Nadia Ali - Crash And Burn (Dilamani & Rassek Remix)

"Nadia Ali was born in Libya to Pakistani parents in 1980. The family relocated to Queens, New York City, when she was still a small child, and has remained there until this day.
Ali has stated in interviews that the music that most influenced her growing up includes Stevie Nicks, Sade, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, U2, Madonna, Led Zeppelin, Carole King, Carly Simon and The Beatles.

While 17 years old, Ali was working in the New York offices of Versace, and aspiring to start a music career, when a co-worker introduced her to producer Markus Moser, who was looking for a female singer to collaborate on some of his original dance music production.The two teamed up and started a group that was originally named “Vaiio,” named after the Sony laptop Nadia was working on. They later dropped the “va” to avoid causing problems in the future with Sony.
As with any great era of music, there are always a handful of tracks that can be considered genre defining. For dance music -from the late 90’s to the new millennium - there were only a select few tracks that caught fire around the world. Most of these tracks came from the godfather’s of the recent dance music explosion: We’re talking about tracks like Underworld’s “Born Slippy,” and The Chemical Brother’s “Block Rockin’ Beats.” However, there was one track in particular that emerged from the underground and caught everyone off guard. At first, people knew Iio’s “Rapture” by the catchy “la, la, la” chorus as sung by a beautiful voice. As the track emerged from the underground and blew up in the mainstream, “Rapture” became a true tour de force. Remixes from Creamer & K, Deep Dish and Armin van Buuren would follow and the track sold into the millions. Still, at the heart of what made “Rapture” so beautiful was that voice. That voice - and voice of a new generation in house music - belongs to Nadia Ali.
Nadia Ali was born in the Mediterranean and grew up in Queens, New York City. In her teens, Nadia listened to a huge variety of music - anything from Reggae, Hip Hop, Latin house and from Motown to alternative rock. However, Nadia considers classic rock and Indian music to be her biggest genre influences. Artistically, the three performers having the most influence on her are Stevie Nicks, “because of her haunting vocals and songwriting;” Sade, “because she has such a distinctive sound;” and Madonna, “For being such an intense performer.” She has also been heavily influenced by artists ranging from U2, Led Zeppelin, Jim Morrison, Carole King, Depeche Mode and eastern icon, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, among others.
Nadia’s voice is astonishingly pure and rich despite the fact that she never once had vocal training. Earlier in her life she looked at singing as a hobby (she wrote her first song at 16) and instead went to college for academic purposes rather than pursue a career in music. But life sometimes has other ideas for us. While working in the NYC Versace office - trying to balance full time employment with college - a colleague (who had heard her singing in the office) introduced Nadia to a producer named Markus Moser. The first song Nadia sang for Markus was Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and it blew him away - He knew Nadia had something special. At Markus’ suggestion Nadia soon quit college to focus exclusively on singing and songwriting, a period that soon yielded dozens of songs.
One such track was the mighty “Rapture,” a song in which the lyrics were written by Nadia in a mere 30 minutes. Together, Markus and Nadia would formally release “Rapture,” a second single “At The End” and the album Poetica under the stage name Iio.

“At the time I had no idea how big the song was gonna become. I don’t think anybody knew how massive it was gonna become. I started hearing all these strange names like oh “Sander, Pete Tong, Seb Fontaine, are all playing Rapture” I remembered how crazy it was when I first heard it on the radio. I freaked. I mean growing up in NY, since I was 14 I had gone to clubs like the Tunnel, the Palladium, Roxy and Limelight and really only knew a handful of names the likes of Tenaglia, Deep Dish, Sasha & Digweed. I had no idea that all these names would eventually go on to playing my record, I mean I remember my first 2 dance (Cassette Tapes!) being Danny Tenaglia’s “Tourism” and a Junior Vasquez mix compilation. It was all surreal,” Nadia says.

What does the future hold in store for Nadia Ali? Well, the future is now! Nadia recently collaborated with Armin Van Buuren on a track called “Who is Watching.” Much different that the high energy trance Van Buuren is known for, the track is very minimal, complete with an acoustic guitar. Remixes of “Who is Watching” is being played out at clubs now and the original version is available on Van Buuren’s new CD “Shivers.” Nadia also collaborated with producers John Creamer & Stephane K and male vocalist/singer/songwriter Rosko on the duet “Something To Lose.”

“I chose working with Armin Van Buuren (well known for his melodic trance productions) and John Creamer & Stephane K (known for their sexy deep progressive house) because I wanted to do two records very different from each other. The Van Buuren record is very emotional and melodic and the record with Creamer and K has a lot of energy and attitude. It’s also really interesting to work with them because both Armin Van Buuren and Creamer and K remixed “Rapture” and I always wanted to work with them,” says Nadia.

Nadia has performed in all parts of the world, from Texas to Taipei, Bucharest to Melbourne, and Moscow to Istanbul. She brings a unique passion and intensity to each of her performances, the result of a true connection to each track she sings. Nadia continues to 100% exclusively write and sing her own lyrics in order to bring across that true emotion to her fans. She is at the heart of what makes dance music young, fresh, exciting and new." Article source: www.last.fm.

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.

Neylini - Share My Love (Deepside Deejays Remix)

KORG Music History

Korg is recognized as one of the most innovative manufacturers of electronic musical instruments and accessories in the world. With its headquarters based in Tokyo, Japan, Korg maintains a network of distributors operating in countries around the world. From producing the first synthesizer in Japan, to defining the Music Workstation category, to inventing the world’s first handheld electronic tuner and more, Korg has been at the forefront of technology, and strives to bring to market products that are not only cutting edge, but also extremely user-friendly, inspirational, and of the highest quality.
Inception
The company began as many do—with the idea that something could be done better. In the early 1960s, Korg founder Tsutomu Katoh was a nightclub proprietor. Tadashi Osanai, a noted Japanese accordionist, performed regularly at Katoh’s club. Katoh told Osanai that it would be nice to have a rhythm machine to keep the beat. Osanai, an engineering graduate from Japan’s prestigious Tokyo University, was certain he could build a rhythm machine himself, and convinced Katoh to finance his efforts.
In 1962, Katoh rented a small facility alongside the Keio (pronounced K-O or Kayo) railway line, where Katoh and Osanai worked on developing a mechanical rhythm machine. The fledgling enterprise was dubbed Keio Electronic Laboratories, which later became Korg — a derivation of the words “Keio” and “ORGan”. Their first product, the Disc Rotary Electric Auto Rhythm machine or DoncaMatic DA-20, was released in 1963. While primitive by today’s standards, the instrument represented a major breakthrough in its day. By 1966, the company had made the transition from electro-mechanical technology to solid-state with the introduction of the DoncaMatic DE-11. Korg continued to release many “Drum Machines,” as they came to be known. The Mini-Pops (MP Series) and Korg Rhythm (KR) series were extremely popular. As sampling came into vogue in the mid 1980s, the DDD-1 and DDD-5 (Digital Dynamic Drums) became the star performers, eventually giving way to the S3 in 1990.  

Keyboard Products

During the 1960s and 1970s, the organ was a dominant product in the keyboard market, so in 1967 when Katoh was approached by Fumio Mieda, an engineer who wanted to develop keyboard products, he provided the backing for Mieda to try his hand at developing a new type of organ. In 1968, Mieda created the “Prototype I,” which was an organ with programmable voice capabilities similar to a synthesizer.

Furthering their idea and in order to produce products to bring to the public market, Katoh and Mieda created the KORGUE organ, which was completed in 1972.

During that same time, a musician friend of Katoh and Mieda visited the USA and saw a MOOG synthesizer. Upon his return to Japan, he told Katoh that the Prototype I was actually no different than a synthesizer, making the Prototype I the first “synthesizer” in Japan. This encouraged Katoh to develop the Prototype technology and to enter the new synthesizer market.

Synthesizers

In 1973, using many of the basic design concepts of the Prototype I, the company introduced their first synthesizer, the mini KORG 700 (K1 in the U.S.), a monophonic synthesizer. This was the first product to be sold under the Korg brand name. The mini KORG was soon joined by the mini KORG 700S (K2 in the U.S.), an effects-enhanced version. The mini KORG family proved popular for providing high quality sound in an easy-to-use and affordable package. Based on the enormous success of the mini KORG, the company continued to develop synthesizers.

1975 saw the introduction of the Dual-Voice Maxi-Korg 800DV (K3 in the U.S.) SyntheBass and the 900PS preset synthesizer. A year later, the Polyphonic Ensemble series (PE1000 and PE2000) was unveiled. The PE series helped to launch Korg as a full-line electronic keyboard company. By 1978, Korg had introduced two new lines of synthesizers that retained some of the patching capabilities of early modular synthesizers — the polyphonic PS series and the monophonic MS series. The MS10 and MS20 were extremely successful, and are still coveted by techno and dance artists today. Also part of this flush of products was Korg’s first vocoder, the VC-10. The PS-3100 was the first polyphonic synthesizer from Korg, and it was soon joined by the PS-3200, one of the first programmable polyphonic synthesizers ever created, allowing sounds to be recalled at the touch of a button. The PS-3300 followed in 1979, and actually contained three separate polyphonic synthesizers that could be played together from one keyboard. In 1980, Korg launched the TRIDENT, combining a polyphonic/programmable synthesizer, a string synthesizer, a brass synthesizer, and effects into one performance-oriented keyboard.

Sequential Circuits revolutionized the synthesizer industry in 1978 with the Prophet-5, the first instrument that was polyphonic, easy to use, and allowed every knob setting to be saved in a bank of user presets. Musically the instrument drew raves; however, its $4,000 price tag limited its appeal. The significance of the Prophet-5 was immediately apparent to Mr. Katoh and the engineers at Korg. They began work on a similar product, which led to the introduction of the Polysix in 1981. The Polysix featured six-voice polyphony and, like the Prophet 5, was fully programmable. However, its $1,995 retail price tag was unprecedented. In 1981, Korg also released the Mono/Poly, another coveted item today.

Korg further redefined the synthesizer market with the introduction of the Poly-800 in 1983. With a list price of $795, the Poly-800 was the first fully programmable synthesizer that cost less than $1,000! It was also Korg’s first product equipped with MIDI. The Digital Waveform series (DW6000 and DW8000) in 1984 and 1985 introduced a whole new palette of tone colors by utilizing complex digitized waveforms beyond the reach of the simple square and sawtooth waves used up until that point. 1987 found Korg breaking ground again, using FM technology in a highly intuitive way with the DS-8 and 707.

Korg acquired Sequential Circuits in 1989, forming the nucleus of a research and development center based in California’s Silicon Valley. The first product developed by Korg R&D was the Wavestation, introduced in 1990. Using technologies such as Advanced Vector Synthesis and Wave Sequencing, the Wavestation won awards and recognition for its technical achievements and innovation, and was followed by a number of related products.

Both the California-based R&D group and Korg Inc. continued to explore new technologies, delving into physical modeling and other forward-thinking forms of synthesis. One of the most unique results of these efforts was Korg’s WAVEDRUM, released in 1994. It combined the expressive playability of an acoustic drum with the dynamic power of DSP Synthesis, allowing drummers and percussionists to use all their familiar playing techniques to create and dynamically control a wide range of sounds.

Meanwhile, the R&D group worked on a new project dubbed “OASYS” – Open Architecture Synthesis. Their research yielded new technologies that Korg went on to implement in a number of products, including the OASYS PCI Card that brought unparalleled sonic excellence to the computer platform back in the late 1990s; and set the stage for the OASYS keyboard in later years.

The Prophecy Solo Synthesizer was unveiled in 1995. Using DSP synthesis first developed for the OASYS project, the monophonic Prophecy provided algorithms for producing realistic analog timbres, VPM (Variable Phase Modulation) tones similar to FM synthesis, and physically modeled brass, reed, and plucked string instruments. Korg built upon its DSP technology in 1997 to create the Z1 Physical Modeling Synthesizer. This 61-key polyphonic multitimbral instrument was equipped with a stunningly powerful synthesizer engine, a cool polyphonic arpeggiator, and an X-Y control pad. This same modeling technology is the basis for Korg’s MOSS expansion board, which is still widely used in its workstations today.

In 2000, Korg introduced the MS2000 Analog Modeling Synthesizer, as well as a rack version dubbed the MS2000R. Featuring the latest DSP-powered analog modeling system, these products pay homage to the meaty analog sounds of the original Korg MS series synthesizers. They include powerful 16-band vocoders, modeled on the classic Korg VC-10, which can use vocal or rhythm sounds as input. Revamped versions with a new sound set and color scheme - the MS2000B and MS2000BR followed. A mini-key version based on the same sound engine appeared in 2003. Dubbed the microKORG, this fun performer rapidly became one of the best selling synthesizers in the world, and stayed at the top for years. The HI (Hyper Integrated) synthesis engine that powered the famous TRITON Workstation line proved strong enough to stand on its own in the X50 and microX stage and studio synthesizers. Collectors are still searching for the rare camouflage version of the X-50, and the elusive white version of the microX.

Exhaustive research and development led to the MMT (Multi Modeling Technology) synth engine, giving rise to the knob-laden RADIAS in 2006; followed by the streamlined R3 in 2007. These two full-size key synths offer vocoding and sound engine. The RADIAS is a sound designer’s dream, adding drum parts, step-sequencing and the retro-style tilt-up panel found in certain analog classics.

Accolades

Over the years, Korg and its products have received numerous awards and honors from members of the music industry in countries around the world. Honors include product awards from industry consumer publications, POP display awards, and product/product category awards from various trade publications.

Here, There, and Everywhere

The far-reaching influence of Korg products have been seen not only in popular music spanning over 40 years, but also in projects as diverse as Korg’s product line—from recording traditional Chinese Music for a TV program, to participating in a special presentation at the famous Smithsonian museum, to aiding a research project involving interspecies animal communication, and much, much more!

The Future

Today, decades after his humble entrance into the world of musical instruments, Mr. Katoh and Korg are still dedicated to providing musicians with new and better products to help express their creativity. We are a company of musicians and music enthusiasts that see ourselves as your musical partner. Like you, we love great sounds, we love a good interface, and we love music. We’re Korg." Article source: www.korg.com.