Category Archives: DJs

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby…

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Regardless of what you’re drinking, The Griffin has quickly become one of the coolest spots in town to see and be seen, but not in a pretentious sort of way. It’s the kind of bar where if you’re local, you run into somebody you know, and if you’re not a local, trust us, you’ll run into somebody you want to know – you’ll be able to tell that you want to know them when they pick out a few eyebrow-arch worthy selections on the bar’s jukebox.


— Review by Jamie Helmick

I tell you what. I didn’t even want to go to the Griffin. I told The Little One she tricked me. But I quickly noticed that I could totally get into this vibe: One of the few places in Las Vegas where you can see someone wearing a Bravery T-shirt, or a dude in a tie, or a guy with a 8 inch Mohawk all drinking a beer in a cool, dimly lit atmosphere.

They even have a DJ in back after midnight. The best thing about The Griffin is that it has, what is widely known by cool kids in Las Vegas, the greatest jukebox of all time.

Yes. A jukebox, but not filled with the music you might expect from a jukebox in your local bar or tavern.

So by the time I had heard the following selections from this juke box, I was ready to wish a Happy Birthday to our ultra-cool friend Sarah…

Made In The Dark
Hot Chip

It’s My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry
Glasvegas

Everybody Knows You Cried Last Night
The Fratellis

When The Whip Comes Down
The Rolling Stones

Navajo
Black Lips

Ike & Tina
Jamie T

[Download Jamie T – Ike & Tina]

Black And Gold
Sam Sparro

Geraldine
Glasvegas

Fancy Footwork
Chromeo

Reason Is Treason
Kasbian

I captured the music from this magic box of jukes with the handy iPhone app I have talked about before. Shazam. This whole list is as best as I could capture with my phone. When the drunk girls that are TLO’s friends finally showed up, it was tough to let Shazam do its thing over the drunk screaming and yelling.

Sound Of Silver
LCD Soundsystem

[Download LCD SoundSystem – Sound Of Silver]

Time Has Come Today
The Chambers Brothers

Smiling Faces Sometimes
The Undisputed Truth

Clap Your Hands!
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Ride, Ride, Ride
Foghat

Be My Lover
Alice Cooper

I Love Rock N’ Roll
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

Slow Ride
Foghat

Pogo
Digitalism
[Listen To Digitalism – Pogo]

And the list goes on…

The Pulse
Digitalism

Fox On The Run
Sweet

Telegram Sam
T-Rex

Love Is The Drug
Roxy Music

Art School
The Jam

No You Girls
Franz Ferdinand

Jerk It Out
Caesars

Do You Wanna
The Kooks

Poison Arrow
ABC

Sugar On My Tongue
Talking Heads

Awesome isn’t it! That range and indie-cool level is rarely reached in a dive bar, much less a Jukebox in a dive bar!

After midnight a DJ shows up in the back room to play even more great music. Granted, his technical ability was a little on the “I-don’t-give-a-fuck” level, but his track selection was epic. Here is a sample of that courtesy of Shazam:

Paid In Full (Coldcut Remix)
Eric B & Rakim

Listen Up! (Mstrkft Mix)
Gossip

[Download Gossip – Listen Up! (MSTRKRFT Remix)]

Over And Over (Mock And Toof Dub Mix)
Hot Chip

Great DJ (Calvin Harris Remix)
The Ting Tings

Saturdays (Kingroc Remix)
Cut Copy

[Download Cut Copy – Saturdays (Kingroc Remix)]

10 Dollar (Diplo’s China Girl Mix)
M.I.A.

As you can see, Shazam has revloutionized the concept of trainspotting your favorite DJ!

If you live or visit Las Vegas make sure to check out The Griffin. I hear there is a Griffin in California as well…that serves food!

Glowsticks in the air!

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With a career spanning more than seventeen years, Robert Oleysyck has emerged as one of the worlds most talented, diverse, and respected DJs. Roberts list of accomplishments not only speaks volumes about his dedication to the art and total immersion in the music industry, but his personal belief in music as the soundtrack of life and an ultimate form of expression.

[The Dandy Warhols – Scientist (Robert Oleysyck Extended Edit)]

I first heard Oleysyck spinning at the famous Utopia in Las Vegas. It was this night when I realized that I wanted to be a DJ. Robert was flawless behind the decks. At the time he was mostly spinning the most epic of trance tunes. He would blend them seamlessly and deep. Creating something new in the middle.

I didn’t even like Trance, and I don’t really like Trance now, but with a surgeon-like precision that Robert O brings, you could fall in love with whatever he was working with that night.

As a driving force in the west coast for many years, Robert captivates and inspiring audiences with his unique blend of forward thinking electronic music. Whether he’s playing house, progressive, breaks, trance, or even a mix of rock, 80s, hip-hop and electronica, his ability to seamlessly merge a variety of styles into a cohesive, inspirational, entertaining set, has won over the hearts of legions of fans and industry peers. Known as one of the best programmers and most technically fluid DJs around, his vast knowledge of music and the science behind the art allows him to create true magic.

I recently rediscovered Robert while looking for a good mix cd to listen to while getting some writing done. He’s on myspace and facebook, so it was not hard to find him.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Robert immigrated to New York in 1974. His fascination with beats and drums was apparent at an early age, and served as a vehicle for his burgeoning musical interests. It wasn’t until Robert went to college at Villanova in Philadelphia (oddly enough as a Pre-Med Major) that he first discovered DJing. In a short time, Robert started mastering his mixing abilities at mobile gigs, college bars, and frat parties spinning diverse sets that included music by New Order, Depeche Mode, Information Society and Grand Master Flash. Robert’s style began to develop more when he moved to Memphis, and was exposed to artists such as Kraftwerk, Dee-Lite, Black Box and Front 242. There, Robert carefully blended alternative electronic sounds like Depeche Mode with Italian House and Hip House. Las Vegas was the pivotal shift in Robert’s style and career. In the early 90s, he began incorporating artists like Fluke, Jam & Spoon, The Prodigy, and Moby into his gigs at infamous venues like the Palladium and the Shark Club, constantly walking a fine line between educating audiences with new sounds, while entertaining them with classics and favorites.

[Simian Mobile Disco – I Believe(Robert Oleysyck Extended Edit)]

After downloading a few mix CDs (Look for the This is Not Commercial series) I discovered Oleysyck has posted some of his remixes and re-edits for download. As a DJ myself, I was interested. He’s got some choice stuff to share. A few I have re-shared here for you, but if you want more, check out his download site.

Rebels have more fun

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Here’s one that’s short and to the point. Ever heard of Soulwax? No? Well, they’ve been around for a while and have been at the forefront of the bastardized genre of eletro. They’ve done remixes for the likes of Daft Punk and LCD Soundsystem, and have remixed one of my favorite artists – David Bowie.

This remix, of “Rebel Rebel”, will be on a future compilation entitled Most of the Other Remixes. I haven’t seen a release date on it, but have seen that there will be remixes they’ve done for Bowie, Miss Kittin, MGMT, and more. Enjoy! Oh, and be warned, the start of the song is super screechy and a bit harsh.

[Download David Bowie – Rebel Rebel (Soulwax re-edit)]

And well, buy some stuff. Make Obama’s stimulus crap seem like it makes sense. Or something like that.