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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

MORE THAN THEY CAN SEE FROM THERE By Superstar DJ ROS


I recently read a piece on CNN.com about good friend of mine, DJ Robbie Wilde aka “The Deaf DJ”. I beamed with pride as this internationally distributed news site discussed his overcoming of his hearing impairment as a young man, the recent partnership with technology giant HP, and his burgeoning DJ career. For me, a friend and fellow DJ, this was a moment of triumph not only for Robbie, but for our entire DJ culture as a whole. It emphatically stated that, after all our years of toiling away tucked in darkened DJ booths, our profession was finally having our moment in the light. I was ecstatic!

Until…….I began to read the comment section…..

Time after time, commenters were choosing not to applaud or celebrate the story of inspiration detailed in the piece. Instead, many chose to dismiss the validity of Robbie’s hearing impairment AND, with others, chose to belittle DJing itself as a whole. Entries like, “This isn't exactly Beethoven. This culture of making DJ's out like they are Yo Yo Ma is ridiculous” or “To think that it is considered "talented" to spin records for a drug-crazed audience..” really threw me for a loop. “Is this what they really think about us?”, I pondered aloud to no one in particular though my dog looked like she wanted to offer her take on the inquiry. Did the general public only see us as “that douchebag dude playing the pre-recorded music…” and nothing more?

Truth told, I probably trolled that comment section far longer than I needed to. As a DJ and lover of overall DJ culture as a child, I just couldn’t fathom how others refused to see, or at least acknowledge, the beauty of the genuine art of manipulating sounds on two platters to create a seamless audio narrative…..track after track. I know that may sound artsy & self-indulgent to the outsider, but anyone who knows or appreciates DJ culture will appreciate exactly what I mean.  An ideal “live DJ set”, when executed skillfully, can contain as many subtle story arcs as any Hollywood flick. How could anyone not see the apparent art in that?

Comments like the ones I read began to make me realize that, in many ways, I’d been operating inside a bubble. Most of my friends and colleagues are either fellow DJs or recording artists, engineers, producers, etc. Basically, others who also operate inside this same ‘bubble’ or similar variations thereof.  We think and speak highly of our respective “hobbies” that have morphed into professional careers. We understand that it is not “just music” and it never, ever was. We know all too well the disapproving glances given by parents, friends, and others when it became apparent that these “hobbies” of ours were beginning to take on a larger role than the pursuit of the 9-5 zombie walk that most of the general population aspires down to.

If you detected venom in that last passage, you would be correct.  Us creative types, especially us “all they do is press play” cats are tired of seeing our career paths and passions minimized.  Yes, we, like many others, stood at the proverbial career crossroad and pondered that major life decision: Left (follow my degree and parental advice) or Right (follow my talent and my heart). We…….well, let me speak for myself, I, am tired of seeing that ridiculed. I mean, let’s keep it funky: How many people who sat in their little cubicle criticizing Robbie have done ANYTHING in their careers that would make a Fortune 500 company like HP want to put their face on a billboard or personal story in a national TV ad? We all know the answer to that….

Regarding DJing itself, on an even more personal level, let me take it back even further and explain why I would like to see people view this art differently. In many instances, the entrance into to the profession was about more than the music. To that point, I’ll quickly share a bit of my own story.

Truth told, DJing probably saved my life. When crack came to my city as a youngster, it hit many around the town hard. To many kids around my age at the time, it also became the primary employment provider for those who wanted new Jordans or walking around money. Why bag groceries at the local Harris Teeter all week when you could peddle dime bags or rocks for a few hours for triple the amount of the bag boy check? I was one of those kids attempting to navigate adolescence with that perilous temptation as a backdrop.

Difference with me: I was also the son of a DJ. My dad collected 45s & LPs at a rate that would make “diggers” of today sick. He literally had everything. Access to these sounds and interest in learning to do what he was doing with them provided just enough of a diversion that kept me away from the ills that circulated just outside our door.

You see, back then, pre-laptop, you couldn’t become a DJ in a day. It required time and commitment. On the real, it is one of the most lonely endeavors one could take on back then because itdemanded that an individual spend copious amounts of time alone in a room with nothing but the music and the decks. The beginning of a real DJ’s career is never sexy. It is an extremely singular, solitary walk. I thank God to this day that is was because the time required to get ‘decent’ provided zero time for the streets.
Instead, I DJed every party from then (6th grade) through the end of college. I sold mixtapes for the newest kicks instead of selling crack. At every turn, when life threw a pathway to the ills that plagued most inner-city kids back, DJing always made sure I didn’t have moments to spare for them.
Now, let’s fast forward to present day. The PROFESSION of DJing has done more for me than I could have POSSIBLY imagined back then: youngest Program Director of a commercial radio in Virginia history (age of 18), College Grad (financed solely by funds generated by playing EVERY party under the sun), globally-traveled, festival rocking jock that constantly has to find new marks to hit because he’s far beyond the dreams he had when he started.

I am also a brand ambassador for such industry leading brands such as Ortofon, Sony, and Native Instruments. Additionally, I am a distance student at Harvard Extension School with a concentration in Environmental Management. I have toured the globe as DJ / music director for The Voice’s Christina Milan & played the Red Square to 100k people during the G-8 summit. Point being: I, as well as many of those you see in the booths of clubs around the country are more than ““that douchebag dude playing the pre-recorded music…”. We are people that at worst want to play the songs the crowd wants to hear. No harm in that, right?

Sure, it’s not Beethoven and DJing is not brain surgery……but…..think how different my, Robbie’s, and many other Djs around the world  story would be had be not picked up this “hobby”.

Show your DJ a little love, people. More often than not, there’s a lot more to see than apparent from afar.
And you don’t stop,

ROS

@superstardjros 



ROS
ICONIK 360 DIGITAL
678-237-8141 ATLANTA
Pirated Pop Records



Copyright 2013 Iconik 360 Digtial, LLC., Pirated Pop Records, and EFX Professional  All rights reserved.


*NOTE* You can also find this post on Huffingtonpost.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

What albums are you most excited for this year?

Just like every year, there seems to be anticipation about the albums that people are most excited for versus the albums the music industry critics are supporting. With the ever so popular way of buying albums these days( iTunes, Google Play, Amazon.com), it seems the anticipation does not grace us with so much presence. For instance, you can Pre-Order a myriad of albums right now.

The overdue anticipation for Justin Timberlake's new album as well as the new album by New Kids on the Block comes to mind.  Have you bought tickets to their upcoming tours?  


Thursday, February 14, 2013

The 2013 Grammy Awards by Planet12LAW

Ahhh….The Grammy’s….The Music Industry’s BIGGEST night & in the last 8 years in terms of performances & award snubs,  A HUGE NIGHTMARE. 2013 was no exception as we noticed that the award presentations are getting shorter & the majority of the awards including the major awards are given out in the pre-show. That brings me to our first form of expected fuckery that happened this year.


The eclectic Rock band Fun took home 2 Grammys for the popular chanting record “We Are Young” which also featured Janelle Monae. The group gets up to accept & DOESN’T EVEN THANK HER NOR ASK HER TO COME UP !!! It’s bad enough that she doesn’t get the press or accolades THAT SHE SHOULD’VE BEEN GOTTEN so for them NOT to be courteous enough to do the right thing just made me lose even more respect for them in addition to the fact that they are extremely wack. Then there’s Taylor Swift who opened the show with extreme theatrics which was by all accounts wack as hell. Thank God for Justin Timberlake’s comeback performance with Jay-Z & the amazing Bob Marley Tribute featuring Sting, Bruno Mars, Rihanna & 2 Of Marley’s children Ziggy & Damien which was hands down the 2 best performances that night.  Rihanna also turned in a good solo performance as well as Kelly Clarkson & SHOCKINGLY , Miguel did too though he really didn’t need Wiz Khalifah. OH AND THANKS TO JACK WHITE FOR SHOWING WHAT THE REAL DEFINITION OF ROCK N ROLL IS !  He may not be the best singer but his guitar grunge attack level was doing it for me !! Because honestly, I don’t know what them other bands thought they were doing though I have to say that I dig Mumford & Son’s vibe.

Frank Ocean…..the famous avaunt garde  artist who had a strong victory by beating out Chris Clown…oops that’s Chris Brown in every category they were competing in. It was the biggest revenge considering the beatdown that CB reportedly gave to Frank 2 weeks prior. But then it was short-lived when Frank Ocean performed & HE DIDN’T SOUND GOOD AT ALL which pretty much throws all the genius accolades out of the window. I hope Chris Brown wasn’t laughing at that because at least Frank WAS REALLY SINGING whereas we all know that CB has pretty much hasn’t sang live since his 2
nd album LOL. If Frank is the true artist that he claims to be, I hope he reviews his performance & work on it.

I truly miss the days where people would rush home to watch the Grammys, because you knew it was gonna be dope, exciting, & you expected the unexpected from your favorite artists. With the exception of us & some of the other kick ass real artists who are still around, those days are long gone. So when I watch any award show, I wait to see the artist who are constantly being praised by critics & co-signed by other artists to bring it, but as most times I get let down 90% of the time. Hopefully next year will be better, but that depends on the industry if you know what I mean.


Planet12Law is a Grammy award nominated artist who has a strong passion for music.

L*A*W's 7-Time Grammy Nominated Debut Album "Tha Planet 12 Syndrome" On ITunes: http://bit.ly/czbltc

Please follow on Twitter @planet12law.

If you want to know more about LAW, check out his profile L*A*W's Critically Acclaimed Mixtapes ! FREE DOWNLOAD ALL 4 ! : http://tinyurl.com/clkk36f.




Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Musical Shoutouts...

If you are a follower of Music Saves the Soul, you may have seen my posts of artist that I believe deserve to be featured.  If you aren't familiar with Google+, you should be, but at any rate it has been a great platform for Indie Artists pursuing their dreams.  In fact, it has helped a few get noticed by the music industry to spring into stardom.

Just going to cut to the chase here.  I am a huge fan of Ryan Van Sickle (who I have become friends with on Google+).  Why? Well, he is a singer songwriter who understands music history, looked up to Bruce Springsteen and others, and in my opinion could be the next "Boss".  Look for Ryan to be a guest on the radio show!



Visit Ryan Van Sickle's Website for upcoming album and tour details!!

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Can you remember your first exposure to music?

For some reason, my first exposures to music as a very young kid shaped my ongoing passion for music, and perhaps why I just love music presently.  I don't think I have met anybody that doesn't like music of some sort, even if it's a genre I may not like. I personally identify with music, because it has this ability to calm me down, and well it is better to be more relaxed.

I bring this topic to this blog, because I remember having a baby sitter (yes, this story is on my other blog), who was a fan of the New Kids on the Block back in their FIRST go around in the late 1980s early 1990s.  It stuck with me to this day, and perhaps the reason I have loved their reunion that began in 2008.  I am sure this will be an ongoing topic on the the radio show connected to this blog  BlogTalkRadio Show & perhaps more interactive ways in the future. ;-)

I want to know why certain bands, artists, and genres connect deeply with people besides the obvious different tastes answer?



Friday, February 8, 2013

GLEE

Have you noticed that popularity of reality singing competition shows is wavering these days, but "Glee" has a strong following? Now, I have watched "Glee" from the beginning, and seen the plot lines cover controversial, realistic topics, but in a musical and satirical way.  The shows's creator Ryan Murphy has gone on to create "American Horror Story" and "The New Normal", but his creative impact with "Glee" is unwavering.

I say this because of the it's natural way to bring people together via a musical show despite the society's hot and cold welcoming of breaking out into random song & dance. I personally think life would be that much better, if we could sing our feelings. However, not all of us can sing, or dance. I digress.

Before Oprah retired from her long running talk show, she had the cast on, and I remember one of her questions, "Why do you think this show has captured such an audience?" The response, because EVERYBODY can identify with music, and the emotion that accompanies music.


All who say you aren't 'Gleeks', you are, you just don't admit it. ;-)

Thursday, February 7, 2013

"The Book of Love"

A few years back there was this movie starring Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon, Bobby Cannivale, and others called "Shall We Dance?".  It was the tale of what makes you happy in life and in your personal relationships. It's a great flick, I highly suggest it.

My point is that there was a song used in the movie that caught my attention, and the way they used the song really was very poignant for the plot. I would have to say this song is on my list of most romantic/heartfelt song every made.

Thank you Peter Gabriel for your song "The Book of Love"


Do you have a list of songs that tugs at your heart strings?

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

How do you define your favorite musical genre?

How many times have you been asked this question when meeting a new acquaintance? "What type of music do you like?" After my life experience with music I usually respond by naming the genres that I can be found listening to on a regular basis. It usually varies between Rap/Hip Hop and Country for the genre people tend to not to like. I have yet to find that person who says that they do not like both, so if you are that person, speak up!

A person's high school years seem to be the musical experimental years as you are influenced or not influenced by the crowd you know or identify with growing up. You can guess that during high school as I began to develop as a musician myself (Saxophone Alto & Bari), my musical tastes continued to develop. I ran across a radio station one day playing Dance/Trance/Electronica/Freestyle etc. one day.  I believe it changed my life. Don't get me wrong I am fan of everything EXCEPT Country, but for some reason I gravitated towards this genre, and as I have grown older and more experienced I just have become a FANATIC!

Enjoy one of my favorite artists in this genre!



What is your favorite genre of music, and how do you define it?

Monday, February 4, 2013

Do you have a personal life theme song?

You will see that my knowledge of music is vast and continues to grow with time. I hope this continues as this project develops.

With that being said, I have come to the conclusion (many months ago) that my life theme song is "Fix You:" by Coldplay. I mean the mix of the lyrics, and overall music is just brilliantly weaved together.  Even if you aren't a fan of the band, this song tends to be very popular. Now, you could be wondering if Coldplay is my favorite band. No, they're not.  I like them, but they are on my long list of musical artists I listen to on a regular basis.

The reason I identify with this song so well is the message. The first lyric is "When you try your best, but you don't succeed."  From there the lyrics everybody can relate to draw you in as Chris Martin (Lead Singer) expertise on the piano connects with you emotionally. The rest of the band music quality just makes it a perfect song. The backup vocals are necessary, and enhance the message within the song. I could go on and on, but my description only paints one picture.

Welcome!

Welcome to The Love of Music Project!

I am saxy15 A.K.A. Brooke Brown.  Ever since I was a young kid, I have always loved music, the business, and everything surrounding the music business. I have blogged personally at http://musichasamazingpower.blogspot.com/ for years.  This will remain visible to all, but is much less professional.

Any way the purpose of this blog/space is to highlight incredible talent as well as continue to keep the love of music alive through conversation.