Forward Calendar
I won't go into a lot of details (that will come later when I can confirm everything), but upcoming party events in the Midwest should be quite fun. Memorial Day weekend (May 23–26) in Chicago will feature two big parties at The Metro (a Friday night circuit-y event with Ralphi Rosario and a Saturday night Bear dance party with DJ Ted Eiel), Tony Moran possibly spinning the International Mr. Leather Victory Party at the House of Blues, and Matthew Harvat weaving his magic at Excalibur on Monday. Two weekends later up at Pridefest in Milwaukee (June 6-8), headlining talent includes Wanda Sykes (Friday), Natasha Bedingfield (Saturday) and the Indigo Girls (Sunday). There's even rumor that both Susan Morabito and Tony Moran will be DJing up in Mil-town that weekend.

Music You Can Use
Here's a round-up of CDs that have been churning in my CD player the past couple of months. I found them to be quite interesting and hopefully you'll like them as well.

X (Astralwerks) by Kylie Minogue
Back in 1994 I went Down Under to Australia to attend the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras extravaganza. In addition to having a scandalously good time – what happens in Sydney, stays in Sydney, even if it happens to be with an 11-incher – I was lucky enough to see Kylie Minogue perform at the main event. Only a casual fan previously, she put on a hell of a show that night and converted me to "big fan" status. Now 14 years later, during which my admiration for her has grown immensely, Kylie is back to tantalize her fans with a new album simply called X. Already a huge hit internationally (it was released last year to the rest of the world), this CD pairs her familiar breathy vocals with infectious electronic beats. Tracks from the album that you may have heard already, include "All I See," "Wow," "In My Arms," and "2 Hearts." Kylie is still at the top of her game and X is a definite must-have not only for her fans and for those who appreciate good music.

MOVE: Atlantis Dance 2008 (Silver Label) mixed by Manny Lehman
On the dance music front, the guys at Atlantis Events, who are responsible for those fabulous gay cruises and vacations that are now all the rage, have decided to bring the unique brand of music that is played on their trips to the masses. This debut continuous mix effort is a 2-CD set with a style that's a bit of a departure from Lehman's signature hard-charging circuit ways, with a European musical flair to it and plenty of divas. Appealing to the diverse Atlantis clientele, MOVE includes tracks by Kristine W, Inaya Day, Ultra Nate, Bob Sinclar, and The Cliks.

GILLES PETERSON IN THE HOUSE (Defected Records)
The guys at Defected, the best house music label in the world in my opinion, have done it again by producing another top-notch continuous mix effort: this time by Gilles Peterson. A legendary and global figure in the world of jazz, Peterson is also an acclaimed DJ who has put together this 2-cd set of deep house music magic that is truly special. Reminiscent of Sunday afternoons in NYC at the unforgettable Body & Soul parties, CD1 includes infectious groovers by contemporary house music maestros such as Dennis Ferrer and Sandy Rivera while CD2 has an old-school jazzy, R&B, and disco feel to it with the inclusion of "back in the day" tracks by Earth Wind, & Fire; A Taste of Honey; Chaka Khan; and Angela Bofill. Gilles Peterson has an incredibly broad knowledge, collection, and appreciation of music and he ably presents it in this tremendous Defected production.

SEVENTH TREE (Mute) by Goldfrapp
Alison Goldfrapp and her partner in crime Will Gregory are back with another album, but do not expect it to be filled with disco beats and electronica sensibilities. Instead what you get is a 10-track long-player that's warm and sensual and at the same time folksy and psychedelic. Possessing unique and interesting instrumentation, Seventh Tree demonstrates Goldfrapp's creativity and is sure to take the listening public on a fantastic ride.

Dance Singles
"Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis The next great U.K. singer planning to take America by storm will be taking dance floors by storm with remixes of her first single by Moto Blanco, Jason Nevins, and The Shapeshifters (my favorite).
"I'm A Fire" by Donna Summer While the remixes by the likes of Solitaire and Matty Heilbronn are indeed good, the original album version has a soulful house groove that just works.
"Touch My Body" by Mariah Carey Mimi always brings out the best in remixers and the two club efforts by Craig C and Seamus Haji are further proof. Both are fantastic! And we're still waiting for a David Morales treatment. Yeah!