The Dance Music Diaries

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Heavily influenced by the sound that has ruled the Chicago & Detroit underground scenes, but also looking to the future of house & techno, Gettoblaster has been receiving a lot of attention lately for their unique take on Ghetto House. Their multi¬faceted approach to an increasingly demanding industry illustrates their ability to evolve and succeed in the international dance scene.

Gettoblaster has experienced success at an alarming rate, including having tracks played and charted by some of the industries’ biggest taste¬makers and boasting over 10 Top 100 tracks in less than 18 months on various Beatport Charts, and spreading their wings globally with artists from more than 20 different countries supporting their music. “Diamonds & Palm Trees” is currently in heavy rotation in the underground scene, catapulting to the top of Beatports' House releases by coming in at number 7.

You can’t help but feel this is the start of something big.

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T. Mixwell offers dance floors unconventional concoctions of House, Techno, and Minimal; all stirred into one big melting pot of edgy banging fun.

Every other Thursday @ 4pm-6pm CST (unless booked) “Beat Chemistry Radio"

Wednesdays 3pm-5pm CST "Beat Thesis Radio" & 4th Friday @10pm-12am CST (unless booked)

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Hers is a dedication that has driven Colette’s career for more than 15 years and counting. Never one to chase perpetually fleeting trends of dance music, her love and devotion to the authentic house sound of hometown Chicago has never flagged, and generations of diehard fans never fail to appreciate it.

A pioneer in combining live vocals with DJ set, Colette’s singular sound still continues to evolve. Over two highly successful full-length artist albums — HYPNOTIZED (2005) and PUSH (2007) — for legendary San Francisco imprint OM Records, she’s shown the panoramic range of her musical influences. Shades of soul, house and funk found on Colette’s full-length recordings reveal an artist open to infinite possibilities.

Far from anonymous dance beats, original tracks like “What Will She Do for Love” and “Feelin’ Hypnotized” have become instantly recognizable signature songs and enduring fan favorites. “If” has the distinction of hitting No. 5 on Billboard’s Dance Club Play chart.

It’s a sophisticated mix that’s been a perfect fit for big-budget Hollywood soundtracks like “Sex and the City” and “The Devil Wears Prada,” both of which featured Colette’s music prominently.

Releasing her debut single in 1995 (Mazi & Motion’s “Moments of Epiphany”), Colette’s recording and touring schedule has remained relentless ever since. From the groundbreaking formation of the all-female Superjane collective in 1997, she’s become a fixture at high-profile clubs and events around the world. Asia, South America and the Middle East have all played host to DJ Colette on the decks.

Famous for her jazzy, alto voice, Colette’s exemplary DJ skills have been well documented. With the release of her first mix CD, IN THE SUN on underground Chicago label AfterHours in 1999, her tireless work ethic and crowd-pleasing sets culminated in Colette winning the “Breakthrough DJ” award at the 2003 US Dancestar Awards in Miami.

Colette’s music has found many fans in the world of advertising as well. “Feelin’ Hypnotized” has been prominently featured in a global Motorola campaign alongside legendary DJs Felix Da Housecat and Paul Van Dyk. The spot walked away with the “Best Song in a Commercial” award at the 2004 US Dancestar Awards.

A restless spirit always seeking new ways to share her love of genuine house music, Colette co-hosted the nationally syndicated radio show “Maximum Rotation.” She and on-air partner Kevin Dees produced the show from the highly influential KIIS-FM radio station in Los Angeles from 2001 through 2004.

That same spirit has led to Colette’s latest achievement: Successfully launching the fledgling Candy Talk record label, a goal Colette has had for the better part of a decade.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. It’s a lot like why I started DJing. It allows me to have more creative control,” she enthuses about her fledgling imprint. “I only work with producers I genuinely like. Whomever I’m playing the most in my DJ sets, that’s the person I seek out to work with on Candy Talk,” she says passionately. “It’s just another aspect of the industry for me to learn.”

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Misstress Barbara (word play between Miss and Stress) is an internationally renowned electronic music artist, DJ and Producer, who has performed at some of the world’s top festivals and clubs and worked alongside music heavyweights such as Bjork, The Prodigy, Tiesto, Carl Cox, Richie Hawtin and John Digweed just to name a few.

Born as Barbara Bonfiglio in Catania, Italy, she moved with her parents to Montreal when she was almost 8 years old. Since 1996, her DJing and Productions have earned her accolades and awards, including receiving the highest prize at the 2001 MIMI Awards (Montreal International Music Initiative), the “Best Breakthrough Underground DJ” at the 2002 UK Underground Music Awards, a “Best Dance Album Of The Year” nomination at the 2010 JUNO Awards (I’m No Human/ Maple Music Recordings), a “Best Show in foreign language” nomination at 2013 ADISQ for the live show of her recent album”Many Shades of Grey” (Maple Music Recordings) and the award of “Best Montreal DJ” at the 2014 MTL Awards.

With a massively successful career that spans over 20 years playing around the globe and producing music that was released on highly respected labels such as Universal Music, John Digweed’s Bedrock Records, James Holden’s Border Community, Carl Cox’s Intec Records and many more, Misstress Barbara is a true pioneer. With her extensive discography and her busy DJ schedule she could have easily rested on her laurels, but instead, in 2009, she embarked on a whole new adventure with the release of “I’m No Human“, her debut artist album (nominated for Best Album of the Year at the 2010 JUNO Awards), one that features collaborations from NYC band Brazilian Girls, Swedish producer Bjorn Yttling from the band Peter Bjorn and John, and fellow Canadian artist Sam Roberts who sings a duet in her hit single “I’m Running“. With her intoxicating space age femme fatale voice, the album finds her singing for the first time. It’s a happy development that was born out of unhappy circumstances, following the passing away of her father on Christmas Eve in 2006.

In 2012, Misstress Barbara released “Many Shades of Grey“, her second artist album as a singer-songwriter. Her ever growing popularity recently brought her to collaborate with Porsche, who recently filmed her to be the face of the promotional video of their brand new vehicle, the Porsche Macan, and in which her own music is highlighted throughout the video.

Misstress Barbara is now focusing most of her time on music production rather than touring. Whether she produces techno music, or pop albums for other artists, or music for TV advertisement and Video Games, working in her studio is where she now likes to spend most of her time.

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Some call him “the hardest working man in House” while Traxsource named him the #1 Jackin’ House Artist of 2014 (http://news.traxsource.com/articles/1626/top-100-jackin-house-artists-of-2014).

Known for his ability to take things to a deeper level while maintaining the energy that keeps the dance floors moving, Demarkus Lewis has grown to be one of the most diverse dance artists in underground house music today. From tech-house bombs on labels such as Nervous Records, soulful nuggets on Kingstreet Soundz, hypnotizing afro rhythms on Slip n Slide, body-jackin’ grooves on Guesthouse, deep and raw deliciousness on Lost My Dog, and everything in-between on his own Grin Music/Grin Traxx/Grin & Bass imprints, time and time again Demarkus has exhibited his staying power.

When Demarkus Lewis emerged on the scene with “Making It Happen in Kaotic Times” on Swerve Records in 1999, no one envisaged he would take the dance scene by storm by going on to release over 100 singles and remixes on some of the most respected record labels in Dance Music, all in just under a decade. Since then Demarkus has secured his spot in DJ crates worldwide with releases on Salted Music, Large Music, King Street, Nervous, Guesthouse, Audiophile, and of course Grin. Recognized and respected by his peers for his exceptional work, you’ll find his music featured on numerous dance music compilations including Seamless Recordings’ Bargrooves series, DJ Mag’s ‘DJ Face Off’ cd comp, Mark Farina’s ‘Live at Om’ compilation on Om records, Slip n Slide presents Ibiza, and Roger Sanchez’ “Release Yourself”.

With decades of experience as a DJ, Demarkus has found himself commanding the decks of infamous venues such as Stompy (San Francisco), Club Rayo (Argentina), Metro Bass (Rotterdam), Silo (Belgium), H20 (Belgium), The Office (Republic of Georgia), Propaganda (Moscow), Neighborhood (London), and Tresor (Berlin); with repeated performances in Chicago’s world-renowned home for House Music, Smartbar.

As the owner of the successful outlet Grin Music, a thriving label which bloomed into life in 2005 as a deep house imprint but swiftly morphed into a conduit for a lush blend of house and techno through its offshoots Grin Traxx and Grin Tech, Demarkus has steadily developed for himself an empire. With a roster comprised of collaborations with DJ Mes, Boo Williams, and Glen Underground in addition to some of Demarkus’ own original work, Grin has featured well-known artists such as Chicago’s Gene Farris, Timmy Vegas of Soul Central, Wally Callerio, Mikey V, Kid Enigma, and DBR aka Rhythm Slaves in addition to up-and-comers such as Mark Denim, Preach, and Joshua Kynd.

Demarkus’ relentless dedication to his craft is reflected in his busy schedule, whether he’s performing in clubs around the globe, squeezing in time for interviews, recording guest mixes for radio shows and media publications, or expanding his home base label, Grin Music. His rhythm, beats, and signature bounce are as irresistible as his DJ sets; it’s for this very reason Demarkus has firmly secured his place in dance music’s foundation for future generations, and remains in-demand by both new and old school dance music lovers worldwide.1

Episode 21 - We Bang by The Dance Music Diaries

Episode 20 - FLAVE by The Dance Music Diaries

Episode 19 - Johnny Monsoon by The Dance Music Diaries

Episode 18 - Big Chocolate by The Dance Music Diaries

Episode 17 - Sean Majors by The Dance Music Diaries