JOE BERMUDEZ - Party, Video & Review

Hey loves,

Hope you're all ready for an amazing weekend! Better plan to hit the clubs tonight to burn off all the turkey calories you put on last week ;) At least, that's my plan!

If you're partying at home tonight, be sure to tune in to XM radio Channel 81. That's the BPM dance channel, and starting at 8pm they air their "Air 81" show. They go live to a different DJ every hour, from a bunch of cities across America. At 1am it's Boston's turn, with our very own DJ Joe Bermudez ;)

Johnny and I went to see Bermudez last week, actually. We were at the record release party for his new album, Mass Movement. Gotta love the shout-out to his home state in the title! (And the pics of some of our local landmarks... check it out)



The DIVA DIVO review of the album (we didn't write it, but it's a positive one, so we agree with it ;) of the album is now up on the Reviews page.

It was an awesome time. The party kept the crowd at Boston's Revolution Rock Bar jumping all night long. Joe was great, and sweet, and, um... cute!!



Not bad, huh? ;)

Here's what Joe told us about his party:

"The best part of playing locally is getting the chance to catch up with all of my friends. They have been so supportive since day 1 and it's such a great feeling to see them all on the dance floor having a blast. I am really thankful to have such a good crew of people around me!"

Anyway, check out the review of his album Mass Movement... good dance-pop stuff! :)

And here's a little video of Joe that we came across... it's his audition to be part of the Ellen Degeneres show.



Alrighty, I'm off to start getting ready for the night. Our October DIVO Kaskade is in Boston tonight... so you know where to find me and Johnny!

Byeee,
JADE

MADONNA to tour in 2008!!

It's confirmed, ladies and gents. Madonna will return to the concert stage in 2008!

It's kind of an unprecedented announcement (Madonna usually keeps these things under wraps), but Live Nation has sent out a survey newsletter to their email list asking for opinions and perspectives as they "plan next year's Madonna tour."

Way to let the cat out of the bag!

Very interesting. Also the first piece of evidence we've seen about how Madonna's career may change as a result of her Live Nation deal. Lest we forget, Madonna has always been a business woman, making the decisions behind her career in a way that other artists do not. But now that she's sold much of her stake to Live Nation, it appears that they're already at liberty to make some rather.. ahem, big... announcements!

Here's a shot of the newsletter that went out.



Well... I'm not gonna lie. Any announcement of a Madonna tour is fine by me!!

Another reason to look forward to '08!

JADE

Top 5 Songs... To Chow Down!

Alright, everyone... I have a confession:

I love making lame themed iTunes playlists!!

I know, the mark of the geek, right? What can I say, I'm not a perfect man... just damn close ;) haha.

Anyway, as I was (finally!) polishing off the Thanksgiving leftovers for lunch, I was overtaken with the need to identify some of my favorite dance songs that reference food. Or eating. Or other yummy things.

So I thought I'd share. Check 'em out... even if you're not downing your last dose of turkey, these are still good tunes ;) Let me know what you think of my selections, and shoot me an email (johnny@divadivodance.com) if you can come up with any more of the theme!

(Also, click the song title to hear a sample in iTunes ;) )

5 DANCE SONGS TO CHOW DOWN TO:

#5
"Cherry Twist" - Crystal Method



I love the amazing Big Beat sound from this Crystal Method track off their debut album, Vegas. However, it's wild, beat-heavy, and twists and turns like a rollercoaster (what else would you expect from Method?) so it might make you lose your lunch if you're not careful ;) If you can stomach the strong beats though, you'll agree it's a freaking great track!

#4
"Lollipop" - DADA feat. Sandy Rivera & Trix



Hmm... I think we're already noticing a trend of "sweet" food here. Very cool '80s sound, plus some sassy vocals that sound like Basement Jaxx. Plus, you gotta love the refrain: "I can like your ice cream... you can like my lollipop!" Oh my, oh my! This one definitely has some Big Beat influence, too, but the '80s electro touch makes it a lot poppier.

#3
"The Fruit" - Sander Kleinenberg



Yikes, everything on this list is gonna give me a toothache! Can't someone do a clubbing song about, I don't know... a steak?? ;) hehe. Anyway, here's a funky lil' track for the clubheads. Bears a strong similarity to Kleinenberg's "This is Miami" hit, but without the city name-dropping (God, I hate that crap. "Put your hands up [insert city here]!"), it's a better song!

#2
"Feed" - Dark Globe featuring Amanda Ghost



Oh man, I love love love this song. It's a moody, atmospheric, dance-pop trip straight out of the UK. The "feed the hunger" chorus probably isn't related to any rumbling stomachs, but ask me if I care. Still my favorite song on this list! But I had to give the top spot to...

#1
"Rapture (Tastes so Sweet)" - Iio



Oh yeah, baby. Once again, I have a feeling that the "sugar" stands in for something else... (like, you know, holding hands and walking in the park! hehe ;) ) but the food/sex analogy is at its best in this hit. Plus, there's a million versions of it. iTunes, alas, only has 2:

The original
Reconstruction Remix (2007)

Take your pick, tastes good either way :)

Eat up!
JOHNNY

Leaked: Unreleased '80s MADONNA song!

Check it out, Madonna fans!

Here's a rarity for you... another leaked demo from the Queen of Pop. But this one isn't from her new album... in fact, it's from 1986!



Madonna originally recorded the song "Each Time You Break My Heart" for her True Blue album. Though Madonna wrote it along with her producer at the time (Stephen Bray), it got ditched from the final tracklisting. So was another outtake from those recording sessions, a song called "Spotlight."

Well, "Spotlight" ended up as the only new track on her You Can Dance compilation of club mixes (it was also a Japanese-only single - random!). But "Every Time You Break My Heart" ended up being given to different artist: Nick Kamen.

An English pop singer, Nick released it as a single in the UK... where it hit the Top 10! But Madonna was no sore loser - in fact, she provided backing vocals for his version of the song. Aww... that M! ;)

Bear in mind Nick Kamen was the guy from this famous Levi's ad in the '80s. Remember this one?



Haha.

Well anyway, now we have the original Madonna version of "Each Time You Break My Heart"! Check it out by clicking the link.
EachTimeYouBreakMyHeart_Demo_haha_exclusivo_MCF.mp3

Not bad, by those classic '80s Madonna standards!

Love,
JADE

Dancing across Europe

Hey guys,

Don't normally post advertisements (unless they're about David Guetta's hair... see back a few days ;)), but this one gave me a tickle.

The guys and girls at SX Media put together this ad to promote Samsung Mobile. They took to the streets of TEN European cities and got random people off the sidewalk to bust a move for 'em. The results are pretty cute ;)

See below for the ad, showing people in London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Prague, Ibiza (of course), Barcelona, Moscow, Edinburgh and Galway.



Anyone know what the song in the video is??

Hmm!

Anyway, sorry for the sporadic posting, guys. We're getting back on track. We're working on a major update to the sitre, including the music reviews, tour dates, and of course, the December artists of the month.

And with 2007 winding down, we're also going to announce a few wrap-up "Top 10 of '07" lists... plus, we plan to give YOU (yes, you, dear reader ;)) a chance to vote for the biggest, baddest, fiercest DIVA and DIVO of the year.

Details to follow!

JADE

New JASON WALKER video

Hey all,

Hope you're all having an awesome weekend. I'm getting ready to head out for the night, even though after my Friday night experience - which involved tons of scorpion bowls and a lot of gyrating to Britney Spears' "Gimme More" - I should probably give my liver a rest ;). But anyway, I wanted to quickly post a brand new video that just came into our mailbox: Jason Walker "I Can't Get You Off My Mind."

Jason was our DIVO of the month back in July (click here to read the article and interview). I'm not a big fan of his stuff, myself, but I know a lot of you really dig the boy.

Below is the video for "I Can't Get You Off My Mind," which is the first single off Jason's album Flexible. Interesting that the album was released back at the beginning of September, and yet the first single is only just NOW getting released. Hmm!



If the director's touch looks familiar, that's because this is yet another Karl Giant piece... only a matter of time before we see the final result of his latest work with Ultra Nate, "Give it All You Got."

Anyway, enjoy the video... and if you're interested, here's a link to our review of the Jason Walker album from back in September.

Have fun on the town tonight, kids!

Love,
JADE

KYLIE and DANNII catfight!

Yes, I'll admit it... I downloaded Kylie Minogue's recent hour-long TV special that aired in the UK (ahem, The Kylie Minogue Show) so that I could hear some of the new songs from her upcoming album X (November 26).

They're not half bad! (The lead single, "2 Hearts," is by far my least favorite from what I've heard!)

But the best part of the special wasn't the performances... it was the little backstage comedy sketches that they did before and after commercial breaks. I had to post this one for you guys. My fave... a catfight between Kylie and her sister/fellow-dance-diva Dannii. It's priceless!



I love how the joke about who is the "pretty one" versus who is the "talented one." Cause really... it's totally true ;) Haha.

JOHNNY

EXPOSÉ reunion tour - Live Clip!

Hey all,

Lest you think I'm neglecting the ladies, check it out: Jade and I went to Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut last weekend to check out Exposé on their reunion tour! Of course we had to, considering that one of the members (and solo artist) Gioia Bruno is our DIVA of the month.

I couldn't get over how good they were! AND how many freaking songs they have, that I totally forgot about! I mean, I remember a lot of the big hits... "Point of No Return," "Come Go With Me," "What You Don't Know" and the other big dance classics. But every now and then they'd throw out a song that made me go... "woah... they sang this too??"

Anyway, check out my video of the girls performing "What You Don't Know." This is Gioia on lead vocals. Unfortunately, it's rotated on its side... I have a version of it where it's right-side up, but it stretches the frame out and makes them look weirdly wide! Better that you crane your head for a couple seconds ;):


And here's another great pic I got from the show (during a "ballad section"):



Definitely check out our Tour Listings to stay updated on future shows. They are DEFINITELY worth checking out. So much energy, so much good music!

In the meanwhile, read up on Gioia - she's an amazing lady.

Later,
JOHNNY

DAVID GUETTA has shiny golden locks!

I wish we lived in a world where I could pop on my TV and see Kristine W selling Reeboks. Alas, this is not that kind of world.

Luckily... France is!

Check out this commercial from a few years back that we dug up. It's our current DIVO of the month, David Guetta... in an ad for L'Oreal hair products.



Haha!

JOHNNY

DAVID GUETTA joins the mile high club!

Hey guys,

Check it out - we've announced our DIVA and DIVO of the month on the main page. Let us know what you think of our selections this month!

As you'll read in our interview with David Guetta, Mr. Divo had an interesting gig this summer... spinning on a commercial airplane!

Read his feature for the scoop ;)... but below are some videos we dig up of that infamous gig.

Enjoy!! ;)

JOHNNY

Video premiere: PAUL VAN DYK "Let Go"

Another day, another dollar, another video premiere :)

Promise that this won't become just a dance music video blog (though the last few posts might have you wonderin', huh??) but we had to post this one today. It's the video for Paul Van Dyk's new single, "Let Go"... featuring vocals by Rea Garve, leading singer of Reamonn. It's brand new, off a great album (click here to read our review of Paul's latest) and bound to get your body bumpin'.

By the way, I know we're behind on the album reviews... it's only cause we've been busy prepping our November featured artists... to be announced... (drumroll please)... TOMORROW! :)

'Til then, here's a little Van Dyk for your life :



Love,
JADE

Hot new vid: STEVIE JEWEL "Seal the Deal"

Things that I like:

- Dance music.

- Dance music videos.

- Dance music videos directed by the amazing Karl Giant (see also: Ultra Nate "Automatic" and the upcoming "Give it All You Got"... posted a sneak peek at that one yesterday).

- Dance music videos directed by the amazing Karl Giant, featuring an awesome new single by Stevie Jewel.

- Dance music videos directed by the amazing Karl Giant, featuring an awesome new single by Stevie Jewel, where she's surrounded by perfectly sculpted, gorgeous male models caressing motorcycles.

Check it:


Things I Do NOT Like:

- That this chick is 17 years old, and gets to hang out with perfectly sculpted, gorgeous male models caressing motorcycles.

I have a cat.

No fair.

Sincerely,
JADE

Rare AMBER video: "Colour of Love"

Since we gave you a preview of a future video today (Ultra Nate's "Give it All You Got"), let's take it back and revisit an ooooold video... that I never even knew existed!

I'm a die-hard Amber fan, and like many of us, I know that her second single "Colour of Love" is the one song that Amber HATES the most out of all her past hits. (If you don't believe me, try mentioning it on her official message board and wait for her to explain why!)

Here's what she told us about the song back when we interviewed her for DIVA of the month in March '07:

"Oh my God... I wanted to die! I anted to jump off a frickin' roof! It's horrible! Come on, already... what the hell was that? I mean, I was in the studio singing my ass off and they just excerpted a certain segment of what I did. I riffed, I did all kinds of work on it, and they came back with this shitty song. It's just... Oh, God!"

Haha. Never one to mince words, that Amber ;)

Well, I for one never even knew that a music video for "Colour of Love" existed. It's not available on the official video collection that Amber sells through her online store.

Rewind to this past Friday night, when I was dancing with some friends in a Boston video bar. First, Amber's video for "Sexual" came on. About half an hour later, on comes... "Colour of Love"??

My jaw hit the ground. My friend (a fellow fan) was in hysterics. When you know how much she hates the song, it becomes really obvious in watching the video. She is definitely NOT thrilled to be doing this.

And do you blame her?? What the hell is this? A submarine? With bad '90s computer animation?

Check out the video below. It's somewhat of a rarity!

Amber... we finally understand! Haha.



Later,
JOHNNY

ULTRA NATE: New Video Sneak Peek!

Check it out, y'all!

Straight from director Karl Giant (who previously helmed Ultra's fabulous "Automatic" video), we've got an exclusive sneak peek of the shoot for Ultra Nate's next single: "Give it All You Got."

The full video will hit later this month. In the meanwhile, hold yourself over with this clip of Ultra, some apparent swordplay, and some crazy outfits that look like Gwar-meets-Drag-Queen. Love it!



More news to come shortly... went clubbing and to a concert this weekend. Have some fun tales from both ;)

JOHNNY

New AMBER releases (of old favorites)!

Check it out!

Below is a video of Amber announcing her new single releases coming on November 20: re-recorded versions, new remixes and updated interpretations of some of her classic hits and album tracks: "Need to be Naked," "Yes!," "Spiritual Virginity," "Love One Another," "Object of My Desire," and "If I'm Not the One."



I looooove that Amber personally records things like this. It's so rare that we get the chance to see our favorite dance artists live, or even doing radio and television interviews. So Amber has definitely come across a great way to keep herself connected to her fans personally!

Anyone have any suggestions of some of their favorite tracks they'd like to hear re-recorded? ;)

JADE