being about an internal escape, a sort of manifest-destiny of the mind of you will.  I had great company, good food, roamed the streets in the sunshine and had at least 8 hours of sleep each night; suffice it to say, I forgot how amazing detoxing can be! But now that we’re here – at Monday – again, I need something to pick me up. I was diagnosed with a fainting disorder a few years ago so with no caffeine in my diet, I leave it up to music to soothe my soul – here are some of my go-to, feel-good jams that make you just want to dance, love and break things (in the best of ways, of course!).  Enjoy, and I hope your Monday is just as manic as you need it to be.

 

Playlist:

  1. Depeche Mode – Soothe My Soul (Steve Angello & Jaques Lu Cont Remix)
  2. Empire of the Sun – Alive (Zedd Remix)
  3. SubFocus ft Alex Clare – Endorphins (Tommy Trash Remix)
  4. Above & Beyond – Walter White
  5. Disclosure ft Eliza Doolittle – You & Me (Baauer Remix)
  6. The Partysquad – Lighterman (Krafty Kuts Skank Remix)
  7. MitiS ft Collin McLoughlin – Born
  8. J Majik & Wickaman – Life Me Up
  9. Duke Dumont – Lean N Bounce
  10. Armin van Buuren ft Trevor Guthrie – This Is What It Feels Like (W&W Remix)
  11. Maison & Dragen – Wet Dreams
  12. Hard Rock Sofa & Dirty Shade – Collapsar
  13. Submatik – Stories Can Wait
  14. Will Sparks – Ah Yeah (TJR Edit)
  15. Wallpaper. – Good 4 It (Laidback Luke Goes Melbourne Vocal Mix)
  16. Benga – Midnight
  17. Oliver – MYB
  18. Sleepy Tom – Hit Em
  19. Skrillex ft Alvin Risk – Imma Try It Out

Wednesday Dance Break

So, here we are – Wednesday of a fabulous, four day work week; half begun and half done at the same time, it doesn’t get much better than this.  We’ve been blessed with phenomenal weather for the past week and my time has been consumed with great company and amazing food; believe you me, there are absolutely no complaints from this little kitten!

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Since we had Monday off, I only need to be in the office one day this week – leave it to my coworkers to keep it interesting though: I got in this morning to a stripped down desk; rut roh!  Apparently, five coworkers were playing ‘Musical Cubes’ right before the three day weekend and somewhere, someone had the bright idea to move all of my stuff too.  Now that the dust has settled and I’m back on the computers grinding it out, I definitely need something to get my heart beating, feet moving and fingers tapping – so thank goodness I have a couple kickass mixes to keep me going today.

The first mix is from Mister Tommie Sunshine – who lately has caused quite a stir in the EDM world with his recent article on the growth of EDM in the music community, as well as the industry at large.  Originally, the article was published in the Huffington Post but since then it’s made its way around the interwebs with lightning fast speed.  Known for smashing basslines and eardrums, Tommie Sunshine pays homage to his Chicago House roots and lays down the funk; he even includes a few tracks from a local favorite in LA: the Hot Natured crew!

Tracklisting:

  1. Duke Dumont – The Giver
  2. Debora & Hannah Holland – Fight [Citizen Remix]
  3. Dan Beaumont & Terry Farley – Fire
  4. Rudimental feat. John Newman & Alex Clare – Not Giving In [Huxley Remix]
  5. Jamie Jones – Road To The Studio [Fly Mix]
  6. Northbrook – Dance [Tommie Sunshine Dub]
  7. Jamie Jones – No Rush
  8. Lana Del Rey – Blue Jeans [Omid 16B Remix]
  9. Aphex Twin – Windowlicker [Tiger Stripes Remix]
  10. Sidney Charles – House Lesson
  11. Jesse Rose – Love The Feeling High feat. Ed Weathers
  12. Deichkind – Leider Geil [Solomun Dub]
  13. Deboa & Hannah Holland – Skentello [Donewrong Miami Mix]
  14. Ts7 – Heartlight (Polygon)
  15. Fake Blood – All In The Blink
  16. Duke Dumont – Need U (100%) feat. A*M*E & MNEK
  17. Chromatics – Ceremony feat. Ida No

This second mix is from Wolfgang Gartner and was released by good people of Dancing Astronaut earlier today; every once in a while, Wolfgang really surprises me.  Granted, I’ve actually never enjoyed a show of his live – but I love the production value in all of his tracks, the liberties he takes in his unreleased material and the constant evolution of him as an artist.  After listening to this lovely little 90’s throwback mix I’m a little more inclined than usual to give him another chance:

Up in the number three spot, is my main DJ crush of the past year: the man, the myth, the legend, the Lee Burridge! I’ve been to three separate All Day I Dream events and each was better than the last; I’m so excited to see what he does next – but in the meantime, check out this mix from the Robot Heart bus at Burning Man 2011.

Today’s 4pm, in the homestretch tunes, are brought to you by the letters W&W.  They blew me away when I saw them close for Cosmic Gate last month, and their weekly podcast – Mainstage- is what gets me through my morning runs: you just can’t help but move!

Doing it Right: Making 28 Look Good

This past weekend I celebrated my 28th birthday out in Los Angeles and Hollywood with some of my closest friends and I honestly can’t stop smiling from ear to ear when reminiscing; it was one of the best weekends of my life and hands down the best birthday celebration I’ve ever had =)  Here are some of the highlights…

Friday Night – Round 1, Thirsty Crow & Los Globos

My Ladies

Saturday Night, Round 2 – Cosmic Gate + W&W at the Hollywood Palladium

Cosmic Gate

W&W

3:45 in the morning and packed as all hell…