ChicagoPride.com Groove Line:

Market Days Redux
I know by the time you read this, the 2008 edition of Market Days will be a small picture in your personal rearview mirror, but I did just want to say ‘thanks' to all of you who came by the ChicagoPride.com booth that weekend. In addition to our collection of cuties manning the booth and handing out flyers and other goodies, DJ Phil DaBeatz (interview) and I had a pretty good groove going while spinning dance music for all to hear. It was especially nice for me to be back on Sunday to deliver my gospel house music sermon. I hope you all enjoyed it.

Ultra Fabulous
Thank god for Ultra Naté, a singer who is unapologetic about being a dance music artist and who never whines or complains about wanting to cross-over. A long-time dance music diva, Ultra and I share an important life event: we both got turned onto clubbing and introduced to the magic of house music when we first went to the legendary Baltimore nightclub O'dell's in the mid-1980s. Much like you hear about Paradise Garage in NYC, Zanazibar in Newark, and Warehouse in Chicago, Odell's was an important house music outpost in the mid-Atlantic region, and the fact that it helped inspire the career of the one and only Ultra Naté further burnishes its legendary status.

But enough about East Coast clubs of the past, what's up with Ultra today. Well, she's just released Alchemy: G.S.T. Reloaded (Tommy Boy), an ambitious 2-CD set that is sure to excite Ultra Naté fans, old and new alike. CD1- The Remixes contains brand new previously unreleased remixes from her Grime, Silk & Thunder album, including the Morgan Page remix of "Love's The Only Drug," a Stonebridge remix of "Freak On," and a Craig C. remix of "Getaway" featuring Dajae.

Interestingly, CD2 – The Sugar Sessions is Ultra's first ever commercially released DJ continuous mix compilation and quite frankly it ROCKS! Proving she knows her way around the DJ booth, Ultra throws down a mean track-y deep house set of her own records, including the Kenny Dope mix of "Twisted," a Quentin Harris treatment of "It's Over Now," and Ron Carroll's BMC Mix of "Feel Love." And showing love to her Baltimore home boys, there are several slamming remixes by the likes of DJ Oji, DJ Spen, and Thommy Davis & The Muthafunkaz. I told you Alchemy: G.S.T. Reloaded was an ambitious project and it's one you need to add to your collection.

What's Old Is New Again
The legendary Cevin Fisher is back with updated versions of his 1998 classic dance track "You Got Me Burnin' Up" with Loleatta Holloway on vocals. The Prok & Fitch Remix will please those interested in an electro-tech treatment while the Rail Rincon Remix has a pitch perfect summer terrace house groove. Remember the theme song from the movie "Fame." Well DJ/remixer/producer Bill Bennett has enlisted Suzanne Palmer for a remake that has recently been tearing up dance floors. There are several different remixes by the likes of Twisted Dee, DJ Ranny, Bryan Reyes, and DJ Luis ErRe.

Destined?
There are two dance singles out right now by artists associated with Destiny's Child. First up is Moto Blanco and Karmatronic remixes of "We Break The Dawn" by Michelle Williams, who is probably the least known of the Destiny's Child trio. Possessing a similar feel and formula that has propelled successive Rihanna tracks to the top of the dance charts, "We Break The Dawn" is a solid effort that should help get Williams' solo career headed in a positive direction. Next on tap is "I Decided" by Solange Knowles, a back-up dancer with Destiny's Child and Beyonce's sister. A trained dancer, Solange is proving to be an adequate singer with this track that comes in dance versions by Mr. Mig, Freemasons, Moto Blanco, and Lost Daze.

Singles Life
"I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry - One of the biggest hit singles of the summer on radio and iPods everywhere, has also thrilled dance floors thanks to a slew of remixes by the likes of Eddie Baez, Scotty K, Jason Nevins and Bobby Blanco. There's also the really cool electro Sin Synthetic Remake that's available on Amazon.com's MP3 download section.
"There Is A Place" by Andrea Carnell - Coming soon to a dance floor near you is this gem from Kult Records. The Klubjumpers Vocal Electro House Mix is my favorite, but I also expect to be serving up the deep progressive remix by Timothy Allan.
"Disturbia" by Rihanna – Yet another song from the hottest musical act on the planet (who isn't named Miley Cyrus or The Jonas Brothers) and unfortunately in my book this one is a ho-hummer in dance music form. The Jody den Broeder Remix may please her die-hard fans, but I don't think that even Rihanna's name can catapult this "B-side" quality track to the top of any chart for a sustained amount of time.

COMMENTS

No one has commented on this column yet.
Be the first one to comment!

About DJ Plez

DJ Plez (aka Michael Pleasants) has been DJing since the late 1980's, sharing his passion for dance music with dance floors and listeners around the world. After many years of successful toil in the financial services industry, he’s now spending much more time in a DJ booth instead of an office cubicle.
DJ Plez has quite a diverse range of dance music “likes” to accompany his true love of house music.
The incredibly wide variety of records and CDs that DJ Plez possesses helps explain the unique style he has forged: one that melds various forms of dance music - Chicago house, progressive, tribal, underground, and club - into a cohesive presentation that is rhythmically exciting, sexy, and energetic.
DJ Plez uses fresh approaches for each of his live sets, skillfully producing intricate mixes on the fly, creating a sense of dance floor drama with his in-booth programming, and most importantly to him, making sure his sets have one abiding element: GROOVE!

As would be expected from his wide ranging style, the DJs that have most influenced DJ Plez represent the vast global dance music scene and include: Victor Calderone, Derrick Carter, John Digweed, Danny Howells, Frankie Knuckles, Susan Morabito, Ralphi Rosario, Danny Tenaglia, and Junior Vasquez just to name a few. However, the most significant influence on DJ Plez’s abilities in the DJ booth are the experiences he has when he’s out dancing at parties and in clubs, staying intimately connected to the dance floors and partygoers populating them.
It’s this connection that allows him to truly find out and understand what makes a dance floor tick, thus leading to his success in the DJ booth.

DJ Plez sees himself as an ambassador of house music on a mission to help perpetuate and grow this Chicago-born art form. During the past year he had gigs in Zurich (Nuts & Bolts Party; Labor-Bar), Montreal (Unity 2; Chrome), and Miami (Cactus) and will be adding Amsterdam, Detroit, and Los Angeles to his travel itinerary. Locally, DJ Plez has residencies at Cell Block and Ezuli in Chicago and has made several appearances at PUMP!Milwaukee. In addition to numerous private and corporate DJing gigs, DJ Plez is the Music Editor of ChicagoPride.com.

Mixes of DJ Plez have been played on internet radio at www.circuitmix.com since June 2003. Additional opportunities to listen to more mixes by DJ Plez will come about in the near future on his web site www.djplez.com.