The Hot 3 - August 2010

Some very exciting things are brewing with The Hot 3. In the next few weeks or so, you should notice some significant upgrades. I'm not talking just your standard Persian nose job type of change. I'm talking Heidi Montag, 13 plastic surgeries, and people wondering if you are still Heidi or some blonde member of the Addams Family. The Hot 3 is going on human growth hormone. And we're not stopping until our head is the size of Barry Bonds's. Very exciting stuff. Stay tuned devoted fans.

And now, to that super duper duper super hottie, The Hot 3 - August 2010. Drumroll please....

When I want to hear a song that just gets me moving, I need look no further than the Shapeshifters' "Helter Skelter." Some dance tracks require two, three, maybe four listens before catching on. This track takes no more than one. The first time I heard it, I was in love. You might remember the Shapeshifters from their 2004 jam Lola's Theme. The UK house duo hits it big with this 2010 release that is in heavy rotation in Ibiza. If there, you could find the Shapeshifters at their summer residency at Pacha.

1. Helter Skelter - The Shapeshifters

WIth play on over 100 compilations, the next Hot 3 track is certifiably massive. Brought to you by Swiss DJ, Remady, "No Superstar" was released in the US on the Ultra label at the end of 2009. It has been in heavy airplay in clubs this summer, and has put both the producer and the vocalist, Manu-L, on The Hot 3 radar screen. Its house composition makes the track less of an anthem and more of a catchy, beat driven, can't-get-it-out-of-your-head winner.

2. No Superstar (Full Vocal Mix) - Remady

Finally, an American-style dance track. The most popular dance hits in the States usually come in the form of pop, R&B, or Hip-Hop tracks remixed by DJs for the weekend club-goers who want to hear something familiar, yet dance-y. Sirius satellite radio partially promotes this style of music by playing songs from Britney Spears, Robyn, and Katy Perry all against the backdrop of a dance beat.

Although not my favorite type of dance music, there is merit to this approach. Dance music in the US is often looked down upon as if it were the blind, deaf, mute red-headed step-child of music. For many, the idea of a dance track is just a lot of "oonce oonce oonce."

Furthermore, there are no simple categories for dance music. Between house, trance, techno, jungle, drum and bass, breakbeat, hardcore, even dance music aficionados have a hard time categorizing songs. Most people think the whole genre is called techno, which it is not.

So to stay clear from all of that confusion and negative connotation, it might make sense for some to take popular songs and remix them to achieve "dance music." The problem is that for many devoted dance music fans, this style can be cheesy and too pop-ish. It would be like calling Kenny G's music jazz to Miles Davis and John Coltrane. They would laugh you out of the building.

There are some tracks, however, that hit the mark. The Riddler remix of Shontelle's "Impossible" is one of them. The original is a typical ballad-style R&B take on love. Nothing remarkable. The remix, however, by the Chicago DJ whose real name is Richard Pangilinan is a driving dance track that takes the vocals and transforms the track to a uniquely house-genre, dance hit. Nothing like putting the vocals of a Barbados-born singer on the dance beats of a Filipino-American DJ. The United Nations, welcome to dance music.

3. Impossible (Riddler Remix) - Shontelle

And, now, your *Gotta Have It* selection for the month. Because sometimes three just ain't enough.

1. Tarantula - Pleasurekraft -- the song really begins at the 3:15 mark. For my Persian peeps, Pleasurekraft is the duo of Kaveh Soroush and Kolle Ronngardh.

2. Move Move - Robbie Rivera/Rooster & Peralta

3. One Night in Havana - DJ Chus ft Gonzalez and Gonzalo

4. Whoomp There It Is (Housecat Mix) - Doodge & Viper ft. Tag Team -- great trip down memory lane on a legitimate dance remix.

5. Chase The Sun - David Tort and Norman Doray -- fantastic remake of the 2001 hit by Planet Funk. Shades of Ibiza in my mind.

6. The End - Pryda -- One of Eric Prydz's pseudonyms. Vaguely resembles a Middle Eastern beat. Not really, but close enough to get on this guy's *Gotta Have It*. If we could get more cool Persian, Arabic, South Asian beats on tracks, it would be massive. I'm already going on record as saying that if Iranians started making trance music with heavy Persian influences, we should call it Tehrance. You heard it here first.

7. Souk - Jay C and Felix Baumgartner or Les Djinns (Trentemoller Remix) - Djuma Soundsystem -- these two tracks are very similar as Souk is essentially a remake of the 2007 hit Les Djinns. So, listen to both and tell me which one you prefer.

As always, keep the suggestions coming. I love hearing from you and knowing what YOU are listening to.

Keep dancin',

Reza

And It Begins...

I don't like blogs. They seem self-indulgent. You want to hear my thoughts? Ask me. If you don't ask, why would I feel the need to provide them? Blogs only open your ideas up to criticism. Why would I want to be anonymously criticized for what I believe?

And, yet, I find myself writing these words. How long will this all last? Probably not long. I am sure I will lose interest quickly. Much like other things: you get excited, spend some time with it, the fun peters away, and you stop. I predict this will happen with my blogging.

I have three main interests: Sports, Entertainment, and Politics. That said, the thing that I would most like to explore in a public forum and with other like or unlike-minded folk in the blogosphere has more to do with humanity, personal emotion, ethics, and faith. I don't really care for debate and argument -- I do this for a living. I am more interested in sharing and feedback.

Good faith. That is what I ask for: good faith. I don't want to be stuck in a discussion with someone whose mission it is to create difference and controversy. Let's talk with people who give a damn in the first place to have a meaningful conversation. There are plenty of turd douchebags in the world; I see many of them on a day-to-day basis. I'd rather spend this time constructively.

So, here it is. Against all my good senses, I am sharing my thoughts publicly. In our tech generation this is called "blogging." I suppose it is our 21st century way of gathering at a community center for a Tuesday night book club or Bible/fill-in-the-holy-book reading. The difference is that I am less interested in people telling me about their thoughts on life as told to them through scripture, and more on how life experience has shaped who they are.

I'll be impressed if I am back tomorrow or sometime within the next seven days. So, let's let this sit, marinate, and come back in whatever form it takes.