Monday, June 30, 2014

"Bitch, I'm Madonna"...



Diplo revealed in a recent interview revealed a new title track of one of the seven songs he wrote with Madonna for her upcoming album:


I met Madonna because of her kids and then she invited me to a party. We ended up writing seven songs together.

I do not usually feel pressured to write hits, but when it’s an artist of this cailber, it’s obvious that I want to push the bounderies a little bit further and surpass myself.


One of the songs we wrote is very cool and is called “Bitch, I’m Madonna”.


Now, with a title like that she NEEDS to release it!

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Before The Dawn...



Kate Bush spent three days submerged in a flotation tank for a daring film stunt to be shown during her sensational stage comeback after 35 years.

The 55-year-old singer drafted in six diving instructors to help make the wacky footage which will be shown during her 22 night residency at London’s Hammersmith Apollo in August.

Reclusive Kate - who last toured in 1979 and previously admitted that walking on stage made her “incredibly nervous” - has employed more than 100 people to work on the upcoming sold-out shows.

Earlier this month she hired out an underwater stage at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire where she spent three days floating in water. She was preparing a segment of the show which sees her drifting in the sea to be later rescued by a helicopter.

An insider said: “During her concerts there will be lots of footage and special effects. Kate wants the show to be out of this world and hired the underwater stage which is fitted with a wave machine and special lighting at Pinewood Studios. She spent three days in the tank re-shooting scenes and performing her songs. She wanted to create the effect of her floating in the ocean, lost at sea. The footage ends with her singing Hello Earth and being saved by a helicopter. Special technicians re-created the helicopter by using ceiling fans.”

The secret recording was code named Navy Blue. And Kate performed some of her most iconic songs including And Dream of Sheep, Wake Up, Hello Earth and Jig of Life.

Despite being submerged in water, production crew were gobsmacked at how incredible Kate’s voice sounded during filming.

One said: “We were all brought to a complete standstill as she sang, her voice is absolutely incredible, it was completely flawless. It was the most beautiful thing some of us had ever heard. She may have aged but her voice hasn’t changed.”

When Brit Award winning Kate announced her Before The Dawn tour in March she released a poster of her wearing a life jacket in the sea. Despite being criticised for releasing it at the same time as the disappearance of Flight MH370, she revealed that her inspiration came from her own conceptual piece called The Ninth Wave which is formed of seven songs.

She said: “The image that was chosen to advertise the shows originates from a conceptual piece called The Ninth Wave that was released in 1985. It is about a woman who is lost at sea but is rescued in the end. Months ago I thought that, as part of the show centres around this musical piece, it would hopefully make a dramatic shot.’

In March, Kate’s tour sold out in just 15 minutes. One source said: “Kate knows her shows are the most highly anticipated for years, it’s a lot of pressure but she has thrown everything into it. Millions of pounds are being spent on special effects, and her costumes and staging. It’s going to be incredible.”

Since Kate’s last tour in 1979, she has given the occasional live performance including a 1982 benefit concert in aid of The Prince’s Trust. In 2002, she appeared with her friend David Gilmour, singing the part of the doctor in Comfortably Numb at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

Since she released her first single Wuthering Heights in 1978, she has produced 10 albums of which three have topped the album charts. In 2013 Kate - who is married to guitarist Dan McIntosh and has a son Albert - was awarded a CBE for her contribution to music.

Monday, June 23, 2014

So We Are Here Then...



The Official Charts Company has announced that the UK Top 40 singles chart will include audio streams from next month.

It is the first time in the chart's history that music played on services such as Spotify and Deezer will count in the UK, alongside single sales. Streams from Napster, O2 Tracks, rara, Sony's Music Unlimited and Xbox Music will also be incorporated into the reconfigured chart from Sunday, July 6.

Plans to include streaming in the Top 40 were revealed by BBC Radio 1's head of music George Ergatoudis earlier this year.

The move comes in light of music streaming's continued growth in the UK, doubling from around 100 million streams a week in 2013 to 200 million at the beginning of 2014. An average of 260 million songs are currently streamed per week.

Official Charts Company boss Martin Talbot told BBC News that the changes are "about future-proofing the charts". "So far this year we've seen nine tracks which have been streamed more than one million times in a week," Talbot explained. "Last year there were only two tracks that had reached that kind of level."


Bastille's 'Pompeii' is the most-streamed track of all time in the UK so far with 26.6 million steams to date but only made number two in the singles chart based on sales alone.

It had to happen, I guess. But in a time when it has never been easier to BUY the songs you like (if you care for digital, that is), shouldn't a song like "Pompeii" actually make it to the top spot? If I were to go into a store, listen on headphones to a couple of CD singles and then decide I do not want to buy them, should these listens count towards the charts???

I feel that including streams in singles charts is wrong - the popularity should be measured in actual sales, where people like a song enough to actually buy it. But in a time where people in general don't care much about actual products or quality, I guess this makes sense. Of course this makes the charts even easier to manipulate, but I guess it doesn´t matter anymore. When Billboard started basing the charts almost exclusively on radio play 15 years ago, the US charts were dead. I guess the same will apply to the UK charts in a couple of weeks...

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Guess Who's Back?...



Sinitta will relaunch her music career with a new single - her first in almost two decades.

The star will release a cover of her mother Miquel Brown's disco track "So Many Men, So Little Time", following a performance at London Pride.



Sinitta will perform to crowds on the Out In The City and G3 magazine float at this year's event, which will make its way through the streets of London during the afternoon of Saturday, June 28.

Speaking to Out In The City about her comeback, Sinitta said: "It was long overdue to get back in the studio. "So Many Men" just seemed like the perfect choice. It is a kind of song to break the ice, and I'm looking forward to singing it for the first time at London Pride.

"I'm also working on an album of new material and now that I'm back the creative juices are flowing," she added.



Sinitta - who is best known for her singles "So Macho" and "Toy Boy" - scored nine UK Top 40 hits in the late 1980s. Her mother's original version of "So Many Men, So Little Time" peaked at number two on the UK Club Chart back in 1982.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Waiting...



Here is an unreleased song from Kylie's Kiss Me Once sessions: "Waiting For The Sun"!

RIP...



Casey Kasem, the voice of pop radio for nearly four decades, died Sunday at St. Anthony’s Hospital near Seattle. He was 82. His death was confirmed by his daughter Kerri on line.

"Early this Father’s Day morning, our dad Casey Kasem passed away surrounded by family and friends," wrote Kerri. "Even though we know he is in a better place and no longer suffering, we are heartbroken. Thank you for all your love, support and prayers. The world will miss Casey Kasem, an incredible talent and humanitarian; we will miss our Dad. With love, Kerri, Mike and Julie."

As host of American Top 40, Kasem was the nation's tastemaker, doling out hit singles and music factoids as he counted down each week's most popular songs for nearly 35 years. A talent that transcended his medium, Kasem became a household name thanks to his distinctly trademark voice, his aspiring catchphrases and his love and genuine enthusiasm of the music he was broadcasting nationwide every week.

After bouncing around the nation as a disc jockey from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s, Kasem finally landed in Los Angeles in the late Sixties. He first enjoyed showbiz success as a voice actor, lending his versatile pipes to cartoon characters like Robin and, most famously, Shaggy in Scooby-Doo, a role Kasem would fill from 1969 to 2010. From there, Kasem used his disc jockey skills – which he honed as an announcer for Armed Forces Radio Korea when he was in the Army – to co-create and host American Top 40, a syndicated weekly music countdown show that would become pop radio's equivalent of Dick Clark's American Bandstand.

Kasem's run as host of American Top 40 began in 1970, giving him a national platform to showcase his unique personality and epic catchphrases like "The hits don't stop 'til we reach the top" and "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars." Kasem remained with the program until 1988, when a contract dispute led him to start his own syndicated countdown show called Casey's Top 40.

With Kasem no longer the voice of American Top 40 — radio host Shadoe Stevens took over the role — ratings for AT40 plummeted as stations instead picked up Casey's Top 40. American Top 40 was ultimately canceled in 1995; three years later, Kasem himself acquired the rights to the show and reinstated himself as host. Kasem was a mainstay on radios until January 4th, 2004, when he handed the AT40 reigns to American Idol emcee Ryan Seacrest.

In 2006, Sirius XM and syndication radio company Premiere Networks acquired the rights to broadcast episodes of AT40 from the 1970s and 1980s, ensuring Kasem would continue to have a presence on both terrestrial and satellite radio even if his disc jockey days were behind him. Along with infomercial work and television appearances (primarily appearing as himself), Kasem continued to host two smaller countdown programs following his departure from AT40, but he hung up his radio microphone for good in 2009. The following year, Kasem retired as the voice of the ever-hungry slacker Shaggy after 40 years.

Health issues and custody problems unfortunately marred Kasem's last years as his children from his first wife engaged in a legal battle over Casey's well being with Kasem's second wife, actress Jean Kasem. After Kasem was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia, the situation often played itself out on tabloid sites, creating a sad final chapter for what was otherwise one of radio's greatest talents. Kasem had been in a hospital on life support when a judge Tuesday revoked an earlier decision mandating that Kasem be artificially fed and hydrated. The decision allowed daughter Kerri, who had been battling with Jean, to make the final decision on Kasem's treatment.

For his vast work in the entertainment industry, Kasem was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1981. Four years later, he was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters' Hall of Fame for his radio career. Kasem is also a member of the National Radio Hall of Fame.

In his famed sign off, he would tell viewers: “And don't forget: keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.”

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Home Girl...



Madonna visited Detroit yesterday in an effort to participate in the rebuilding of the city and to connect with her hometown.

During her visit, she spent time at the Detroit Achievement Academy - a public charter primary school, Ponyride - a social impact incubator, the Heidelberg Project, the Downtown Youth Boxing Gym and the Dime Music School. She released the following statement following her visit:


"Many people doubt that Detroit can come back and think that the challenges are too overwhelming to overcome. But what I witnessed today is the true story of Detroit - a city of innovation, commitment, perseverance, imagination and opportunity. The entrepreneurs, artists, activists, teachers and children I met today left me incredibly inspired. I appreciated every minute of it and look forward to helping make the future of Detroit brighter."

On Tuesday Madonna visited the Detroit Achievement Academy, a free public charter school that uses the culturally and historically rich landscape of Detroit, Michigan as the inspiration for a project-based learning experience for its students. 


At EmPowermentplan with De Mequa and Netty women who once lived in homeless shelters now creating coats and handbags and the amazing glasses I'm wearing! Encouraging women to take charge of there lives! These ladies are mad cool! #revolutionoflove #bringbackdetroit


Sharing stories with kids at the Detroit Achievement Academy! Very impresses by Kyle Smith and her team doing what they can to bring education back to the Motor City! #kmowledgeispower #revolutionoflove


Discussing Michael Jackson vs. Pharrell Williams! Watch out! Detroit is coming back !!!!! #revolutionoflove


I found my new horse in Detroit! Everyone is so creative here! #artforfreedom #revolutionoflove


Visiting the Heidelberg Project in Detroit! The signs are everywhere! Keep Detroit Alive! #revolutionoflove


A tree turned into Art at the Heidelberg project created by Tyree Guyton turning Urban decay and arson into Art! #revolutionoflove


A future Champion at the Downtown Boxing Gym in Detroit! #fightfordetroit #fightforfreedom


Fight For Freedom! Fight For Detroit! @ Downtown Boxing Gym! #revolutionoflove


The Amazing Women at Empowermentplan! They make coats that turn into sleeping bags! So innovative. So inspiring! #artforfreedom #revolutionoflove #bringbackdetroit

Monday, June 2, 2014

Ultra Exclusive...

Lana Del Rey's Ultraviolence Gets Exclusive Urban Outfitters Cover

If you like Lana Del Rey and vinyl exclusives, Urban Outfitters has a deal for you: They'll be selling a version of the upcoming Ultraviolence with an exclusive cover. The album is out June 17 via Interscope.

I obviously prefer the regular cover - but that back cover is rather fab!

Tracks...



Time for a few tracks now, including the recently released video for "Trouble's Lament" by Tori Amos, a wonderful new video from Sophie Ellis-Bextor and a fantastic new charity song/video by Kylie Minogue.

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