Irene Nelson - Sunrise (Fonzerelli Piano Club Mix)

"Just as the mythic Phoenix rising out of ashes symbolizes the rebirth of a soul, it is not a coincidental symbolic theme that signifies the state in which Irene Nelson currently finds herself. This exotic Siberian songbird has risen from a successful career as lead vocal of Reflex band, Russia’s biggest chart and sales topping act, to begin life as a solo artist in a new land. Already receiving rave reviews from early believers, Nelson’s debut single and video, “Sunrise” (NTMG/Bungalo/Universal) is winning hearts stateside via thousands of hits on her myspace.com and You Tube sites.

Recorded at George Martin’s legendary Air Studios in London, and produced by Steve Orchard (U2, ColdPlay, Peter Gabriel, Dido) and Russian music producer Vlad Tyurin (Reflex), “Sunrise” is as aurally stunning as the video is visually striking. The song metaphorically tells the story of a love affair that survives the everyday challenges of love lost and won: “…they set fire to our wings as we rise from the ashes and flames.” Nelson’s lyrics are reminiscent of great songwriters of the past; marrying the story-telling skills of Carol King and Diane Warren, and the emotion and passion of her favorite artists, Yann Destal, U2, the Beatles and Sting.

The mention of Siberia conjures a vision of a vast frozen tundra, and home of the legendary Trans Siberian Railroad. But for Irene Nelson, her homeland is a lushly forested place of warmth, culture and beauty…where a respect for nature and its animals are taught at a young age: “On my Grandmother’s farm we were taught subtle senses and delicate treatment of nature and to love and give care to animals,” Irene explains. “I don’t eat meat of birds and animals and I’m still thinking that the ancient people were right when they asked for forgivness before killing an animal for their needs.” This gentleness, love and respect of nature and all living things has become a recurrent theme in Irene’s music.

 The theme of trial by fire, rebirth and redemption has been constant in Nelson’s life: born in a poor village in Siberia, the difficulty of being deprived of much during her childhood has implanted resilience deep in Nelson’s psyche. Upon completing high school, Nelson said: “I wanted to pursue musical education, and had to quietly escape away from my parents to the capital of Siberia, Novosibirsk. I didn’t know any one when I arrived, and I had no money, so I would go door-to-door seeking shelter,” Irene explains. “I was accepted to one of the universities to study piano composition and theory, but I was too poor to afford to rent a piano, so I drew a keyboard   on paper, and would unroll my “piano” and practice daily.” Joining a jazz/big band after finishing school, Nelson spent the next few years touring Europe, participating in festivals and winning various awards.

Irene continued touring with her jazz band untill she met songwriter/producer Vlad Tyurin. A legend among Russia’s musical elite, Tyurin has made his mark as one of the most outstanding and distinguished composers and sound-producers in Russia. Creator and producer of one of Europe’s hottest and biggest-selling pop acts, Reflex, Tyurin has written many songs for other artists and worked closely with Reflexmusic record label which released Paul Van Dyk, the Reflex albums, and The Bhangra Knights project. In 2007, he has produced for one of the most successful German groups “System in Blue”. Tyurin invited Nelson to collaborate with him on a dance project, and Reflex was born. Working with such musicians as the German hit-maker Dj Bobo, System in Blue, Secret Service, Dj Freza, Dj Voodoo, and Great Britain band The Bhangra Knights, Tyurin, created out of Irene, the most successful group of Russia, the band released 8 albums and successfully toured Europe, the U.S. and Asia.

 For 4 years Reflex became the most outstanding dance project on the Russian pop-stage and winning an amazing amount of musical awards, including 3 Russian Grammy Awards: 2004 “Dvizhenie” (The Movement premium) for best video “Non Stop”. In 2006, Reflex was awarded the giant Svarovsky Crystal for Russia’s most fashionable artist on Fashion TV. 2002 “Golden Gramophone” (Russian Grammy premium) for “Soyti s uma” (“I lose my mind”) like Song of the Year; 2002 “Pesnya goda” (Song of the Year premium) for “Perviy raz” (“For the First Time”) like Song of the Year/Debut of the Year; 2001 “Ovation” premium for Best Composer (“I lose my mind”) and 2000 “Muzikalny Podium” (Music Podium premium) award for the most fashionable achievements made in music to name just a few, and 2007 “Golden Gramophone” (Russian Grammy premium) for “Tanzy” (“Dances”).

In 2007 Nelson and Reflex were at the pinnacle of their success. Not only was Irene Nelson named “FHM Magazine’s Top 100 Sexiest Women on the Planet,” but Reflex would go on to win their 3rd Golden Gramophone for a recurring hit: “Dances.” It was during the acceptance speech that Nelson stunned the worldwide audience by announcing her departure from the group. Nelson elaborates: “I had been feeling unfulfilled, I needed to grow and to evolve, and I knew that the only way I could do so would be to leave. I went to a lovely mountain retreat in the United Arab Emirates. I lived completely alone for 2 months, completely cut off from the world with no electricity or running water. I practiced meditation and lived in total quiet. When I returned from my retreat, I was better equipped with a new form of self-expression that I like to call romantic rock.”

After Irene returned, Vlad was invited to work for a large producing studio in Dubai. It was there where he began to work on a new sound for Irene, and they began to invent a new project. After two years of work in the Dubai’s studio, they went to London to record the album, and then to Sweden, to shoot their first video for the song “Sunrise” with the legendary director Niclas Fronda. Nicals suggested to shoot the video in Iceland, and after seeing the set on the cold gloomy beach, Irene immediately agreed.

“Sunrise,” the accompanying video was filmed in a 50-room 14th Century castle in Sweden and on Iceland’s black-sand volcanic beaches boasts one of the most scenic and jaw-dropping panorama shots and awe-inspiring special effects. Working with director Niclas Fronda (Bjork, Rasmus) was a creative coup for Nelson. [quote from Irene regarding shooting the video]. With shots of Iceland’s visually stunning vistas, thrill-ride helicopter shots accompanying Nelson’s sweet, lyrical voice, “Sunrise will quickly become one of the most viewed videos in 2009." Article source: www.irene-nelson.com.

Cosmic Gate & Emma Hewitt - Not Enough Time (Andy Duguid Remix)

"Over 10 boundary-pushing years, Nic Chagall and Bossi have evolved Cosmic Gate into one of the most creative and highly-sought-after electronic music acts in the world. Revered uber-producers, their musical acumen has seen them become long-term favourites of the trance's Big 5 DJs with their 4 hugely-received albums transporting anthems like 'Body of Conflict', ,Not Enough Time', 'I Feel Wonderful', ,F.A.V.', 'Analog Feel', or the classics 'Exploration of Space' and Fire Wire to the dancefloor. As DJs, their kinetic, blood-pumping live performances are seen by hundreds of thousands of club and festival goers annually. Playing a 100 nights every year, it's this ever-visible club presence that saw them reach their highest position to-date on the DJ Mag Top 100, landing as highest climbers at No.19 in 2009.

 Following a chance meeting at a label office in Cologne in late 1998, the pair collaborated for the first time. It's a production partnership that has become one of the dance world's most successful and memorable. In their homeland of Germany, they've maintained a consistent level of chart success, with no fewer than 7 Top 40 singles to their name and a Top 10 hit in the UK in 2001, with the quintessential club hit, Fire Wire. Drawing on a broad-range of their individual musical tastes and influences, they've continued to advance and enhance the sound... Following up the long-players 'Rythm & Drums' and 'No More Sleep', in 2006 they released 'Earth Mover', which saw a seismic shift towards a more melodic and electronically orientated music. Including the club hits 'Analog Feel', 'Should Have Known' and 'I Feel Wonderful', the long-player was IDMA nominated for Best Album of 2007 and was latterly seen as a new 'year one' for Cosmic Gate.

In 2009 Nic and Bossi released their fourth studio album 'Sign of the Times', which contains 11 floor-monsters, last year's vocal anthem 'Body of Conflict' and the smash single 'Not Enough Time', which in the words of Tiësto is "a great and solid vocal trancer that touches all your musical senses!" And in the broader scale on 'Sign of the Times' Armin van Buuren says "The new Cosmic Gate album is one of the most anticipated releases of this year. They are on the forefront of the dance music sound of the moment... Bring on 2009!" 

 Deck-side Nic and Bossi have whipped floors into frenzies all the way around the world. In 2009 they played the ,How Sweet It Is' and ,Electronic Daisy Carnival' in LA, rocked roofs at the Judgement Sunday nights and decisively broke into the US and Australian clubbing scenes through a string of sell-out tours, like the ,Sign Of The Times' Album Tour with 14 shows in a row in North America and the Godskitchen Tour through Australia in the amazing ,Boombox'. They appeared in the DJ Magazine's list of Top 100 spinners for 7 years now and are regular festival attraction, spinning at events like Trance Energy and Mysteryland in The Netherlands, Summadayze in Australia, Germany's Nature One and Stateside at Nocturnal.

Back2Back, Cosmic Gate's on-going compilation series was devised as the at-home testament to the pair's club-rocking exploits. In 2010 Cosmic Gate are set to release the 4th volume through Tiësto's Black Hole label. The compilations bring the evocative mix of trance, progressive and electro and stands apart through their use of numerous at-the-time unreleased productions and unique Cosmic Gate edits.
Over their production lifetime, the Cosmic Gate remixes have become almost as fêted as their productions. Essentially a blow by blow of trance music's A-list, Nic and Bossi lent their studio know-how to productions by the likes of Tiësto, Ferry Corsten, Above & Beyond's OceanLab project, Paul Van Dyk, Deadmau5, Rank 1 and Blank & Jones. Most recently they rewired John O'Callagan's 'Find Yourself' to devastating effect, put their hands on Armin van Buurens ,Rain' and created two highly-praised remixes of 'Vincent De Moor - Fly Away' and 'Veracocha - Carte Blanche'."Article source: www.cosmicgate-music.de.

Lily Allen - F*ck You (Ralphi Rosario Remix)

"Lily Allen has been called all these things, and much, much more - sometimes with justification, often without. She's posh, she's common, she's sexy, she's demure, she's reticent, she's outspoken, she's sensitive, she's shameless, she's loved-up, she's distraught, often all in the same evening. Then she goes to bed, gets up and has breakfast. Then she posts her breakfast on the Internet. Then other people analyse her breakfast. And wonder why she posted it on the Internet. Contrary, contradictory, occasionally catty, always compelling, Allen, at 23, is Britain's most consistently engaged and engaging pop star, as well as one of our most successful. She first commandeered the public stage in July 2006, a fully formed phenomenon with a song that would help define that summer, the hugely infectious "Smile", her first CD single and her first UK number one. "Smile" served as an excellent primer for the Allen oeuvre, a breezy, lilting, ska-inflected slice of perfect pop distinguished by sugar-sweet vocals and unflinchingly autobiographical lyrics. It was a song of female empowerment sung by a smart-mouthed, wide-eyed, pretty post-teen in a pink prom dress and box-fresh Nike trainers, fluoro make-up and huge hoop earrings. "LDN" was, if anything, even more insidious and distinctive: a faux-naive, text-spelt, profane paean to the city of her birth in all its grimy glory. By the time of the release of "Alright, Still", her debut album, Allen's stardom was solidified and her public persona cemented: cheeky, waspish, searingly honest, sparky, spiky and satirical. Some of the stories about her were even true.

Lily Allen was born in May 1985 in Hammersmith, west London, the daughter of film producer Alison Owen and actor Keith Allen. It was an unconventional childhood, but not one without its compensations, and it made Allen wise beyond her years and tremendously motivated to carve her own place in the world. Raised alongside her sister and brother in Bloomsbury, Shepherd's Bush, Primrose Hill and Islington, she attended 13 different schools in total before abandoning her formal education at 15 and embarking on a teenage odyssey of innocence and experience: clubbing in Ibiza, studying to be a florist, always hoping to break into the entertainment industry. She knocked on record company doors from the age of 16, and her first deal came in 2002, with Warners, who pushed her in an uncomfortably folky direction. It was two years later, working with producers Future Cut, when Allen began to find her feet as a songwriter. In 2005 she signed to Regal, an imprint of Parlophone, and, frustrated by the slow pace of the music industry, began to post demos on her MySpace page. Meanwhile, a series of live appearances at the Notting Hill nightclub Yo-Yo in the spring of 2006 whetted press and public appetites.

"I find it hard to write songs about nothing," says Allen. "I try to write things that are both relevant to my life - which is totally weird and surreal - and also universal. I think the record probably is a bit darker but not because I have a darker outlook on life. I actually feel happier right now than I did when I released "Alright, Still". When I was writing the first record I felt like I was really struggling. I wanted to be doing something and I felt no one was interested. Now I feel like people are very interested." " Article source: www.lilyallenmusic.com.

Kerli - Walking On Air (Armin Van Buuren Club Mix)

""All I want/Is right here/But love don't live here anymore/And love don't live here anymore" "Love Is Dead"
All you need to know about 21-year-old singer-songwriter Kerli is contained in the songs to her debut Island Def Jam album, Love Is Dead. Born in Elva, Estonia, a tiny, then-Soviet occupied town of 5,000 people in the forest, Kerli grew up with a dream to escape from her surroundings. "Little creepy girl/Oh she loves to sing/She has a little gift-an amazing thing," she declares on the autobiographical, world music beat of "Walking
on Air. "She will go and set the world on fire/Nobody ever thought she could do that." "I'm a passionate person," declares the blonde-haired beauty, who once drew a picture in a diary when she was 13 that depicted her going to America. "Where I come from, it was a shame to show your emotions. You could never be too happy, because something bad might happen. I was always a passionate person. I wanted to live every moment. I looked around me, and it was beautiful, but I wanted something more." Ignoring material comforts and new clothes for lessons in singing, ballet, acting and classical piano, at fourteen Kerli entered and won Euroalaul, an annual televised competition to select a song to represent Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest. After the win, she decided to concentrate on singing. Island Def Jam Chairman Antonio "L.A." Reid signed her on the spot after she auditioned for him.
Working with noted producer/mixer/songwriter David Maurice, whose credits include Garbage and JC Chasez, Kerli wrote the personal lyrics to all the songs, reflecting her amazing odyssey from a small town in Estonia across the sea from Scandanavia to major label recording artist.
"Being here has enabled me to grow as a person," she says. "What I like here, which I never had in Estonia, is that people really do believe they can become whatever they want to become. My background has made me what I am, but it must be so much better to grow up in an environment where nobody tells you that you can't do something. My dream of leaving and making music was my escape. I had no other options." That resolve comes across in songs like the rocking "I Want Nothing" and the vulnerability mixed with bravado of "Bulletproof," while the hope of a better future comes across in the soulful R&B of "Beautiful Day" and the emotional moving "Butterfly Cry," in which she reveals, "I used to believe there was no lights/But I found out/Life is far too short to fight/Lose yourself/Let go your pain/Taste the air you breathe/And kiss the sky."

HI-Q Audio

"I used to be suicidal and depressed when I was younger," she says. " 'Butterfly Cry' is about getting out of  that. It was like my eyes were suddenly opened. It was a rebirth."  That cycle of death and resurrection runs throughout Kerli's dark-laced songs, from the title track, to the techno-rocking "Hurt Me," a reflection of the mental abuse she suffered as a youngster, and the defiant harmonies of "Fragile," marking the distance between where she came from and where she is now. "It was hard for me to go back to my normal life in Estonia when I first started traveling," she says of the inspiration for "Fragile." "I felt like I didn't really fit anymore. None of my family or friends could relate to what I was going through, and I couldn't relate to what they were going through."

She claims no musical influences, except for being a fan of Bjork. Kerli insists: "I'm just such a sponge that whenever I hear something beautiful, it touches me. When I was little, we didn't have much access to western

culture. I remember my cousin getting cable when she was five and it was the first time we'd ever seen MTV."

And while Kerli has certainly made up for that lost time, she is adamant that pop stardom, fame and material success are not her goals, which she declares in the reggae rhythms of "Up Up Up" or the confessional "I Want Nothing."  "I used to fantasize about being a pop star, but now my passion is for music," she says. "I don't care about attention. I just want people to hear this record. It's not about me. Everything I do at this point is for the people and the hope somebody can relate to what I went through." "You think I'm more than you," she sings in "Fragile. "You think you see me/You like the way I'm strong and stand by you/But I am fragile, too."

"I haven't had a single dream that hasn't come true," says Kerli of her remarkable path, which has led her to L.A. and N.Y. to record her debut. "The bigger the dream, the more time it takes to come true. The moment you really let go, that's when something comes to you. The next level for me is to be totally untouchable. My dreams now are very spiritual, of personal growth. All I want is to be happy. I want to make love my armor so that nothing can hurt me."

Love Is Dead is the next step in that voyage, which has taken her from a tiny village on the other side of the world to an opportunity to tell that story so that it inspires others. "World's turning round for you/There is no need to be afraidŠEverything is on its way."  "This is the way I feel all the time," she says. "I open my eyes in the morning and I'm excited about my life. But I want to keep that darker part alive, too, because I find it very beautiful. I just want to show people that it is possible to come out of that dark hole. I was as deep as you can get, but I came out. Everybody can. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. That's my message. I'm a storyteller, a messenger, a friend, a helper on a very basic, simple, human level. I'm a voice for the outsiders, because I'm one, too."

"Life is my creation/My best friend," she sings in "The Creationist" of the way she has invented and then transformed herself and her life. "Whatever happened/Was meant that way."" Article source: www.kerlimusic.com.

Beyonce - If I Were A Boy (Karmatronic Main Remix)

""When I started the record," says Beyoncé about her new double album I AM… SASHA FIERCE, "I knew that, artistically, I had to grow. Even though I've been very successful and very fortunate, I want to still be challenged and still be nervous and still be anxious about all the things that make my career exciting."

One of 2008's most anticipated new album releases, I AM… SASHA FIERCE is Beyoncé’s first new studio collection since her Grammy-winning multi-platinum-selling B'DAY debuted at #1 on charts around the world shortly after its international release on September 4, 2006 (in celebration of Beyoncé’s 25th birthday).

Each of the discs on Beyoncé's new double album reveals a distinctly different side of her personality, character and sensibility, a forum for the yin-and-yang of her developing artistry.

One of the discs, titled I AM…, provides Beyoncé with a musical showcase for a group of intimate heartfelt ballads while the SASHA FIERCE disc gives voice to Beyoncé's up-tempo dance-oriented other side.

"SASHA FIERCE is my alter ego," says Beyoncé, "and now she has a last name. I have someone else that takes over when it's time for me to work and when I'm on stage, this alter ego that I've created that kind of protects me and who I really am. That's why half the record, I AM…, is about who I am underneath all the makeup, underneath the lights, and underneath all the exciting star drama. And SASHA FIERCE is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken side and more glamorous side that comes out when I'm working and when I'm on the stage. The double album allows me to take more risks and really step out of myself, or shall I say, step more into myself, and reveal a side of me that people only know me see."

With I AM…, Beyoncé reveals a variety of musical aspects and interests that may take her fans by surprise. Citing a range of influences including "folk songs and alternative songs and acoustic guitar…stuff that's different from what I sing," Beyoncé has produced, written, recorded and performed a finely crafted selection of contemporary ballads that combine the best elements of pop and soul music while expanding the possibilities of both genres.

In addition to the multiple artistic achievements on I AM… SASHA FIERCE, Beyoncé has recently completed work on a pair of high profile movie projects including her role as R&B legend Etta James in Darnell James' "Cadillac Records." According to Beyoncé, becoming Etta James on-screen, "was a challenge for me emotionally because Etta had a lot of challenges in her life, things that I've never experienced. I had to really dig deep so that I could have the right performance and represent her well. One thing she taught me is her fearlessness; she was Etta all the time. She was bold and she did not try to change who she was for anyone. She was one of the queens. If it weren’t for her crossing over -she was the first African-American woman to cross over on the radio, I wouldn't have the opportunities that I have. It was the best performance I think I've done on screen. It gave me the strength and the confidence to step out of my comfort zone even more."" Source & Full article available at www.beyonceonline.com.