Performing and producing music in the house genres and trance, Armin has become a leading DJ around the world with 3 years being announced the top DJ among all artists in that music style. Born in 1976 in the Netherlands, he became an icon for the young generations not only because of creating extraordinary tracks, but also because of mixing other features and styles in his performances.

Armin graduated from high school in 1995 but his interest for music was gradually increasing. He became a law student later but his love for house and trance music were remarkable thus leading him to this first job at a local club called Nexus. There he first experienced the love of the crowd, the addiction to the sound and the opportunities this might reveal. Feeling that he is capable of having a DJ career, he put his law degree on hold to develop music projects and, although he graduated with a law degree, in 1999 he made his way to the top European charts enjoying a very successful season from the exhibition of his talents in Ibiza, Spain -a top place for all DJs performing in the house genre.

The following years made Armin Van Buuren an influential figure in the house music -by successfully releasing a couple of albums he menaged to mix features of the progressive house music, techno and trance in a compilation knows as ’A State of Trance'(different from his weekly radio releases under the same name). Working with several well known American and British artists and releasing another successful album, Van Buuren had a massive 11, 000 fans concert with a 9 hour long set prepared only by him. This gained him a world-wide music recognition and the following year, 2007, he was rated number one DJ among one of the best DJs performing.

Influenced by different trends in the house and trance music and creating tracks with extreme sharpness and sound, Armin still remains the top DJ with millions of fans and visited destinations. His music is a symbol of the 21st century generation and a valuable contribution to the house music as a whole.

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Probably one of the best house clubs in Europe is Plazma. If you are travelling to the beautiful city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and if you are interested in the electronic music, you should visit this fascinating place, always full of young people, enjoying the ultimate house experience.

The club is founded in 2001 as a night club in the central part of the city. Since the openning it has been the place where one of the most famous DJs have perfomed on Bulgarian land. The place attracts fans from all Bulgarian towns, from Greece and Romania as well as many tourists who have come to visit the city. With serious modifications and improvements, in 2008 the club was reopened with more space for the visitors, better sound systems, huge video wall that gives off the feeling of blue light therapy and extremely improved quality of service. The waitresses won’t let you wait for more than 5 minutes until you receive your order (at a decent and quite reasonable price), the dancers around the club are taking care of your good mood and the performing DJs are the elite of the Bulgarian and world house music.

A customer may choose among hundreds of types of alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks specially selected to satisfy the taste of every single visitor. As already mentioned, the quality of service is at the highest rates so no headaches from queuing and waiting will disturb the guests. Depending on the type of perty, there might be different house styles being perfomed -from pure shill out house to progressive and trance sets. Just picking up the right performer for you is enough to completely enjoy the time spent in the club.

With its services, selected drinks, clubbing atmosphere and professional perfomers from all over the world, Plazma remains one of the best places to be in Bulgaria and completely enjoy the Bulgarian night life

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If you have not heard the latest album by Assemblage 23 you have been missing out on a great album. Compass has it’s not only hard hitting songs that you can dance to but it has some slower songs with feeling as well. If you only have time to listen to one song off the album I would suggest that you listen to collapse. It has a great beat to it and the lyrics will resonate with a lot of different people.

I would however suggest taking the time to listen to the whole album (if you can’t find it in the store, ask for the one with tin packaging). It is one of those albums that you could listen to it straight through because of the song arrangement. Tom Shear does a great job of arranging his albums this way. If you listen to the album and find that you like it I would also suggest checking out some of his older albums as well. Assemblage 23’s albums are not all the same they do not put out cookie cutter albums. They are all unique in their own way without taking away from Assemblage’s core sound and genre.

Assemblage is also one of those bands that are just as great live as they are on the album. If you have a chance to see Assemblage 23 you should definitely go see them. The smaller venues give you a nice intimate feel. Tom Shear always stays after the last set to sign albums and take pictures with. He is not only a great artist he is also a very nice and personable person. I had the pleasure of seeing him perform at Skully’s in Columbus, Oh and meeting him after the concert. I already have all of his albums but I repurchased Compass so that I could get a signature on it. Compass was just another great album in an already fantastic discography.

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A couple of years ago the drum and bass band from Australia; Pendulum, came to Newcastle and played at the, then, Carling Academy (now the O2 Academy). They had just released their second album, In Silico and were on a world tour I guess. It was a bit of a surprise that they were playing the Carling Academy so I didn’t waste any time in getting a ticket.

Probably the second biggest drum and bass band in the world, behind The Prodigy, Pendulum had enjoyed plenty of success prior to the gig and I was quite a big fan of their music which was a little more electronic and pop orientated than the more hardcore drum and bass that The Prodigy are well known for.

The gig kicked off in the manner that I though it would, that is, with plenty of energy. Playing the first two tracks from the new album, Showdown and Different, before coming in with the single, Propane Nightmares, was predictable as the band obviously tried to showcase their new material. They did play all the classics, including Hold Your Colour, Slam and the their remix of The Prodigy’s Voodoo People.

Lead singer and synth player, Rob Swire, was probably the highlight of the gig as far as the band members go, although, of course, everyone else was also fantastic. There was no let up in the pace of the gig from start to finish.

This gig was one of the most energetic and physically exhausting I have ever been to. I was hot, incredibly sweaty and the air reeked of body odour like it can only at the best of gigs. The set list was epic and well put together. Other than the many Muse gigs I have been to, I can’t think of a better gig that I have been to and I look forward immensely to when they come back.

Not to mention that it did give me the kick up the behind that I needed to actually head down to apple mac repair london and sort out my laptop so I can start mixing again. I have left it for two weeks already, it looks like I just needed a little bit of Prodigy love to sort myself out, so listen up for the new tracks soon!

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Traditionally, most songs would be based around one form of love or another; love lost, love unrequited or love just plain gone wrong. However, things have moved on over the years and songs are now written about a huge variety of different subjects. We still have love songs, but they no longer take up the majority.

Music has a strong effect on us. It can make us feel motivated and it can make us sit and cry. Several songs have even been blamed for suicides and murders because of their lyrics. How much truth there is to this claim is a whole different subject, but we are undoubtedly affected by music to a very large degree.

So how about songs that can actually do good? I’m not talking about catchy Pop tracks on the radio to help the working week seem shorter; but tracks with a deeper message. If there is even the faintest possibility of music creating a destructive/self-destructive urge in its listeners, then surely there are songs which can have the opposite effect.

The Beatles, Donovan, Cat Stevens and many other singers used music to send out a message of peace. Just how successful they were is very much open to debate, but at least they gave it a go. Protest songs fed the spirits of the downtrodden whilst Live Aid fed the world. Whatever your opinion on just how much music affects us, you cannot deny that it is a very powerful medium.

There have also been a number of anti-suicide songs over the years. The most famous one would probably be ‘Everybody Hurts’ by REM. However, they were by no means the first band to come up with this therapeutic message. What about David Bowie’s ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide’, Neil Young’s ‘Don’t Let it Bring you Down’ or Peter Gabriel’s/Kate Bush’s ‘Don’t Give Up’?

Even singers like Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Howling Wolf and Billie Holiday were singing about ‘the blues’ all those years ago. Depression has always been a very well-documented subject in the world of music and many singers have written their way out of it. And in doing so, they have given a ray of hope to those listeners who are sitting in a dark space smelling red diesel…

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Boney M are that rarest of bands: they are one whose music is known by everyone, yet about half of those humming along to “brown girl in the rain–” don’t even know the bands name…

Boney M came back in to my life a few years ago, suddenly, while watching the climbing movie ‘Touching The Void’. This film, one of excitement, woe, stupidity, and downright ludicrous arrogance, uses the music to good effect; Boney M features at the end, if you haven’t seen it, just as the guy with a broken leg is convinced he’s not going to make it (and to be honest the viewer is too). Up until then I hadn’t thought much about the brown girl in the rain, sang about the brown girl in the rain, or been too keen on thinking about rain in general, as I live in England. I dread to think what might have happened if I hadn’t seen that film–My life could have turned out very differently. It’s quite possible that I would have gone through the rest of it Boney M less: a fate not quite worse than death, but not far off.

I’m avoiding talking about it, and I know it. And you know it. Yes, as much as I love the band—actually I love that song; I can’t really think of any other songs by Boney M if I’m honest—I have to admit that their music is undoubtedly some of the most annoying ever to have been conceived. But at the same time, I couldn’t be without this one song. Also because it’s my number one weapon against people I don’t want to talk to. Whenever I get stuck in a conversation with someone reprehensible, all I need do is sing about the brown girl and that usually does the trick–In desperate situations I will resort to dancing. But it has to be desperate. After a good Boney M dance I’m always in need of a good shower–

I have just put down my mobile with my mother and I asked what I should be looking for as a gift for my grandmothers birthday. So now I need to figure out where to purchase a plus size kaftans, any suggestions are welcome, because I genuinely have no clue on this one.

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The world famous band, Green Day, performed an outstanding gig on the 23^rd October 2009. The concert was held in the O2 Arena, London, where I and nearly twenty thousand fans were mesmerized with the rocking performance of singer Billie Joe and the crew. The show was really memorable and entertaining. The arrangements were truly marvelous and it also showcased lots of pyrotechnics and lighting effects. At the time their album titled 21st Century Breakdown has been receiving rave reviews.

The bands front man Billie Joe performed a mind boggling show where he sang some of their greatest hits. The audience became exhilarated when he performed a track from their latest album. He pulled a willing fan on to the stage and encouraged him to dive into the audience. His interactive performance swayed the entire audience very easily which proves that he is still one of the biggest entertainers.

The highly energetic and theatrical presentation style was so enjoyable that it became very hard to control the mass enthusiasm in the O2 Arena. During the performance of the track ‘Longview’, three different members of the crowd were invited upon stage to sing the song with him. Sometimes Billie Joe threw a challenge out to the crowd to see which side of the Arena is loudest in singing a verse of a song. The auditorium was getting filled up with the ‘hey-oh’ chant which was the clear evidence of the fans involvement to the great performer.

Throughout the show Billie Joe displayed his endless energy which was really very hard to keep up with. The audience became so much crazy to enter into this spectacular live show, even the security guards were having a trying time in controlling the masses.

The concert got huge applause from the audience. The singer of this great band Green Day surely knows how to entertain the fans. However the fans must keep waiting for more and more wonderful live shows and musical hits in the future ahead.

Just before I go my mates site has a great new post on it. He is just starting out so if you could all take a moment and check it out it would be really cool of you!

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Why use a perfectly good stage to play a gig when there’s an even better dance floor to play on? You may well ask! If The Death Set gigs are anything to go by, the answer is to create sheer and utter mayhem. When it comes to wreaking havoc, the compelling New York trio deface it with crudeness, screw it up and throw it back in your face. For starters the three-piece in reality are actually a four-piece, but the sample guy can’t be arsed to travel. Still, he doesn’t need to really. What they lose on quality of sound they make up for with passion and - well, chaos. On record The Death Set are noted for the innovative samples and engaging electro melodies, and though this is predominantly lost at a live showing, the ferocious energy and raucous punk overlays more than make up for the polished article. Playing their set on the dance floor amongst the audience tends to do that! Thus, as the Death Set launch into their ’death set’, converged around two guitarists and a drummer, literally inches away, well maybe a foot, okay two at most, rabid revellers simply can’t help themselves to start moshing. It’s that type of gig so why not. What ensues however, is the crowd begin to encroach on the band’s space, singing into the mic, crashing into them and knocking them to the ground where they continue to play on the floor anyway, even giving them bear hugs between songs. It was all very sweet, extremely exciting and quite funny - oh and did I mention exhausting. After all the pogo hopping and spilled beer, a good majority of the crowd were dripping in a combination of sweat and ale which didn’t go down too well with the folks on the bus ride home. Still we’d had fun - and you will too!

More amazing new item everyone, Warren just got a few months work with a company that sells these new trendy cotton kaftans , I expect free stuff!

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Based in a loft in Chicago this garage band has been rocking the hearts of its very committed fans base since the nineties, and with the release of their most recent (and eighth) album Wilco: The Album, it does not look like they are going to stop anytime soon.  Lead by their fearless leader, Jeff Tweedy, who has been hailed as some by the new Bob Dylan, Wilco’s disarming talent, driving chord progressions and touching lyrics are hard to resist.

With an attitude that can only be described as fiercely stubborn, and madly passionate about music this band has been known to run into trouble in the past. Particularly surrounding an album called Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, where they decided to be a bit experimental with their sound. Because of their stanch stand to not compromise, they lost a record company (who said this new sound would never sell), and a band member (who didn’t have the same vision).

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot made more money than any other Wilco CD before it, old fans and new fans alike we completely committed to the ride.  Since then they have stayed true to their roots, and speaking for myself have never lost my heart!

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