Here's something cool for my friends who have been following my work as VP of Music at StarStyle.com. We've been working hard and have introduced StarStyle widgets to take what we're doing on StarStyle viral.
Category: Culture
SXSW
No silly, the acronym doesn’t stand for sex, so what, it stands for South x Southwest; and that’s where I’ll be until Saturday, down here in Austin, TX searching out new sounds across the independent musical spectrum.
All registered with my SXSW conference badge and ready-to-go, I’ve got my SXSW mini-schedule listing all the hot bands playing around the city. Tonight at 8 p.m., I’ll be at Stubbs for the New Musical Express party and a performance by English band, The Sunshine Underground.
A self-described “party band,” the TSU are named after a Chemical Brothers track. A mix of punk and funk for the dancefloor, they’ve been getting making news across the pond and will bring their brand of music to Austin tonight.
The widely respected British music newspaper, NME says, “Their combination of house rhythms, grand hallucinatory soundscapes and the best rave
choruses since The Stone Roses have given The Sunshine Underground a diverse community
of devoted ravers thrilled to find music with a dance pulse.”
I’ll also be checking out the wildly popular emerging New York electronica act, Kudu, at the Nublu Records party, which takes place at Club One 15 at 1 am.
Stay tuned for pics and maybe some video and podcasts from SXSW Austin!
Win Fergie’s dress from the Glamorous video on StarStyle.com
It's been a busy couple of week over at StarStyle.com. We've been on the music video sets of Fergie, The Game feat. Kanye West, James Morrisson, Fall Out Boy, Brick & Lace, Ne-Yo, Snoop Dogg and Lloyd. Next week, we'll be on Sugarland, which is our first Country music video. And, we'll be on the upcoming shoots for Maya and Chamillionaire.
Frankie Knuckles’ B’day Party at Cielo
Boy, do I love Cielo or what? It's just my favorite nightclub in New York City since Twilo's demise and the decommishioning of Centro Fly. Sure, I like Pacha too. I'm not much of a fan of Crobar. And, I haven't been to Marquis, BED or the other bling spots, so I'll reserve judgement on those spots. Although I've heard they are quite good in their own right.
A week ago Thursday, I had the pleasure of attending house music pioneer and legendary DJ/Producer, Frankie Knuckles, birthday party. It was great to see the DefMix crew in full effect. From Judy Weinstein to Baby Hec Romero, Frankie's posse held down the fort while presenting the Godfather of House a huge b'day cake just before he started off his set with the seminal deep house track, "Whistle Song."
SaveDarfur.org: what we can do as Americans to help
Usually, I refrain from stating my political or social viewpoints and try not to write anything controversial on this blog, which is mainly about selfishly important DJ culture stuff. But, seeing as I have a voice, and with that a certain social responsibility, I thought it was important to expound on the topic of Darfur.
[If you feel like the whole country is talking about Darfur and you could care less, stop reading now.]
Tonight, my girlfriend, Missy, and I watched a 60 Minutes piece, Searching For Jacob, on the genocide taking place in Darfur, Sudan. Although we’ve seen it mentioned in the news media, I can’t recall a news piece on the subject that had a greater impact on us than this one.
60 Minutes sent a camera crew to Darfur to find a young man, Jacob, who’s family had been murdered in a settlement in Darfur, by the dictatorship backed Janjaweed militia, who are trying to cleanse the country of non-Arab Sudanese. The young man, now 19, was found in a refugee camp and shown notebooks and school books he’d left behind at the schoolhouse burned by the militia a few years earlier. Having escaped the horror, he now lives in the refugee camp living with thousands of others with similiar stories. The death and destruction of their families and homes has taken a tremendous psychological and physical toll on these people. It’s mass murder on an incredible scale. Many are now comparing it to the Holocaust, which we’ve really only heard about through the stories of our great-grandfathers, grand-mothers, history books, and tv shows.
Many of us in our 20’s onward were around for both the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Rwanda. The first we got involved in too late and the second we did nothing about. Now genocide is taking place in Darfur, and we can either sit around and spend all of our money on clothes, mortgages and nice restaurants, or we can take a little out of our wallets and give back.
According to 60 Minutes, over 300,000 have since died, with 2.5 million now homeless and living in desert refugee camps supported by aid from various agencies worldwide. As an American living here, there’s little I can physically do to help support the effort to save the people of Darfur from ethnic cleansing. I’m not trained in human relief and I have responsibilities here to myself, my girlfriend and the employees at EMW, who depend on me for my expertise, guidance and support. So, what does one do? Visit SaveDarfur.org, a web site set up for help people understand how to support the people of Darfur who are homeless, hungry and without their loved ones. As we watch over the civil war in Iraq, which has taken our world stature down a few notches on the compassion and civility scale while spreading our commitments too thin, the people in Darfur still need our help.
Sudan’s dictator, Omar AlBashir, came to the U.N. just a few weeks ago. He listened to Bush criticize him and his government from the lecturn, while one of his representative’s openly smirked. Bush’s direct confrontation to AlBashir on that day holds little weight, because now we know behind the scenes, the Sudanese government is getting a pass for the intelligence it possesses on Al Quaeda. I understand the underlying role of Sudan in the fight against terror, but at what cost?
Can we not get that information elsewhere? Can we not defend the people of Darfur somehow, someway, without being complicit in the knowledge that we got a few morsels of information while we lightly slap the hand of AlBashir, who is overseeing the slaughtering of hundred’s of thousand’s of innocent, defenseless people? Of course it’s a difficult, complex situation, one that most of us hardly understand the implications of. Maybe we don’t know the answer? And, we won’t , unless we do something about it.
As we’ve seen since the Bush-led White House came into power, our leaders continue to make the wrong choices. On Nov. 7, one way to change the status quo is to vote complicit Republicans out of the House and Senate. Those who have done nothing to support the relief effort, pressuring Sudan and calling for international peacekeepers along with more support for the Darfur region should be removed from power. That is one way to change the status quo.
Second, I gave a small donation to SaveDarfur.org, which will go to the relief efforts. By doing so, maybe we can make a difference in the lives of the weak and starving.
Third, you should call and write your congressman or senator and make this a political issue. At SaveDarfur.org, you will find many actionable instructions you can follow to make your voice heard.
Yes, none of us want to leave the comfy confines of America to stick our heads in the middle of the desert and save thousands of people. It’s just not realistic. Time, money, transportation, distance to the problem, and a true understanding of the conflict are all barriers to offer a compassionate hand to a desperate people. Donating money and writing letters to pressure your representative and let them know that you won’t vote for them unless they stand for a people who need our help is.
We’ve given for 9/11, given for Hurricane Katrina, and now we must give to the people of Darfur our support, because they are experiencing a disaster that none of us can ever imagine.
I remember that day, on 9/11, when the city shook under massive explosions from the terror attacks. The smoke, sirens, and chaos that ensued was unimaginable only the day before. We live in the the wealthiest country in the world, driving billions of dollars in transactions everyday. There is a middle class and upper class here, who don’t live in squalor and can afford to give something. To live in the conditions the people of Darfur live under today, knowing that hundred’s of thousand’s of their people were killed for nothing but sheer and disgusting racism and genocide is unconscionable.
Finally, another action you can take is to read blogs and comment on them, whether on newspaper web sites or independent blog sites. You can also call in to your local radio talk shows and make the issue heard there. At least it will show that the people of America care about other people’s problems, and not just our own.
It will go a long way to showing the world that unlike George Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, we care what the world thinks about us, and we want the world to know that we will support them just as we were supported after 9/11. If another 9/11 happened today, would the world have an outpouring of support for our people as they did on that fateful September day? I’m hestitant to think so. But, if we show the world our compassion for the people of Darfur, that may help to change some perceptions about America in the world view.
That being said, think of Darfur as your world too. A dollar here is nothing, but a dollar there goes a long way.
Tony Z.
Tony's Travels!
Hey, all! I’ve been so busy, I just haven’t been able to get to generating a blog post since my Entertainment Media Works colleagues and I left for MAGIC Markeplace over three weeks ago. I returned to NYC from MAGIC over Labor Day Weekend, but my stay in the Apple was short-lived.
After spending the weekend recovering from working 18-hour days in Vegas, I jumped right back on a plane to Atlanta for the Billboard Hip Hop and R&B Conference. Then it was onto Nashville for label meetings in the land of Country music and to interview a prospective candidate for a biz dev position at StarStyle.
This past week was a recovery week spent following up with people I’d met during my travels. I also squeezed in the first two classes of my Fall semester at NYU, where I’m entering my 3rd year.
The MAGIC trip successfully got us in front of the top brands, retailers, press, designers and even a few celebrities. It’s a must attend trade show for anyone buying, selling or marketing fashions or fashion related products or services. This trip, EMW showcased StarStyle.com with a booth in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. We brought a sizable team to the trade show to promote StarStyle, film content for the Fashion Five web video show we are getting ready to launch, and make contact with many of the brands and retailers we’ve been talking to over the past year.
My partner in crime, Fresnel aka Madsol Desar and I stayed at the MGM Grand, which played surprisingly good music throughout the hotel and casino area. It was very rhythm based; lot’s of loungey dance beats, which was definitely my cup of tea. Although the rooms are a little dated and mattresses in need of fluffing, the food in the hotel was the definitely the best in Vegas. From the Italian-style Fiamma, which has a sister restaurant in SoHo on Spring Street in NYC to Wolfgang Puck’s spot, you couldn’t ask for better service or better food. The Filet Mignon at Fiamma was absolutely amazing.
Opening night at MAGIC, we spent some time in the VIP area upstairs at TAO, then made our way to the dance floor to check out a live performance by Moby. Madsol is down with the Talib Kweli camp, so the next night we headed out to House of Blues to check out Talib and Jean Grae from an excellent vantage point backstage. The last night, we headed over to the Hard Rock Hotel to check out Tommy Lee’s party for his new clothing line. Out by the pool, Tommy actually worked the Pionneer effects rig while the DJ used Serato software and Technics tables to cut up some west coast sounding electronica and breaks.
You know, I love Triple Five Soul as a brand, but their party at the Wynn hotel was so wack, we had to leave. After Geology opened up (who was great by the way), things went progressively downhill. I don’t know who at BPM convinced Triple Five Soul to put this wack-ass DJ on, but it was just brutal. The mixing was god-awful. The music was like some half-dance, half rock, weird tracks that I couldn’t even comprehend. Just a bunch of noise and clashing keys. And to top it off, the DJ (I wish I knew his name…I can’t find the flyer around here anywhere) just stood there, up in the booth like he was rocking the place, and the dance floor was half empty. The cool people standing there wondering what was going on, while the trashed folk could have cared less. What’s worse, is then they had a live performance that was so horrible, I pulled my friends and said I’d just about had enough. I don’t care how dope the party was supposed to be, it’s probably one of the worst live performances I’ve ever seen. Contestants thrown off American Idol by Simon would have done a better job. Yes, friends, it was THAT BAD!
When we weren’t out at night, we were on the trade show floor networking with all the major urban brands. Ecko/G-Unit, Phat Farm, Southpole, R-World, Sean John…you name it, they were at the show. Our camera crew even caught Russell Simmons over at Project, a smaller version of MAGIC, to discuss a new Yoga line he’s just released. He recently cashed out of Phat Farm, so he’s got some cash to blow on more “green” type of projects, no pun intended!
I jetted back to New York to spend time with my girl over Labor Day weekend, then it was back on a flight to Atlanta for the Billboard R&B and Hip Hop Conference and Awards. I mainly went to check out top Billboard scribe, Michael Paoletta’s “I’m with the Brand” panel and try to catch up with D-Prosper from G-Unit. Michael’s panel was awesome. Beyonce’s father-slash-manager, Ludacris’s manager Chaka Zulu, and Jennifer Wu from FILA were on hand to give their input on product integration and other marketing related topics. I never did catch D-Prosper, he didn’t show for his A&R panel. But I did get to shake Rodney Jerkins hand and a few other notable A&R types after the panel.
After a few day’s rolling with the hip hop crowd, I jumped back on Jet Blue for a flight to Nashville, where I met with UMG Nashville and Curb Records for StarStyle. I also interviewed a nice woman who we ended up offering a job at StarStyle to handle the Country music market. Heck! What do I know about Country? Well, what I don’t know about the music, I do know that you can’t ignore one of the largest music markets in the country that has an extremely loyal fanbase and appeals to middle America. So, now we’re setting up a Nashville division to make sure we give the Country crew the love they deserve.
For the past two weeks, I’ve been back in the Apple, following up with people I met during my travels. School started two weeks ago at NYU, so I’ve been trying to keep up with that as well.
The big news is that I just ordered a new MacBook Pro, 15-inch screen with 2.16 Ghz Intel-based processor and 2 Gigs of memory. I’m waiting on it to come in from Apple, but when I get it, I’m finally going to be mobile with my MP3’s! I might even be spinning out again soon, now that I have my rig, Traktor DJ and Ableton Live . Although I do have to upgrade from Live 4 to 5, so I can get the upgrade to 6, when it comes end September, for free. Stay tuned.
Sorry that I have’t posted as much as I would have liked to. I’m sure you’re wondering where are all the photos from my travels? To tell you the truth, I just didn’t have time to shoot as much as I would have liked. I do have some cool shots that I’ll be posting over the next few days, but I’m thinking I gotta move forward, not backward.
I’ll get back in the swing of things shortly. Thanks for continuing to support Netmix while I’ve been away. Hey, I even finally crossed the $100 threshold in my Google Adsense Account! I’m rich!
For the past few days, I’ve been adding new friends on my MySpace page. I’m now up to 260-something. Let’s connect so we can get our networks to grow. My profile can be viewed at http://www.myspace.com/tonyzeoli. I also have a music profile at http://www.myspace.com/djtonyzeoli.
So, Tony Z. is back…that’s whassup!
Peace,
Tony Z.
Tony Z. heads to MAGIC Marketplace
It's been crazy hectic over the last week since my last post. I've been extremely busy working on the planning for our presence at the upcoming MAGIC Marketplace, which takes place in Las Vegas from August 28 to the 31st.
On Saturday, I'll be on Jet Blue with my homie, Fresnel aka Madsol Desar headed the show, considered one of the largest fashion retail trade shows in the country. In the spring, I walked the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center as a first-timer during the Fall show to get a feel for how business is transacted and to do a bit of networking with top brands.
ProducerLab.com's Jamie Siegel Teaches Beginners Music Production at New York Hilton
On August 27th at the New York Hilton Hotel (1135 Avenue of the Americas, btw 53rd and 54th), producer Jamie Siegel, who lists credits on productions including Smashing Pumpkins, Joss Stone, Taking Back Sunday, Lauren Hill and more, will demonstrate music production techniques geared toward's those who want to learn how to produce tracks in a home studio.
Party Trac: Sun Jam on Utila Island in Honduras
My brother, Bill, was surfing the web the other day and passed along a URL for Sun Jam, a Honduran party that has grown from a few friends 10-years ago to maximum capacity of 1,500 over today. The event takes place each year on a 3-acre island called Water Cay, about 6 miles from the town of Utila on Utila Island in Honduras Bay.
A visit to the promoter's web site gives you a rundown of this year's party, which took place on August 5th. Yeah, I'm a little late to the game on this one, but I wanted to let my peeps know about it and follow it for next year. Better late than never! Geez, my bro, the one with 4 kids (one on his way to college) beat me to the game here. You'd think I'd be up on this stuff, but hey, I'm running the music section of a major pop culture web site! Who has the time to party in Honduras? I guess Bill does!
The site features photos from past events (where are this years photos guys?), a Flash audio player streaming top tracks from the event, information on DJs from Central Amercia along with more on the town itself and some of the things you can do while you're partying your ass off. The town of Utila is well known for its dive shops and water sports.
You can only get to Water Cray by ferry from Utila Island, so make sure you plan your trip accordingly. Contact the promoters for more details on next year's event.
So, check it out next year! Maybe we'll see you there.
Turntable Timmy: A Children's Book for the DJ Set
For those of who are now proud parents, but remain attached to DJ culture in some way, Turntable Timmy is for you!
Ever wonder how you're going to pass down those turtable "skillz that paid the billz" to your kids? This book is the perfect segue (no pun intended 
) for your child to begin thinking about a life of dedication to his/her skratchin' and beat jugglin' craft, without the financial struggle we all know and love mixed in. Start'em off early with this book, and see your kid bypass all the others to win the DMC Championship faster than you can say, "cuttin and skratchin."
The book was written by Michael Perry, a reknowned writer of childrent's fiction and illustrated by Doug Cunningham, a pioneering West Coast writer (graffiti). His artwork was featured in the animated skratch movie, Wave Twisters (Thud Rumble Inc).
Although I don't have kids, my girlfriend found this book on Amazon and thought it would be a great gift for someone like myself, who still loves DJ culture although I don't spin out in public as much as I used to. I'm so hyped she bought this for me. I'd never seen a book like this done so well.
I'll be sure to keep this on my book shelf for the day I sprout a little one and want to drop some science on the secrets of turntablism, graf, emcee's and breakin!
The company behind the project, Rebel Static, are also creating an animated series based on characters from the book. There's an accompanying web site for the book, which tells the story of Turntable Timmy and his friends and there's even a DVD in that comes along with it attached to the back cover.
The company has even created a Turntable Timmy trailer for an animated Turntable Timmy series, which they say they are currently working on. Check out the trailer, which is featured on the the popular video sharing web site, YouTube.com: