Burns. UK DJ/producer. Friend of Calvin Harris. Support act for Deadmau5 on his US tour. Although he is a newer face on the scene, Burns’s resume and remix catalogue speak volumes about the waves he has made so far in the electronic music world. His sound has been branded by some as part of the “nu-disco” scene that is seeing a current surge based on the highly acclaimed output of acts such as Aeroplane, Holy Ghost, and Grum. His latest track (and EP) entitled “So Many Nights” are the catalyst for his latest US run, which starts this Tuesday at Cinespace in Hollywood. Don’t miss the chance to see him in action!

Mark Ronson has always shown a love for music and art from a time well before his. Usually, this infatuation with the past manifest itself in the form of soul-soaked Amy Winehouse vocals, Dap-Kings horn solos, and some creative funk sampling. In the video for “Circuit Breaker”, the first single off of his much anticipated full length album, “Record Collection”, he heads to the 80s for a Zelda-inspired video that serves as the visual accompaniment to the neo-soul/breakbeat hybrid of a track. If this is a taste of things to come when the album drops in September, fans of Ronson will surely not be disappointed.

What happens when Sneaker Freaker jumps on a plane to NYC? The folks gather up the troops for a massive party yo! Thanks to killer DJ cats Mick Boogie, Terry Urban, and Matt Heckman. Motivation Of A Sneaker Freaker is a one-off extra special event featuring SNKRFRKR’s own M.A.F.I.A. spinnin’ on the ones and twos. With a whirlwind tour of the States going down this May, M.A.F.I.A. plans to bombard each city with as much sneaker freakin’ as possible. And what better way than with a fierce party in the Big Apple. Brought to you by our good mates at Extra Butter, MTVTN, and Sneaker Freaker, it all goes down at Gallery Bar (120 Orchard St, NY) next Tues May 4th there will be plenty of sneaker goodness going down from giveaways, sneaker displays and of course a bag load of bangin’ tunes! If you’re in the NYC area make sure you mark your calenders and get down to say ‘G-Day’ to M.A.F.I.A. and the fellas yo!

This looks like an amazing event, check out what Delicious Vinyl has to say about their new monthly series:

“Starting this month, Delicious Vinyl will be hosting a monthly workshop and demonstration event for aspiring DJs, producers and moguls. Located at Freak City, a collective storefront on 6613 Sunset Blvd. in the heart of Hollywood, the All Star Workshop will be a forum for DJs, musicians and engineers to come together and share new techniques and ideas. Participants will be encouraged to showcase techniques, secrets, tweaks and collaborate whenever possible.

In attendance will be Cut Chemist, critically acclaimed remix artist and founding member of Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli. Recording and performing for over twenty years, Cut Chemist started collaborating as a DJ at age 11 and started recording in 1987 with friends including Chali 2na and later with DJ Shadow. As a solo artist, he has contributed music for global ad campaigns for Apple and performed at flagship stores worldwide. His live show dazzles audiences with a selection of world music recently supporting Shakira on her Oral Fixation tour. At the DJ Workshop, Cut Chemist, with visuals by Pimpadelic Wonderland, will talk technique and showcase this collaboration.

Also presenting will be an original legend of the KDAY 1580 mix masters, DJ M. Walk. Starting on turntables at age 12 in Compton, by age 16, M. Walk was part of the original KDAY crew – the only hip hop radio station in the nation at the time, which later led to touring with Tone-Loc, MC Hammer and The Pharcyde. Rounding out the presentations will be Arabian Prince aka Professor X from NWA. Widely known as a solo artist, Arabian Prince started as a DJ in 1984 and produced the hit single and album “Supersonic” for JJ Fad.

For those interested in continuing to learn, original KDAY mixmaster Tony G of TurntableU.com will at the workshop representing the website and encouraging participation. TurntableU is an online DJ school where participants can continue to hone, refine and build on what they learn from each presentation. TurntableU is a premier online DJ school structured to sharpen talents, emphasize fundamentals and help grasp the basics of mixing, blending and scratching within a few lessons.”

The All Stars DJ Workshop is FREE to enter for all those that RSVP to RSVP@DeliciousVinyl.com

Philadelphia producer and overall DJ hero, Jazzy Jeff, has collaborated with clothing company UNDRCRWN to put out a mixtape entitled, “He’s The King, I’m The DJ”. The mix is an eclectic collection of Michael Jackson tracks given the smooth DJ treatment that Jazzy Jeff has become well known for. He transitions between almost every era of the King of Pop’s extensive catalog and even throws in some lesser known gems such as “Lady in My Life”. Over at UNDRCRWN, you can download the mix for free, as well as, purchase a limited edition shirt that was made to commemorate the release.

Anthony “Grand Master Roc Raida”  Williams recently passed away on Saturday, September 19th, after health complications, originating from a mixed martial arts accident.  There is no way to easily summarize the impact made and legacy left behind by a man known the world over as one to the greatest turntablists to ever step foot on a stage. As a mostly New York native (until a recent move to Maryland), Williams represented much of the early birth of the type of turntable acrobatics that have been associated with DJs such as Q-Bert, A-Trak, Craze, and many other DMC champions.

In 1995, he became the 1st New Yorker to ever hold the title of DMC champion and was instantly inducted into the DMC/Technics Hall of Fame. From there, Roc Raida went on to change the way many viewed the art of spinning records, from his ground-breaking work with the X-Men and the X-ecutioners to his later work as Busta Rhymes’s touring DJ, he helped define the way to rock the party.

His passing has effected many in a year that has been tumultuous in terms of losing musical icons much too soon. However, his uncanny ability on the decks and tenacity toward the craft, will undoubtedly push and influence a new crop of DJs to hone their craft and take it to the next level.

For those in the New York area, there will be a service and viewing held on Thursday, September 24, 2009:

Mount Neboh Baptist Church

1883 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. (W. 114th St. & 7th Ave.), New York, 10026

Viewing: 10-Noon/Funeral starting at Noon

Words by: Andres Reyes

Derrick Jones, better known as D-Nice, is one of the most versatile and forward thinking minds in modern hip hop, but you might not realize it considering his last official album as a rap artist came out nearly two decades ago. “My last record came out in 1991 on Jive, after that I kind of left the industry for a minute.”

Many rappers have come and gone, but D-Nice wasn’t just some flash in the pan old school artist, heads will undoubtedly recognize the name D-Nice as an integral part of the classic Boogie Down Productions crew alongside the late great DJ Scott La Rock and living legend KRS-One. While he found success in the late 80′s as part of a group, his career as a solo artist seemed to stall after two records. He explains that his departure from the recording industry “stemmed from feeling like I was old-school at the age of 22. I was signed to Jive and the vibe of the industry was starting to shift to the Bad Boy’s and the Death Row’s and they didn’t believe that I would be able to sell records in that climate. It devastated me, no one wants to hear that you’re old and over at the age of 22.”

Though he took a leave of absence from the industry, it was only temporary and D-Nice’s return as a web developer would prove to be a rare display of industry innovation for the time. “I missed that feeling of being in the industry but I didn’t want to rap so web development was a way to get back involved. I could call Puff or Chris Lightly and I wasn’t pitching a demo, I was actually trying to help them sell their website through web sites when at the time people weren’t really trying to mess with web sites.” Soon after it seemed the doors of opportunity would open to D-Nice through other passions such as photography. “I started to get into photography after I left the industry because I felt like I didn’t have anything tangible to show my kids. I had traveled the world and seen all of these wonderful places and I wanted to be able inspire my daughter. So I decided that if I ever had the chance to travel the world again I would always have a camera with me.” After attending Chris Lightly’s wedding as a guest and taking his own amateur photos, the newly married Violator CEO was so impressed by D-Nice’s photography that he suggested he take the profession seriously and gave him his first professional photo shoot with then-newcomer Lil’ Scrappy.

Once he was firmly back in the industry, D-Nice found yet another avenue to incorporate his passions into his business by establishing himself as an in demand DJ. Currently managed by SKAM, D-Nice explains how he made the shift from DJ ing for fun to being booked all across the world, “I started to pay attention to DJ crews and a friend suggested I meet with the head of SKAM. We met and I explained that I’m not a typical DJ, I don’t do mix CD’s, I don’t even record my mixes. I wanted to be with a company that fully understood me and didn’t want to change me and could help enhance everything I’m capable of doing.”

Never one to rest, D-Nice also was one of the pioneers of incorporating blogging into the music industry. His blog (www.d-nice.com) was one of the first sites run by an artist to have regularly updated content in a time when most people didn’t know what a blog was. The story of D-Nice the rapper might have ended decades ago, but D-Nice the artist and entrepreneur seems to have a very long and prosperous career ahead of him.“I just recently added video to my blog, I have an offer from a network to do it as a show, I have a DVD deal on the table and this is all from doing things I love!”

Anyone with the right equipment can set up shop at the head of a dance floor, possibly even making the crowd move, but it takes more than a couple turntables to initiate what award-winning DJ Mike Relm calls “interaction.” The bespectacled SF native took his art to a new level by releasing an album of his own material, but he knows there’s nothing like adrenaline rush of being able to manipulate the living, breathing masses, always sensing when the beat must change.

“You’ve got to be in control, going into it with almost too much material,” he says of preparedness in a live setting. “There are anchor points like during shows where like now you may need to pick it up, or a good ‘thinking’ moment time.”

His debut role as producer was a natural progression, he says. “I didn’t want to be stuck doing the same thing day in and day out. It’s fine for some people, and I’m not knocking it, but I personally did not want to just mix forever. Producing is a whole other world and exciting. It’s like starting fresh, but not really.”

And the mechanics behind creating an album like Spectacle isn’t much different from the design and philosophy of live performance. “If you listen to it, you may think all these songs don’t belong on one record, but it makes sense to me. A lot of people say it seems like it should be all over the place, but it somehow works. It’s a form of storytelling, where you guide the audience.”

Relm claims never having a defining moment leading him to make the turntables his career tool, and no, he doesn’t profess to be clairvoyant, but over the last ten or so years, he’s taken in plenty of experiences and observations of other greats in the game. “Learn how to mix, learn how to scratch, do some parties, some remixes, some competitions, and then produce your own stuff,” he explains. “That was kind of the way, not so much a path.”

His non-path to making a mark in the world as a DJ certainly worked. What’s more, it helped him master the combined experience of sound and vision on stage, and progress to eclectic narrative, as found on Spectacle, that promotes a listener’s imagination to paint the pictures that accompany the music. It certainly didn’t hurt to have some prized guests on the record as well, such as Mr. Lif, Lateef the Truthspeaker, and vocalist Adrian Hareley of Blue Man Group and Fischerspooner to name a few.

“I had never experienced what it was like to use my own music in a live show because I always sampled music and film,” he closes. “I want people to buy my song now, as opposed to me always looking for the hottest track to work with. This is my very first one It’s a start of new chapter.”

Hello my name is…
Rob Wonder.

AKA…
Dick McWhoady.

I was raised in…
Southeast sector of the USA. Atlanta, GA to be exact.

The reason that you’re reading about me is…
I’ve been running things under the radar in Atlanta for the last 12 years. I’ve played a key role in solidifying ATL as an institution—as a DJ, club owner, promoter, radio and television personality, record store proprietor, innovator, accelerator, king maker, and room shaker. I’ve left no musical stones unturned. And I also stay up late as fuck, which is why no one knows who I am. I sleep most of the day so people don’t know what I really look like. I’ve deejayed with Raekwon in Paris and I’ve cut on Bubba Sparxxx’s album. I am one of the founders of the late great record store More Dusty Than Digital, and the party in the basement known as El Bar. From DMC to ITF, Bonde Do Role to MSTRKRFT…I’ve dunn dunn it all, at all times of the day.

Right now I’m working on…
Opening a new bar because the one I revamped got shut down for no good reason other than it was too successful. For the next 12 months I’m working on an album with a local band called Noot D’ Noot and Sleepy Brown which will be featured on my radio show on scion.com/broadband called No Static At All. I am finishing my new CD—look for it. And you can find me every Saturday making asses shake at MJQ.

But I’d rather be…
Doing a photo shoot with Ricky Powell or starring in a Coen Brothers film.

My most prized possessions are…
Relationsips I’ve built over the years, my radio show, my record collection, my brass knuckles, and my Rane TTM57 mixer which gets the job done every fucking time.

But I’d give it all away for…
My four-month-old daughter Amalee.

The first thing I do in the morning is…
Go to sleep. When I wake up in the afternoon I take a piss, shower, cook some eggs and bacon and drink a glass of O.J.

The last thing I do at night is…
Get ready to go to work.

My mama always said…
Never judge a book by its cover. Color is only skin deep, an asshole is gonna be an asshole no matter what race, creed or color.

I love it when people…
Leave me the fuck alone when I’m not bothering them. Mind your own fucking business, people.

I can’t stand when people…
Judge me. I also can’t stand fucking requests. You want to control the music? Learn how to DJ. Then you’ll hate fucking requests, too.

I am what I drive, which is…
I am not what I drive, I drive what I can afford and what makes sense to me and my family: a Toyota 4Runner.

If you ever see me walking down the street…
Ask me if I need a ride because we don’t walk in Atlanta.

I lose control when…
Never. I’m a control freak—creative control is something I never give up.

The last time I swore I’d never drink was after a night of…
Way too many when the Falcons won the NFC Championships. I don’t remember it, but my wife got it all on tape.

Future projects and plans…
Learning how to entertain people in interviews and become more media friendly, being on the cover of Vapors, kissing my wife’s ass, opening a new club, No Static At All album project with Sleepy Brown and Noot d’ Noot, new Dick McWhoady mix CD, conquering the world through music one city at a time.

Hello my name is…
Clinton Sparks.

Aka…
Mr. Get Familiar.

I was raised in…
Boston. Dorchester to be specific.

The reason that you’re reading about me is…
I’m a DJ, producer, songwriter, and a TV and radio personality.

I work for…
Myself, The Daily 10 on E!, Body English in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, and the fans.

Right now I’m working on…
Ludacris, Beyonce, Colby O’Donis, and Bun B’s albums, as well as my album and my new artist Supastar L.T.’s album. Also working on music with Akon, Ne-Yo and the PCD’s.

But I’d rather be…
I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing in my life, if I wasn’t I wouldn’t be doing it.

I’ve worked with…
Akon, Diddy, Luda, Bun B, Busta Rhymes, Kanye West, Clipse, Kardinal Offishall…

I’d love to work with…
Teddy Riley, Weezer, Pink, Jay-Z and anybody open minded and willing to experiment with new ideas and sounds.

My most prized possessions are…
My family, my team (Daouda: manager, Kamau: engineer, DJ BK: assistant engineer), and my ability to understand different personalities and deal with irrational, difficult people.

The first thing I do in the morning is…
When I’m at home: put my contacts in, have breakfast with my son, vacuum my studio, then get to work. When I’m on the road: check my Blackberry, then get to work.

The last thing I do at night is…
When I’m at home: turn off my equipment and check out some online porn. When I’m on the road: I check out some porn then lie down and fall asleep watching TV.

I can’t travel without…
My Blackberry and laptop.

My momma always said…
I don’t know. I didn’t listen to her much, except when she yelled, “Turn that music down!”

I love it when people…
Help each other out and show courtesy to one another.

I can’t stand when people…
Are unappreciative—it’s disgusting.

I have too many…
Things I want to accomplish and friends.

I don’t have enough…
Time or real friends.

I spend too much money on…
My house and plane tickets.

The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen is…
My son being born.

The ugliest thing I’ve ever seen is…
My wife’s face while that was happening! Just joking, she was beautiful.

I really should…
Hurry up and finish recording my album so I can be making more records for other people.

If you ever see me walking down the street…
I’m in a rush, so it wouldn’t be the best time to get my attention with an “I’m the hottest artist in the world” speech.

My most notable run-in with the law…
Was when I was in the judge’s chambers and the judge gave the plaintiff the choice of me going to juvenile prison or home after I was caught breaking in her house and was going to mash her with a frying pan in order to get out of the house, but she walked by without noticing me so I made a break for it. She told the judge let me go home. Bless her heart!

If I had to say sorry it would be because…
I spend all my time working. That’s the reason I wrote the “Sorry Blame It On Me” record with Akon. It’s a true story!

The last time I swore I’d never drink was after a night of…
Watching my dad as a kid almost kill my mom when he was drunk when I was 5. I decided I would never drink. If there is more negative than positive with something, then I want nothing to do with it.

You can catch me…
On The Daily 10 on E! every Tuesday at 7:30 and midnight, at Smashtime Saturdays at Body English in Las Vegas, every week on my worldwide syndicated radio show Smashtime radio (also on Shade 45 on SIRIUS and smashtimeradio.com), smashing down a club in your country or city, and on clintonsparks.com.

Future projects and plans…
My album is coming out soon, Supastar L.T.’s album, announcing my first major record deal and a massive new mixtape I’m dropping on 2008 featuring Ludacris, Rick Ross, Jim Jones, Akon, Clipse, Yung Joc, Kardinal Offishal, Busta Rhymes…

And before I leave I’d like to give a shout out to…
Everyone that enjoys what I do and comes to the clubs I smash, bumps my mixtapes, and anyone that has ever told anyone else to get familiar with Clinton Sparks. Thank you!