:: House Party ::

Another week is underway and I have to own up to sleeping for the majority of today (Monday's) daylight hours, to try and catch up on the lack of shut-eye this weekend! 3 hours of kip all weekend has put my body clock into a downward spiral!

It was a monster weekend of mashing, mixing and meeting people. Gonna pay my respects to Brighton's club scene and the majestic house jams of DJ Static. What a set from him this weekend and it was an honour to follow him onto the CDJ's. A late night drive home in awful weather was met with an early call from the wee-babe and then a busy day of play, v.strong coffee and super creativity.

Listeners showing us all how to pose for the camera.

Sunday evening meant a quick nip down to a house party hosted by Fire 107.6 DJ's Niall, Dave and their housemate, Quizmaster Rob. The boys had arranged a 'listener party' and had been pushing it on air for a couple of weeks.

I wimped out early, desperate for some kip, but not before I'd witnessed some pole-dancing action (they'd had one installed in the lounge! How cool is that?), and posed for some photos in the kitchen (where everybody was of course!).

Fire 107.6's Kelli, plus fetching hat, pictured with some cross-eyed twit!

Well done boys. A totally wicked party. And hopefully something to be repeated.

:: Hot Tracks & Bad Macs ::

Apple iMac 24

The Mixbuster recording studio has recently taken delivery of one of these bad boys. Quite an upgrade in both performance and screen size and I have to say that this behometh is simply awesome to use! For the first few days I thought it was too big, but now I can't believe that I used to work on a mere 15" display. Every visitor to the Mixbuster Mansion has exclaimed their love as soon as they cast an eye on the new beast. And quite rightly so.

I've been a devout Mac user for many, many years now and Apple keep delivering mind-blowing design and technological wonder-kit to blow our tiny MacGeek minds. Let's see if it makes my tunes any better? Talking of tunes, here's three tasty tracks to tip you off about:

Moon's Flag - Wrapped Around Your Finger
This has been floating around for a while now but deserves a mention. It's a simple, electro driven house re-working of The Police classic, with remarkably similar vocals to the Sting original. Sam Paganini is the dude behind this and what a terrfic job he's done. I just love it!

Eric Prydz vs. Pink Floyd - Proper Education
One of the hottest tracks around at the moment and set for an early release in 2007. Eric Prydz makes an admirable electro-house track out of the massive 70's school-kid anthem 'Another Brick In The Wall' by Pink Floyd. Very, very tasty.

DJ Disciple - Work It Out
A little bit more underground than the latter, this track is set for greatness and has been getting a great dancefloor reaction. Similar in shape to the massive Fedde Le Grande, this track is gaining major support by DJ's and dance orientated radio stations across the UK, which should mean good things for the Disciple and all of his followers.

*I've just found out that an Apple Retail Shop is about to open up in town as well as the planned main Apple Store in nearby Southampton. Oh dear! I'm in big trouble now!

:: Scratch ::

I entered the magical world of the iPod very early on (c2000) and so my 2nd generation device has been on the road with me for a very long and case-punishing time. It has plenty of swirls and scratches on both the front and back, including the old-school black & white screen. Even though I'm tempted to upgrade to a funky new model (Dear Santa, new black iPod please?), I decided to surf the web to find out what product I could use to revitalise my beloved and hard-working pod.
Their are a number of specific products out there that claim to do the job, but a repeated theme across the web was to simply use Brasso and a little elbow grease. So, I went and bought a tin of Brasso and spent an hour rubbing and buffing my iPod to near perfection. Incredible! I then managed to remove the scratches from my exhausted old-school Nokia mobile.
This stuff is magic! So, if you've scratched your iPod, watch, or mobile phone, then give this stuff a go.

Whilst I was mucking about with goo and polishing cloths, I should have been working on this.

Virtuoso - Love Hard (Soulstar Remix)

A remix of Virtuoso on LM Records, USA. This remix has been done under my Soulstar guise. It's in the downloads section (in edited form) for a very brief time, so grab it quick!

Right then. What else in this studio needs a polish?

:: Talkin' All The Way Eye Know ::

Just like buses, you wait and wait for an update in the Mixbuster mouse-hole and then two come along at once!

I've just been tidying up the studio and this literally fell off the shelf on to my lap. I decided that this was a subliminal message from the shelf and a better place for this 13 minute segment from a Saturday night Mixbuster radio show would be the 'downloads' section.


This mix 'n' mash of the Stetsasonic and De La Soul classics are helped along the way by guest appearances by Craig David, Justin Timberlake and Eric B & Rakim. This is an MP3 rip from the studio master, so it comes with one of my opening jingles to start proceedings.

As always, if you like or despise, it'd be great to get some feedback.

e: themixbuster@mac.com

:: Get Ur Spanish Groove On ::

On my Tuesday night slot on Fire 107.6, I feature a weekly mash-up or megamix, either by my alter-ego (The Mixbuster), or by a guest DJ/Remixer. For the last couple of weeks the response has been great, so thank you.

This week I raided The Mixbuster back catalogue and resurrected a Missy Elliot mash up from a few years back, in honour of her recent performance in Bournemouth. This particular mix sees me give Missy Misdemeanor a Spanish/Ibizan feel. Stored in my 'b' file, I was pleasantly surprised by the positive vibe for this bootie on Tuesday night, so thanks.

I've now added it to the downloads section if you missed the show.

:: Fire on Friday ::

At very short notice I'm standing in for Daniel Bailey tonight on Fire (8 - 10pm). Dan's Friday night show on Fire 107.6 has been a highlight of the week for many of the regular listeners for years and filling Mr. Bailey's shoes will be quite a task.

It's an exciting evening to be hosting this established Friday night show, as from 10pm we will be crossing live to the new Empire Club in Bournemouth. This 2 hour outside broadcast will be hosted by Fire DJ's Luke Dubyah and Jay Rachet, as Fire 107.6 launches Empire on to the Bournemouth club scene. With three floors on offer, the tunes will cover dance, electro, R & B, as well as Latino Chill 'til 3am.

Tonight is going to be a cracker and I hope you can join us for the ride.

:: On The Box ::

Just a very quick post to say that I'm on the telly next week! Woo hoo!

For a fleeting 10 seconds I make a cameo appearance in the independent movie 'Topsoil' by Whole Hog Films, which is going to be shown on Propeller TV (Sky channel 195) next Sunday evening @ 1100pm (8th Oct).

My performance consists of pretending to play poker (something that none of the actors could actually do). I also had to look suitably shocked when the lovely Becky threatened the players with her big, scary gun. My ten seconds of silver screen fame was awarded to me by the film's creator/director, Simon Cooper, who let me ruin the visuals of his excellent production because I composed and produced the soundtrack for him.

Actor Martin Griffin having ' one of those days!'.

The film is really good and I'm not just saying that - honest! It's well worth checking out Mr Cooper's work, if only to see what can be achieved on a very low budget, but with oodles of talent and enthusiasm. Congratulations to all those involved at Whole Hog Films.

:: James Zabiela Guest Mix ::

Next Tuesday will see me hand-over the decks to one of the most talented and sought after DJ's on the planet. James Zabiela will be spinning up a guest mix for Fire 107.6 at 9pm on my show next Tuesday 29th August 2006.

This is your one and only chance to here the turntable magic of Zabiela on Fire, as James only has a handful of UK gigs left this season before globe-trotting the world with his bag of tunes and hitting the studio for more production duties.


James will soon be pushing his new tune 'Weird Science', which we will feature on the show very, very soon. For more information, visit his brilliant website.

My thanks to James and Red Light Management for giving us this wonderful opportunity.

DJ Simon Sinfield on Fire 107.6FM

www.fireradio.co.uk

:: MySpace ::

Please be my friend?

I've finally been drawn into the world of MySpace. If you're not aware of the MySpace phenomenon then a quick explanation is required.

MySpace is a web-based social network, where users submit their profile and meet other MySpace-ians. Simple, fun and a great way to discover new music, mates and practice the fine art of time-wasting! It is one of the top five visited websites in the world and has become an established part of popular culture. More info here.

The trouble with my MySpace page is the lack of friends! Currently I have none! Yep, a big fat zero! Apart from some bloke called Tom, who apparently everyone gets as a default. Great! Now I don't really have any desire to be a social outcast, let alone Nobby No-Mates on MySpace, so if you have a spare five minutes, please sign-up, say hello and waste some time with the rest of us. www.myspace.com/simonsinfield

:: Pure Fire Tuesday's ::

As well as the Saturday 'Mixbuster' shows, I'm now live on air on Fire 107.6 every Tuesday evening from 8pm. My new 'Pure Fire' radio show highlights upfront house, electro and breaks, as well as featuring exclusive remixes and mash-ups.

Text the studio on 81800. Start your message with the word 'FIRE'.

Phone the studio: 293333

Listen online at: www.fireradio.co.uk

:: June Tunes ::

Here’s a quick list of some hot new dance tracks that are set for greatness this summer and that have already featured heavily in my own sets.

Supermode ‘Tell me Why’ – You’ve probably heard this track by now as every DJ I know has picked up on this release from leading dance label, Data Records (part of Ministry Of Sound). Sampling the 80’s iconic band Bronski Beat, this track builds into a real thumper and is a terrific sounding, simple piece of dance music from top DJ's Axwell & Angello. I've already sung their praises elsewhere on this blog, so I won't be too gushing about their genius skillz. Expect a gaggle of remixes to follow when this gets released. I wonder if Bronski will reform?

Dannii Minogue ‘So Under Pressure’ – I’ll admit that I groaned when this arrived, but I loved it as soon as I slapped it onto the platter. The Soul Seekerz are doing the knob-twiddling again for Dannii and this could well be another chart success for the partnership.

Teamsters ‘Feels Like Love’ – This has been floating around for a month and working brilliantly everytime I play it. In fact, it is now filed in the ‘floorfiller’ section within my record bag, as it seems to guarantee a good response and fill the dancefloor with a gaggle of happy chicks everytime it gets played.

Rogue Traders ‘Voodoo Child’ – Already a hit in their native Australia, the Rogue Traders get a UK release in time to cash in on our summer vibe. I’m in no doubt that this will go down a storm in Ibiza. This could possibly be one of the key tracks for this summer.

Andy Cato ‘La Luna’ – A bit more underground than the other tracks I’ve reviewed here, but still embedded deep within the world of house music. Andy Cato is from Groove Armada and he doesn’t normally do choons like this but he damn well should! It’s a slick piece of house music that shows how a dance track can be so much more than a 4/4 drum pattern. ‘La Luna’ builds and builds and builds into an accomplished creation and it’s gaining great audience reaction. This months top tune by a mile.

Tune in to my radio shows to hear more upfront music. That's all for now. Catch ya all later.

www.themix247.com
www.fireradio.co.uk

:: May The 4th Be With You ::

Another busy month of mixing and producing for me. I’m now on air four times a week and lovin’ every single second. Being able to share great music and interact with the listeners is terrific and its great to know that so many of you are loving the exclusive mixes and the shows.

Radio Schedule:
Wednesday 8 -10pm - Midweek Mash-up on THE MIX 24-7
Friday 8 -10pm – The Friday Hustle on THE MIX 24-7
Saturday 8-10pm – The Mixbuster on FIRE 107.6
Sunday 8-10pm – The Sunday House Session on THE MIX 24-7

You can tune in online if you’re not within range of the broadcast – just go to the individual websites to listen to the audio stream.

www.themix247.com
www.fireradio.co.uk

:: Lost In Music ::

As I'm just about to mark another year of age-ing, I thought I would celebrate by posting some new downloads into the Mixbuster mouse hole. Regular visitors will see that I've placed another segment from one of my radio shows in the downloads section, plus your first chance to grab part 1 of a monsterous 60 minute mix that I produced a little while ago.


'Lost In Music - Part 1' is the first in a three part mix, traversing the history of dance music. Most of this creation was worked out in my head, miles away from turntables and tape. When I eventually began the project it slotted together beautifully. I guess I had waited such a long time to have the time to record this, that the amount of preparation and ideas just exploded on to the tape in a mass download from my brain!

I'm proud of this musical jamboree and I really hope you like it. If you do, you'll freak out when you hear parts 2 & 3!

:: Dust Off & Mash-Up ::

My latest Mixbuster show on Fire 107.6 featured some great new tracks from Akubu 'Phuture Bound', La Griffe 'We Can Make It Shine' and Dero 'Dero's Illusion'. The latter is another 80's tune re-worked for the dance floors. I used this opportunity to dust off the mash-up of the original Imagination 'Just An Illusion', but with vocals from David Guetta 'The World Is Mine'. A simple match of tunes that hopefully create an entertaining 5 minutes of house music.

I'm still getting great feedback (thanks) for my mash-up of New Order's 'Blue Monday' with the main theme from War Of The Worlds. I keep meaning to extend it and tidy it up, but my other productions get in the way.

My favourite remix around at the moment is Mark Knight's reworking of Joey Negro 'Make A Move'. To shake up such a perfect track was obviously a challenge that Mark Knight relished in. It's well worth the download fee.

And finally, this months award for the Track That Is Mostly Likely To Grow On You is 'Changes' by Chris Lake. It's a sweeping and smoothly produced dance track that grabs you as soon as the synth bassline kicks in. It then sweeps in with the house piano and starts to swirl you around the dance floor. Give it three listens and then tell me that I'm wrong about this stonker of a house track from the Apollo/Island label!

:: Order New Order ::

I’ve just managed to download the Sander Kleinbergen remix of Mylo’s ‘Muscle Cars’. I ruined my 12” copy last night by accidentally dragging it across a butterfly catch on a flightcase. Doh! Sander’s full 8 min ‘Pace Car Mix’ is a genius piece of work (IMHO) and it is a great example of how a talented DJ/producer can turnaround the fortunes of a weak album track. Yep, I said it. Mylo isn’t Midas. Everything he does isn’t necessarily transformed into a gold disc! For me, ‘Muscle Cars’ is a weak album track and it’s only saving grace was the original reshaping by Freeform Five and this work of genius by Kleinbergen.

Incidentally, the two 12” releases of the Muscle Cars remixes get the award for best sleeve design so far this year. Brilliant! They’re right up there with the original New Order ‘Blue Monday’ 12” sleeve, and the artwork on The Beatles ‘Sgt Pepper’s LHCB’.

On the subject of New Order, they’ve gone mad and are set to re-release an abundance of new and original 12" remixes this month. For my money, this is a far better prospect than the new whacko Jacko singles collection. Buy a £10 empty box and remember to purchase each of the singles to go into said box? Madness! MJ must be short of cash. Please don’t get sucked into this multi-purchasing trick. Download the MJ tracks from iTunes and make your own box from an empty cereal packet. Decorate said box by downloading MJ images via Google Images. Sorted

:: Hot Tracks ::

A few hot new tracks to check out: Faith Evans ‘Mesmerized’, remixed by industry favourites the Freemasons; Juno ft. Danni ‘My Pressure’; ATCFC ‘Reach Out’; and the awesome Troublesoup breaks remix of Todd Terry’s ‘Can You Party. I’ve been playing the latter with my breakbeat bootie of Coldplay ‘Clocks’ and the Jungle Brothers nod to Todd, ‘I’ll House You’. The response has been great. More and more house fans are getting into breakbeat, although mid-mix I was asked for R Kelly ‘Ignition’! Give me strength!

:: Small World ::

My radio shows on the worldwide station MIX 24-7 have been expanded. I’m now live in the mix on Wednesday’s from 7pm and Friday’s from 8pm. The MIX 24-7 is growing rapidly and is a very exciting venture to be involved in. It is really weird DJ'ing and receiving emails from people in other countries listening to your choice of music and rubbish chat. A listener in Jamaica recently emailed the MIX 24-7 studio in the middle of my show. For about 20 seconds I stared blankly at the screen, whilst my brain registered how small the planet becomes when you have access to the World Wide Web.

Join in the fun and log on to the MIX 24-7 as much as you can as Paul and the gang are doing a marvellous job in a web full of mediocre online audio streaming.

Email the studio: themix247@mac.com

Click here to tune in.

:: Don't Go ::

You may well have noticed the lack of new downloads available. This is mainly due to the trouble caused by a couple of Mixbuster bootlegs doin’ the rounds last year. Ooops! My remix of the White Stripes has ruffled a few feathers and has been pulled from the downloads section.

I’ve made amends for my crimes by getting support for my reworking of Yazoo's 'Don't Go'. The initial feedback has been good and it'll get an airing on the radio soon. It’s not available in the downloads section – for obvious reasons - but can be sourced by emailing: zonemedia@mac.com.

There’s going to be a pause on new Mixbuster material until March as I’m off for a few weeks of collecting deep vein thrombosis and chicken flu. Fortunately, my funky new UDG bag, an iPod full of new toons and some real-life Google Earth viewing should make the gig travelling more palatable.

:: Radio Gong ::

I get to post some v. exciting news this month. Fire 107.6 has won a Radio Academy award and is subsequently nominated for a gong at the Sony Awards later in 2006. This is wonderful news for the Fire Crew, who really deserve this nod from the industry pundits. I’m chuffed to be a part of what is a unique station amongst a back drop of commercial cheesiness.

Fire completes its remit to play dance and progressive music from 8pm each evening in its Pure Fire slot. The line up of jocks and genres on Pure Fire is fantastic including; Chris Bailey’s Hed Kandi sessions, headline sets from Daniel ‘Slinky’ Bailey, house and breaks with Luke Dubyah, R&B with the main man Jay Rachet, as well as the Aquasky d’n’b/breaks slot to name but a few. If you don’t know already, you can catch my efforts to ruin the programming on Saturday nights, 8 – 10 pm.

For more info hit the Fire website.

:: New Year - New Tunes ::

2006 has started with a mass of strong new releases landing on the Mixbuster mat. The pick of the bunch has to be the Freemasons new track called ‘Watchin’. What a corker! Both the dub mix and vocal mix are going down a storm and expect some remixes to follow. It has a release date of early March.

Another strong player is the re-working of ‘Thunder In My Heart’ by Meck. The original track was a miss-not-hit for Leo Sayer in the 70’s. Yep, you read that correctly. The short curly one is back! The new version has already made the Radio 1 playlist and has gained credibility from the more hardcore jocks and their respective audiences. The promo I received is a highly filtered remix with Shapeshifter-esque strings, which goes down a treat.

One to avoid, but is already doin’ well, is the re-working of the old Baywatch theme by Sunblock. I’m all for delving through the back catalogue for decent samples, but do we really have to sink so low!? The students are going wild for this track and will probably drag it into the top ten.

Some harder tunes doing the rounds are Haffi ft. Emerson ‘Afterlife’, Plump DJ’s ‘Dr Dub’ and the brilliant Suniba, ‘Call For Me’. The latter has been remixed by FotM (Friend of the Mixbuster) Ben Jones. Synth bleeps and deep beats make up this house-based tune, with great vocal samples from Angie Brown. Suniba are still unsigned but hopeful of a release in time for the summer clubbing season. I’m battering it on my shows, so you can check it out for yourselves.

Lots of DJ’ing means no web updates, no new Mixbuster productions and a serious lack of sleep. All will be rectified in February – hopefully.