Category Archives: las vegas

New Winter DJ Set

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A little holiday gift for you! I hope you enjoy. I still love putting these mixes together.


This is my first mix in a long while. My turntables were in storage for a year. Then after I set them back up, I had to work the rust off. I’m already excited to work on another one…so you might get a part 2 soon! Im here to please…so let me know in the comments if you want another one sooner than later.


Although this is a winter mix, it probably has nothing to do with winter except that one of the artists I include has the last name of Snow. The fact we were in the middle of a cold snap here in Las Vegas, with temperatures below freezing, might have kept me inside long enough to get it done! 


/shrug

  inALLcaps.com Winter Mix by inallcaps

Track list:

Depeche Mode VS The Crystal Method – Busy World In My Childs Eyes
Crystal Method are from Las Vegas. The Depeche Mode reminds me about this asshole who owes me 10 grand. I hope he chokes on his Egg Nog this year.
Candid – Empire State Of Mind (Drunk & Brilliant Mix)
This track is built around some “raverish” synth stabs and a pitched up sample of Alicia Keys from the Jay-Z hit off the Blueprint 3 album.
Benjamin Diamond

Benjamin Diamond – Little Scare (change your life mix)
This is one of my favorite house tracks. Benjamin Diamond was also the vocalist in the Stardust track “Music Sounds Better With You” if you are wondering why his voice sounds so familiar.

Phoenix – Long Distance Call (Moonchild’s ’25 Hours a Day’ Edit)
This is a great dubby disco house remix. This dude Moonchild is really dope actually. He’s from Australia and has some fantastic remixes and original work on his soundcloud. Make sure you check it out.
Miike Snow – Black and Blue (Savage Skulls Remix)
I remember saying to myself… “Damn…I am so clever for putting Miike Snow after Phoenix!” I wish I remembered why I thought that. These two tracks do sound great together…it just seemed like I had some “meaning” for it. I might over-think this stuff…
David Guetta – Memories (Armand Van Helden vocal remix)
I like to squeeze something AVH related into my mixes. I am a big fan of his work. Walt Zink, one of our contributors on this blog, used to be a huge fan of his back in the day. He’s NOT a fan of the direction Van Helden has gone with his work in recent years…but I’m still on board! I love it!
Wolfmother- New Moon Rising (Riton Club Rub)
I think Walt Zink also like Wolfmother. Not that i was over-thinking THAT much!


NastyFunker – Blood on the Dancefloor ( Nastys chunk-a-Funk Mix )
I am not sure about where I got this track. Or who this is exactly. I think I found a few profiles, but can’t confirm it’s the same remixer. I think this is the artists soundcloud. I just can’t be 100% sure. I might need your help on this guys!
Daft Punk

Daft Punk – Television Rules The Nation (Dirty Disco Youth Remix)
I love Daft Punk. It’s another artist I like to squeeze in to a mix. Everyone loves Daft Punk. The Dirty Disco Youth are doing a lot of hot stuff, and you should check them out.

Snoop Dog – Thought I Was A DJ (Wonky Ninja Remix)
I usually have a pretty good idea what I want to play when I record a mix… until about the 50 minute mark. This is where a good mix can go bad for me as I struggle to find a few more tracks to drop. Luckily this one fit the vibe nicely!

Maxwell – Bad Habits (Harlan Pepper & AG III Dub Remix)
Love this remix, but the original is great as well. Maxwell is the perfect soundtrack to get busy to, if you know what I mean!


That’s it! Hope you enjoyed the mix and the DVD style commentary! Stay warm peeps!


    





Fallout: New Vegas – The Music!

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Yes. I am one of those nerds. I loved the music from Fallout 3. I loved the music used in both Bioshock games. The classic songs that bring you back to a gentler, nicer time. Except, well, those games aren’t gentle or nice. They’re brutal, in fact. And that may be why I love them. Well, now with Fallout: New Vegas? We get more of the classic sounds. Hell, I was so psyched for this game when I saw the initial trailer. It features one of the songs we’re posting today. Check it out.

While the game can slog on for points, the pros heavily outweigh the cons, in my opinion. There are a few bugs and glitches, but nothing that really ruins the game experience for me. Hell, just do what people tell you you should be doing – SAVE OFTEN! This game is massive. There is so much to do, and even though I’ve been playing a lot since the game came out last Tuesday, I still haven’t made it onto the strip. Part of the reason for that is I’m more enamored with the Mojave Wasteland. I’ll get into the strip soon. I promise.

The music, however, is what I love the most. The trailer above features the track “Jingle, Jangle, Jingle” by Kay Kyser. His big band sounds are featured in this number. Those certainly were the days, eh?


Download Kay Kyser – Jingle, Jangle, Jingle

Now the next track is one people probably know. It’s hard to make a game about Vegas and not include some mention musically of the Rat Pack. Dean Martin is featured in the game’s soundtrack with one of his better known hits – “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head”. And it fits in the sense that when you start the game? You’re not kicked, but shot, in the head. How’s that for a shitty day?


Download Dean Martin – Ain’t That A Kick In The Head

Now this last one, I had heard before. Living in the South for a while, I guess I couldn’t help that. It’s not a bad thing. Being exposed to a lot of the old crooners growing up as a kid was a great thing. It helped get me into singers like Louis Prima, for example. Hell, getting to see Sam Butera perform twice (for free!!) while living in Las Vegas years ago was one of the biggest thrills for me. I only wish I still had the picture I took with him. :sadpanda: indeed. Anyhow, this song is one that’s featured prominently if you’re out in the wasteland. It’s by Marty Robbins, and the song is “Big Iron”. This is a guy that had the crossover appeal before the alt-country tag was there, I guess you could say. A lot of his songs were played on pop radio, but to be honest, pop radio then mixed genres moreso than it did now. Anyhow, this is a great tune, and it’s perfect for the times you’re trekking out in the middle of nowhere.


Download Marty Robbins – Big Iron

And speaking of Bioshock, have you guys seen the gameplay video for the upcoming Bioshock Infinite? I don’t know about you, but I am excited for this one, also. Also, go buy some music. Don’t be cheap!

Give us your dreamers, your harlots, and your sins

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Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas

We sell crutches in Las Vegas. In all shapes in sizes. We have one for every type of person, ready for emergency use. Even if you’re healthy and able, we’d like to provide you one in advance…in case you stumble and fall.

What ever it is that will make you feel better, it’s here. It’s temporary and fleeting, but for a short time you will feel whole again. Renewed and alive. In the end it will cripple you completely.

Sex? Food? Drugs? Got a gamblers spirit? Need a companion, or two? Looking for a savior? It’s all here.

I have lived here since I was 3 years old. It’s home. Living here will build some callouses in your armpit. I’ve grabbed a free crutch or two. I’ve window shopped for crutches, needing to understand the drive of this person or that. I’ve bought crutches in time of need, and stolen them in times of great happiness. Still, I am stronger for all of this. My two feet ARE in fact capable of holding myself up.

Yet.

Sometimes…sometimes you just wanna give your feet a rest.

It’s a city that will eat you alive. You’ll never enjoy that more than here.



Sunsets and neon lights
Call girls and neon lights
Black jack and lady luck
Cocaine and lady luck
You call upon her on holy knees tonight

I am always to excited to see a local band make it big. The Killers are a certified success, with 15 million records sold worldwide, but in my heart…I just wasn’t sure what to think. The songs I loved by The Killers were scattered across their 4 studio albums, but was I ready to stand by this band of ours? We’ve had bands break out and up from this neon jungle before. Panic At The Disco! was the other BIG band that blasted out of the Vegas Valley. Sure, I loved much of “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out”, but still something was missing. Where is the song that sums up what it’s like to live here in my City of Sin?

Ends up, it wasn’t a band, but Killers frontman Brandon Flowers gone solo that finally provides the link and connection for me. This connection came via his brilliant solo album called Flamingo, set to be released September 14th, 2010.

The opening sounds of tree crickets at night, that start the song and album off, to the the final words of “the house always wins” are bookends to the most perfect song about Las Vegas I have ever heard. Brandon Flowers would know. He is from Vegas, as you might know. Brandon was born in Henderson, NV (very close to Las Vegas) and lived here until he was 8, when his family moved to Utah. After his junior year of high school, he returned to Las Vegas to live with his aunt. The rest is history, so to speak. He went on to form the Vegas-based band The Killers and live out a dream of being a musician and songwriter.

The song title, “Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas,” is a greeting known to locals and tourists alike. The words emblazon the sign you see at the top of this post. The sign that greets you as you enter the Las Vegas Blvd., THE Strip, from the South end of town.  It doesn’t stop there, as I mentioned earlier. Those tree crickets at the beginning of the song? I can step outside on to my patio, right now,  and hear those same sounds. They are the sounds of my home for the last 30 years. The pull already of this song has me in a tight orbit.  Then the lyrics. The lyrics are so perfectly written. I can see visions of my own life, in this town, flash in front of my minds eye. The feelings and smells. The neon framing my misadventures and misfortune as well as the joy and love.


Download Brandon Flowers – Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas

Cameras on the ceiling tile
no place for you to hide
One-Oh-Seven and you’re looking for shade
That no palm tree can provide
But there’s a little girl you remember back in Tennessee
You have this recurring dream
Where you see her playing hide and seek
With a woman who used to know you very well

It’s not the the kind of song the Las Vegas Tourist Bureau would ever want to use for a commercial, but it is the song that most accurately paints the picture of this town. From the eyes of someone who has stayed a little too long.

Las Vegas makes you wonder sometimes. Where does your strength come from. Is it me standing, or is there a crutch under my arms. You wonder if the hot blonde you love is just a crutch. We all need a ninja-killing lover to save us from ourselves, don’t we? Don’t we?

I’m a Phonomancer Too…

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*No Magic

Has a song ever changed your life?

Did you ever wonder how?

One of my guilty pleasures, and I have many, would be comics. More specifically, the graphic novel. Graphic novels are like watching a TV series on DVD. You get all the episodes in one neat package, and you don’t have to wait a month to get the new issue at the comic book store.

Not that I mind going to the comic book store…but it saves me money if I don’t have to go that frequently. Mostly because I lack self control. It’s exponentially harder when your comic book store is as great as mine. Alternate Reality Comics is, and I say this with confidence because I’ve been around, the BEST comic book store of ALL TIME! OF ALL TIME! (when I wrote that I channeled Kanye West…)

The reason Alternate Reality is so amazing is the man behind the counter. Ralph Mathieu. Ralph owns the oldest comic book store in Las Vegas. Ralph has been in love with comic books since 1975. That’s 34 years. In 1995 when Dungeon Comics, established in 1987, came up for sale Mr. Mathieu jumped at the chance. He also runs an awesome blog too! About comics obviously. Did I mention he’s German? No? Check out Ich Liebe Comics when you are done here!

The best part is that once Ralph knows what you like, he runs around his store grabbing all the new stuff you should like based on what you are into. He’s never been wrong. This last time I visited the store, I threw him a curve ball. Graphic Novels with a music theme? He hit it out of the park.

Phonogram. Two graphic novels about music. And magic.

You Must Dance

The stories revolve around Phonomancers, those who use music to enter magical states. A world where every song is a spell and every gig a chance for magical misadventure. The second book takes the perspective of 7 different Phonomancers on one night at a club.

I want to share four pages from the book. It’s from the DJ and promoters’ point of view. I should also remind you of the rules of this particular club night.

1. NO BOY SINGERS
2. YOU MUST DANCE
3. NO MAGIC

(You can click the images of the pages to make them full size…)


Download Sleater Kinney – I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone


Download The Supremes – You Keep Me Hanging On


Download The Pipettes – Pull Shapes


Download Robyn – Who’s That Girl

I thought it would be fun to give you the soundtrack to these four pages. I hope that sharing these songs will romance you into buying the music from these talented women. More importantly, if you live in Vegas, that you might go see Ralph at Alternate Reality, or at least buy these great novels using the Amazon links below. This is the most important part really…to buy the novel. Because…well…because I really need you to. I’ll let the writer of Phonogram, Kieron Gillen give you the bad news about why there will never be a third book:

Best plan I have is just writing series 3 and then writing into my will that assuming I die young and Jamie’s still around, lob him whatever’s in my bank account to draw it. Which is assuming he’d even be willing to do it then. It’s not that we’re bitter about it — well, not just because we’re bitter about it — but that it’s been emotionally exhausting. We’ve been doing “Phonogram” for over 4 years, not including the years before the first series came out. Imagine if we could have just done the comic and not had to deal with any of the shit we’ve had to. We’d have been up to issue 44 now. Instead, we have 13 issues.

I feel frustrated. Enormously lucky, sure, but frustrated. We’ve done this wonderful thing we’re crazy-proud about. But if the whole economic system was just a couple of degrees to the left, everything would have been different. I mean, just to give you an idea about narrow the margins are between what we are and what we could be, if we were selling 6K instead of 4K, we could have done those 44 issues. The difference between breaking even and actually being able to do it in comics is insane. It’s like being kept under ice, clawing. I feel like a bonsai plant.

C’mon people. Do this for me. I need more Phonogram.

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.

A little of the old, and more of the even older

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So I was having breakfast in this diner I go to and I heard an artist I hadn’t really listened to in quite some time. The guy’s name is Louis Prima. Most people younger than myself don’t know who he is. It’s understandable, considering that he’s from the Vegas limelight of the mid to late 1950’s. However, some people may remember him through more of a pop culture window. Anyone that saw Disney’s The Jungle Book may well remember King Louie. Well that voice, my friends, was that of Louis Prima’s.

Well, he was one of the first big stars in Las Vegas. We’re talking just before the Rat Pack came in and took his crowd. He would pack the Sahara’s showroom every night with this mix of risque humor and swingin’ jazz. It was like New Orleans, but wilder. He had the help of a great sax player by the name of Sam Butera, and his band, The Witnesses. Here you get a good example of the craziness of what this guy could do. Here I’ve given you guys an instrumental cover of Love of My Life (O Sole Mio) as well as a massively energetic stomper in St. Louis Blues. Definitely check this guy’s catalog out if you’re into this stuff. It’s not all this frenetic, but just imagine watching a show that this guy put on!

[Download Louis Prima – Love Of My Life (O Sole Mio)]

[Download Louis Prima – St. Louis Blues]

Next up is a track from a somewhat forgotten band from the late ’90’s. They were the Amazing Royal Crowns and they hailed from Providence, Rhode Island. When I was still living up in the Boston area, I had heard about these guys, and am pretty pissed I never got to see them live. Tons of energy like you’ve never seen, and probably never will. They’re classified as “psychobilly” and this is the first track off of their self-titled debut.

[Download The Amazing Royal Crowns – Shiverin’ In The Corner]

Yep. The obligatory message reminding you to not be a leech and go buy this stuff! If you download and not support the artist? A kitten somewhere dies. Or a limbless kid contracts a venereal disease. I dunno. Just go buy this stuff!

Cheesy-pop!

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I’m on a Richard Cheese kick, lately. So this one will be a quickie for you all out there. I’m simply posting some kickass Richard Cheese songs. Who is he, you may ask? Why, only the most fun guy to see live, of course! Take modern hits – like “Rape Me”, by Nirvana – and think of some corny Vegas lounge singer using that style to deliver the aforementioned hit. Thus you have total hilarity as well as brilliance. I’m going to post for you three of my favorites of his. Seriously:  check this dude out live if you can. Word has it that he has been told by doctors to stop singing, so you may not get to see the guy live again!

Click here for his website!

Richard Cheese – Personal Jesus

Richard Cheese – Sunday Bloody Sunday

Richard Cheese – The Rockafeller Skank