DJ

I’ve been trying really hard to find the good things going on in the world. This is not an easy thing to do. The news media thrives on negativity, and with Trump out of office they’re doing everything they can to sensationalism any glimmer of bad news into something outrageous to build ratings and ad revenue.

It’s not easy to blog about the happy when the world is filled with so much unhappy. So, as a distraction, here’s Mr. Mister from 1985 and a performance of “Kyrie”.

There’s a ton of buzz about this ABBA Voyage coming out later this week. We know we’ll get some new music and maybe a concert with some holograms. I’m really excited to hear one of my favorite groups again. I’ve always loved ABBA and the idea of them releasing new music after nearly 40 years is a bright spot in a desperately bleak century.

As a refresher, here’s the last song ABBA released before their “temporary hiatus”. From 1982, it’s “Under Attack”.

I will always consider being a teenager in the 1980s as one of the greatest gifts to my life. This song resonates with me in a way few songs do, and I’ve always loved the simplicity of the music video. Many bad things happened in the 1980s, yes, but so many good things happened as well.

I really miss music like this. Here’s Joe Jackson with “Steppin’ Out”.

I was eight years old when the Starland Vocal Band released “Afternoon Delight”. Of course I had no idea the song was about sex. At the time, my mom and her friend Janice would take us to a diner uptown called “Donna’s Restaurant” in the morning. I think Janice was seeing a guy from the telephone company or something and they’d stop out there before fixing the local dial tone. Donna, the owner of Donna’s Restaurant, and a big bleached beehive bouffant type hairdo. I went to school with her daughters. This song was on the jukebox and we’d play the song while we drank hot chocolate with whipped cream on top. From the sugar and such we’d then lick the ceilings before Mom paid Donna (who was still using a hand cranked cash register) and then we’d head home and run around the cow pasture that surrounded our mobile home.

Good times.

It’s funny, even though it’s been 45 years and I know the song is about sex I still think about hot chocolate and whipped cream when I hear this song.

Maybe that’s about sex too.

I have always been a fan of Womack & Womack’s track “Teardrops”. It came to prominence when I lived in Eastern Massachusetts in the late 1980s. I’ve always loved the musicality of the song.

I stumbled across this remake last week and was blown away by how much the musicians seem to love their craft. This is an amazing remake. I love to watch musicians doing what they love.

YouTube likes to throw retro music videos at me from time to time. Today a video came up of a track I haven’t heard in a while, but being the bit of a retro music nerd, I do listen to it from time to time.

I had completely forgotten that this song is 30 years old. I was *23* when this song came out. What? I know, right?

The group was “The Party”, formed by members of “The All New Mickey Mouse Club”. The track? Well, it’s a pop take on a Dokken rock track from 1985.

As a DJ, I found this track “felt” faster than it actually is. I always labeled this at 122 BPM, which was typical for the time, but it doesn’t quite have the house feel that was prevalent at the time and unless you were coming out of the right track to segue into this, the beat mix could be a little tricky. Or perhaps I had a beer in me by the time I’d get around to mixing this in for the night.

From 1991, here’s the Top 25 song “In My Dreams” by The Party. As an aside, I’ve always found the video effects in the bridge near the end to be quite nifty, especially for its time when Amiga computers were still the rage. And as a further aside, I miss the sideburns on guys in the 1990s (despite Damon’s mop of hair, he has nifty sideburns).

I’m not sure of the year, probably first half of the 70s, but this live version of “You Won’t See Me” is quite fun.

I have not thought of this song in many, many years. But for the enjoyment of everyone on this Monday, here’s ABC with “When Smokey Sings”. It’s been nearly 35 years since this song was in the Top 5.

One thing I notice about music videos from the 80s: they’re not quite as polished but the performers generally don’t look as grubby as they do in the typical 21st century music videos.

Now get off my lawn and listen to the music.

Around 10 years ago… OK, let’s stop right there for a minute; has it really been ten years? Actually, it’s been 11 years. Wow.

So, a decade and some change ago, I was commuting back and forth to my software developer job for a telecommunications company. The commute was 55 miles in each direction and involved a little bit of expressway, a little bit of main roads through villages, and a few back roads in Amish company. I liked driving back and forth as it gave my mind a chance to wander a little bit. The drive wasn’t stressful, not even on the snowiest of Upstate New York winter days.

I had my new iPhone in tow and would play some music and would often find myself rotating a certain number of playlists. A fan of electronic and dance music, I found myself listening to an artist named DJ Antoine. To this day I love the original radio and dance mix of his track “This Time”.

Here’s the version of the song that I really enjoy. I still frequently use it as a workout song.

Back in the day I looked up the video and while I didn’t particularly enjoy the different remix they chose for the video (it’s really not my thing at all), I liked the story being told in the video, particularly because it took place in the desert. Being in all the sunshine and exploring the world and the expansiveness offered by the desert seemed like such an exciting thing to do.

The video is actually part of a series; there’s also the same video (with a much different track) from the other point of view