First
With Cowell on board along with Sony, Sycro, and Overbrook Entertainment, and being owend by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, this will be the real deal, these are all heavy hitters. The show "will capture the incredible rise of the DJ phenomena", the companies said in a statement. Cowell said "DJs are the new rock stars, it feels like the right time to make this show." I agree, DJs have topped the charts all year in 2011, just read my Top 10 Tracks of 2011 article, you will see Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, Calvin Harris, and David Guetta topping the list. And, if you go to their shows, it is likely at a huge venue, likely sold out, and likely with some sort of pre-planned light show with dancers, smoke, and other visual stimuli. Will these things be worked into the show? Well, lets take a loog at the possible format and keep speculating.
If you want to see the official announcement, check it out on IMDB.
Also, check this post to hear Deadmau5's opinion on the subject. Its pretty great. Maybe he will judge or be a celebrity the contestants will work with?? Could be...

What will the Format be like? 
A quick disclaimer, these are just speculations and just my take on what the show could be. Will it be different from Cowell's past tallent shows, American Idol and X-Factor? This show will probably stick to a similar format with three or so judges sitting in some sort of panel and getting to make their snarky comments (TV viewers eat it up). But will that work for DJing? Im thinking the judges will need to sit to the side and let the DJ play to the crowd. I know it will probably not work without the DJ engaging the crowd. How can you judge a set when the DJ is not vibing off the crowd?

The two biggest/best DJ competitions currently are the Red Bull 3Style and the DMC. Both are very different competitions but have a similar format. 3Style is 15 minuts and you need to rock the crowd with three different genres of music. The DMC is more of a scratch/battle competition. Both have their ups and downs, but both use a round robin to single elimination format to get their winners, and the judging is clear(ish). Will the show take the same approach? Im sure the Judges will be quality, im betting Jazzy Jeff will be one of them.

What will they be Judging?
What will Cowell and friends be looking for to find the best DJ? DJing skill, beat matching/scratching is an obvious one but the mark of a truly great DJ is harder to put your finger on. In my mind, it takes 3 main things: what DJ can move the crowd the best, how well the DJ engages his audience, and of course how skillful your sets are put together. Scratching and tricks should be integrated but only to enhance the set, not to shine.

Will they take more of a music production spin on this? Perhaps they will assign a group of people the same track and have them make a remix? Todays biggest DJs are big cause they make their won tracks. I will bet that there will be celebrity chalenges where the DJ will work with some huge artist, and those challenges will be judged. Perhaps there will be a song list and the DJ will need to put them all together to make an exciting mix-tape.

How will they find the DJs? 
According to Pickett-Smith "This show will comb the world to find a new breed of talent." So, this will be a worldwide competition. Its very exciting! The DJs coming from the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK, and even America are all doing very exciting things and they are doing it very differently. That being said, its not clear how to sign-up yet. Maybe they will make the DJs wait hours in line, like American Idol. How terrible would that suck to wait in line with all your gear on your back for hours, haha. I doubt that will be the cace. DJs dont do lines. We will keep an eye on this, here at NYCelectro.com to find out how to participate, so be sure to keep reading.

Finally
I think that this show can be a real hit and also springboard DJing into the spotlight. Maybe some club owners will watch and finally appreciate how hard a DJ actually works (probably not though). This competition will be about tallent and passion, and even though we know little about right now, tallent and passion will resonate with audiences and ultimately win the competition. Im picking Pauly D for the win!

When considering what tracks this year really made the club jump, its tough to pick just 10. But the beauty is there are only bangers on this list. This list is comprised of songs that we at NYCelectro.com personally love to play and tracks that murder every dancehall in the world, from London to Ibiza, as the Swedish House Mafia put it in 2010. These tracks kill!

# 10

"Pressure" - Nadia Ali (also Starkillers & Alex Kenji)
Though this song has not topped the charts across the globe, it is however a track widely played  across the globe. This is one of the longes playing songs on this list as it came out in February. The only older track is "Party Rock Anthem", that came out in January of this year. "Pressure" is one of those classic dance anthems who's lyrics dont get in the way of the amazing chorus. Not too cold, not too hot, just right to light-up dance floor.

# 9

"Collide" - Leona Lewis  using "Fade Into Darkness" by Avicii
Leona Lewis's "Collide" features the instrumental from Avicii's "Fade Into Darkness" and even though Avicii claims she had "stollen" the song from him, "Collide" has become an amazing club anthem. It reached top 10 in chart positions in a few countries and hit number 1 on Billboards Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The video that supports this song is just as sexy and emotional as the track and underscores the greatness of this chart topper.

# 8

"Loca People" - Sak Noel
Otherwise know by party goes as "What the Fuck" or "All Day, All Night", this song's female talking about the party scene in Spain is definitely fun and interesting. It was released in the US a few months before it hit the UK, but it debuted at number 1 on the UK Singles. It has since has topped the charts everywhere else. No surprise, i guess, that Pitbull also has made a remix of this song called "Crazy people", though its not nearly as popular as the original.

# 7

"Give Me Everything" - Pitbull featuring NeYo, Afrojack and Nayer
The king of the crossover, Pitbull was able to capture dance, reggaeton, R&B, and Hip-hop all in one track. On paper, you may think that it would be bad, but this song proves that it can be done well. And the proof is in the charts, as this is his first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK charts. Naturally, its become a world-wide sensation. This can be played with confidence in Thailand, Japan, the Netherlands, and anywhere basically. The sliding melody and driving beat will magically get your body up and moving on the dance floor. If you drop this tonight and people dont jump, I will give you your money back!

# 6

"You Make Me Feel" - Cobra Starship ft. Sabi
In the US this song saw its top at number 4 on the Billboard Pop Songs chart and has been in the number one and top ten positions across the globe. This is a great feel-good track as the title and lyrics suggest. And it will warm up any dance floor. This track has so many remixes and has been played across the world. It has the lasting ability that a great pop/dance track should. The na-na-na hook is undeniable.

# 5

"Save The World" - Sweedish House Mafia
Nominated for Best Dance Recording on the 54th Grammys, this song has captured the attention listeners everywhere. It premered at number one on BBC Radio then began gaining in popularity across the world. Crowds everywhere sing-along and get down to this extremely catchy and dancy tune.

# 4

"Without You" - David Guetta featuring Usher
This feel-good anthem topped the charts at number 4 on Billboards Hot 100, being David Guetta's most popular single to date. It plays well on any dance floor and possesses this undeniable sexy dance vibe that sets the mood for the entire club no matter where you are in the world, as the video shows. The video is shot on the beach of Portugal and shows different parties from around the world that end up uniting the entire world's land masses with music.

# 3

"Party Rock Anthem" - LMFAO
If you dont know every lyric to this song by now, you have been living under a rock. This track has taken pop culture by storm, appearing car commercials, TV show, video games, baseball games, football games, Movies. You name it, its been there. That is due the the fact that the song is simple and clear about its message to Party Rock! It was on Billboards Hot 100 for 5 weeks and stayed in the top 10 for over 25 weeks. Its only the 7th song in Billboards history last that long. The video for this song also accentuates the catchiness of it, as you hear the song you become transformed into a shuffling maniac. Its captures the song's infectious party vibe perfectly.

# 2

"We Found Love" - Rihanna and Calvin Harris
Reaching Billboards Hot 100 at number 1 just 6 weeks, this song was destined for greatness. It peaked at number 1 across Europe and Asia. This song held at the number one position for over 8 weeks, making it her longest running hit yet. It was tough not putting this song as number one on this list. The video is absolutely amazing too, visceral and surreal. I can say from first hand experience that this pumps the up crowd so much, it gives you chills. The entire audience is united when the beat drops.

# 1

"Levels" - Avicii (Flo Rida used this for his "Good Feelings" song)
Hands down, "Levels" has been the biggest dance hit of the year. So big that Flo Rida picked it up and used it as his base for the hit song "Good Feeling" which hit Billboard's top 100 at #4. For Avicii, the Swedish house producer, the song reached #1 in Sweden and Scotland, and topped the charts in several other european countries. From first had experience, I have heard this everywhere I have been around the US and the world this year. It is one of the most requested songs this year too, people either request "Levels" or "Good Feelings". This song is only going to get bigger, this is why it topped the list.

Flo Rida - "Good Feeling"

Just to note, this top 10 list is no way bassed on actual Billboard or any other charts. Its solely based on the opinions of us here at NYCelectro.com. Some chart figures are in the post, but that is just to inform you really. If you have any other suggested songs, list them below. It was tough leaving some out, like Niggas in Paris by Jay Z and some others. But still, this top 10 should keep you good into the new years! Happy New Years to you all!

Peace
DJ Color TV

Dubstep meets Hip Hop with Serato

First things first. Click here for the "how to move your crates" tutorial. Funny thing is, I was about to write this article on my own because I just got a new computer and DJ Lazor just migrated 2 Two TB drives to one 6TB drive, but no need cause Serato gots me covered! Ha. Lucky me.

Now lets talk about the new release of Serato, 2.3.3. If you got 2.3.whatever then its a bit the same but with less bugs and crashes. Another noteworthy improvement is now Serato can play Video files (as an MP3) whether or not you have Video SL installed. Thats nice if you are collecting videos, but dont want to plop down the cash for the plugin.

Here is the full list of fixes from Serato:

Scratch Live 2.3.3

Full list of changes:

Playback and file management fixes

• Total rewrite of all metadata/tagging read/write of all MPEG-4 files. This includes .mp4, .m4a, .aac and many .mov files.
• Potential fix to seemingly random crashes during playback of files decoded by Quicktime libraries (mac).
• Fixed bug where autoplay was enabled after hot-plugging hardware.
• Fixed bug where some MPEG-4 files were being incorrectly marked as corrupt.
• Fixed bug where some files were not relocating after using 'relocate lost files'.
• Removed video file filtering. This means Scratch Live can now play audio from video files without having to have Video-SL installed.
• Fixed potential crashes when relocating lost files.
• Fixed MIDI mapped SL4 THRU button still triggering even when 'Lock Playing Deck' is in effect.
• Fix for Grid Edit keyboard shortcut not cycling through the SL3 Aux Deck.
• Fixed Relocate Lost Files not finding files in some cases and sometimes losing information.
• Empty crates are saved to the root drive's subcrates dir to allow the user to prepare a crate structure. NB: Empty crates are never saved to external drives.
  

Hardware related fixes

• Fixed bug where if SSL was started with the TTM 57 plugged in, it would increase its gain level if it was unplugged, then plugged in again.
• Fixed the TTM 57 B1-B6 button mapping so that their states match the state of the Scratch Live function to which they're mapped to.
• CDJ-900 loop editing now works on deck 4.
• Fixed bug where some midi controllers wouldn't display in the MIDI panel of the setup screen. Affected devices include the NI Kontrol X1.
• Fixed issues with the Pioneer MEP-7000 pitch and velocity controls.

GUI fixes

• When 'lock playing decks' is in effect, the thru mode button is now disabled.
• Fixed bug where the waveforms were rendered a little low (horizontal mode).
• Fixed incorrect spacing for + pitch amounts on the GUI's velocity sliders.
• Fixed bug where the bpm couldn't be doubled/halved without the edit box seemingly clearing all text upon a key release.

DJ DADDY DOG TIME 4 SUM ACTION VISUAL TRICK MIX

Invasion Tour, by Joachim Garraud

Invasion Secrets

After 3 planes, 2 boats, and over 27 hours in travel and layovers, I was ready to kiss the ground once I got to my final destination in Thailand. I went strait to Koh Tao, a small island north of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand. Instead of hitting the bed and sleeping my time away, I hit the ground running It was time to enjoy what Thailand had in store for me. I went from Koh Tao, to Koh PhaNgan, to Koh Samui, to Phuket, to Koh Phi Phi, back to Phuket, then finally to Bangkok.
Koh Tao is small and is known for its diving scene, but it also has a small but consistent party scene almost year round. In the pic above you see a firedancer at the common beach party. Check out the videos of these firedancers below:

Firedancer

3 Firedancers

BEACH PARTIES, MUSIC, and BUCKETS
BEACH PARTIES:
Listen to the music in these videos. Sound familiar? The music largely is the same music played at clubs in America. The beat keeps around 130 bpm providing rhythms to keek bodys pulsing and firedancers dancing all night long. These partys dont stop till way after the sun comes up. One of the most popular parties in the world is Koh PhaNgan's Full Moon Party. Its likely the worlds largest beach party, with beats pumping up and down the beach all night and morning long. They also celebrate the Black Moon and Half Moon with smaller (but still big) parties, and pretty much every other night of the week as well. So there are plenty of parties to attend on any given time.

All the beach parties have the live entertainment like the previously mentioned firedancers. You will also find simple party games like connect four, musical chairs, even large jump rope (sometimes the jumprope is in flames) to keep the party social and add a bit of different intrest to the party. These nuances make for a very fun atmosphere and really bring the party to life.

MUSIC:
No matter if you are on the islands or in Bangkok, you can expect a similar musical experience, however each place is distinctly different on how the party feels. The music is, how they say, "same same". You will hear all the latest chart topping electro/dance songs. I heard Rihanna's "We Found Love" a bagillian times, but thats ok cause that song is amazing. Overall, the music is danceable and the DJs are smooth, but there is a lack of personal touch from DJ to DJ. No scratching, not juggling, very few remixes, and no one is trying to break a new musical style. The music is a bit stagnent and could use a real mix-master or two to liven the night scene up, especially for the loocals.

BUCKETS:
While walking down the beach you might want to stop and get yourself a "bucket". This bucket will make the night a bit more fun and as you become more intoxicated listening to the bumping music. Buckets are filled with a small bottle of whatever liquor and whatever mixer your little heart desires. They give you about 8 straws and the idea is get one and share it with all the party people out that night. The price is around 200 or 300 baht (or about 6 to 9 USD). When buying one, bargin the price down! They will go down, if not, there are 50 other bucket people right next to you. Its all the "same same, but different".

Bucket Seller: Jamie Fucking Rockstar

More Buckets:

CLUBS, GOGO BARS, and REGULAR BARS
CLUBS:
The clubs in the islands are interesting. Most are open on all sides possible and have either a traditional roof or just fancy tarp-like covers to protect against any rain. Its as if you are outside, but you clearly are inside the club. Once again, there are buckets for sale, and they are just as social. Mix drinks and beers are marked up to be a bit more expensive, but we are talking Thailand prices so the most you will pay for a drink is about 120 baht (about 4 USD) You cannot bring in outside drinks to most of these places, but you can however walk in the streets with an open container (works if you are on a budget).

Just like the beach parties, the music is all "same same". Again, the DJs are smooth but lack personal flare. Some clubs DJ music Videos, some just have big screens with TV playing, go figure. But all the clubs (and beach parties) are filled with plenty of available girls who want to dance, drink, and party! But finding one that is not working that night may be a bit more tricky. The going rate is 1000 Baht (about 30 USD) for a short term companionship and it could be more if she stays all night. Also, its not easy to tell if she is working or actually likes you. Often, the girl will proposition you right up front which takes the guess work out of the equation. But if you like her and you dont want to leave at that moment with her, she will move on and find a real customer. Its a bit off-putting.

Once you get to Phuket or Bangkok or even Pattaya, the clubs are mainly indoors. You can still hear the music bumping down the street the entire night, but you have to go inside. Usually there is more security at the doors in these places, which can be a good thing. Its not unheard of to get in a scuffle at one of these places, yes it happened to me, so its good no one was packing. Those interaction can happen at any club on the planet, I imagine. But dont be fooled, just because these clubs have a slightly different feel, the music and DJs are again, all "same same". The same songs all night in every club. The only point in club hopping is to find a different crowd of people, different girls or maybe a better light show.

Club Hollywood Dance Floor

More Club Shots

Club Hollywood, Patong Beach, Phuket

GOGO BARS:
While the clubs are largely the same, you can break your night up by going to the local gogo bar. The girls come in droves to work at these places. Gogo Bars can be indoors or outdoors. The indoor ones are more like strip clubs. The outdoor clubs have cheaper drinks and have girls on poles on every bar, of course dressed in skimpy clothing but keeping it all on. If you are so inclined, at any of these places you can bring home one of these girls by paying a bar fee, then paying the girl whatever price you agree on. Yes, prostitution is very common. You can take it or leave it, but thats how it is.

But lest not forget about the Ping-Pong shows. This is like an indoor Gogo Bar, or strip club, but the girls actually do special performances, like shooting ping-pong balls out of their whoohaas. The entrance is usually free, but the first drink is 500 baht (15 USD) and the following drinks are discounted to about 200 baht (6 USD) plus you will be buying a 200 baht drink for the girl they assign to you (she gets a kick back for every drink you buy). It is pricey, but you have to go at least once while you are there. For me, the girl was shooting darts from you-know-where, and popping balloons. They pulled me up on stage and had me hold the end of a balloon with my teeth with the balloon floating above my face. A few seconds later... and ... POP! The balloon burst and I was completely unharmed from that very dangerous twat-dart-gun. Pretty impressive! Unfortunately, they would not allow any pictures of that.

Outdoor Gogo Bar

More Gogo Bars

REGULAR BARS:
The bars are fundamentally different for many of the popular tourist areas in Thailand. Yes, you can sit there and enjoy a few drinks but not without being asked to play simple bar games with the girls working there. Its not just the bartender and you, there are also the girls that are sitting around the bar and the ones that call you into the bar. For the bar games, the common deal is if they beat you (at connect four or some dice game or whatever) then you have to buy them a drink (these girls also get kick backs from the bar). What if you win? Well, that depends on the bar, sometimes you can get a free drink, but most of the time the girl just gets frustrated and goes away. Thats a good thing if you just want to check your email and have a few beers. Just like these Gogo Bars, if you like the girl, you must pay the bar fee to take her away from the job.

Also, at the bars there are usually a few pool tables to play on. These can be a lot of fun. If the place is not crowded you can just hop on and play with your friends, usually for about 20 baht (about 75 cents), or you play the winner. Loser pays and winner stays, pretty typical for bar pool. But the twist is the Thai girls. Do not underestimate them at all, also do not make any serious bets on the game. They will run the table before you get a shot. There are many quality players, but even if you suck, you should still play. After all, its all in good fun.

LADYBOYS
Yes, they are real and yes, it can be hard to tell a ladyboy from the real thing. They are at the clubs, bars, on the streets, on the beach, wherever. Its not polite to ask if the girl is a ladyboy and it can cause more trouble than its worth. However, there are ways to tell if a convincing ladyboy is a man or a woman. From a distance she might look hot, but once you get closer you can usually tell. If not, most of the time, the voice is a dead giveaway, you will say to yourself "damn, either that chick been smoking since she was 10, or she is a dude!". Or maybe she has unusually large hands for a girl. Also, an important note, most real thai girls or "ladys" dont really get all that dressed up when they go out. They will wear skimpy shorts and a revealing tank-top, but the ladyboys go all-out! Im talking very high-heals, super nice/sexy dress, lots of makeup, the whole nine (some real girls do that too, so its tricky). Overall, if she is suspect and fits any of those criteria, she could be a man.

All that being said, the ladyboys provide a niche entertainment that cannot really bo found anywhere else in the world. Carve out some time, if you are in Thailand, and go see a Cabaret Show. The ladyboys lip sync, dress up, and perform the latest and greatest hits.  Their dance routines are well rehearsed and actually pretty impressive. The shows are very fun and very funny, especially when they pull up guys from the audience,dress them like ladys, and make them dance. Its great! Check out the video below for the Cabaret Show in Koh Tao. Also, watch the video of Soi Crocodile in Phuket. Soi Crocodile is a street dedicated to all ladyboys. There is a huge crowd that gathers there everynight to see the spectacle. This Soi, or street, is right in the middle of the hottest strip along Bang-la road in Patong Beach, Phuket.

Cabaret Ladyboy

Other Ladyboy Shows

Soi Crocodile, Ladyboy Street show, Patong Beach, Phuket

Ladyboy Gaga - Telephone. Cabaret Show, Koh Tao

WRAP-UP
So, my opinion, go to Thailand! Dont expect much from the music scene, but do expect to have a f-ing awesome time! Go find some trouble and put yourself in situations that you would not normally put yourself in. Things are basically safe there, so have some fun. As far as DJing goes, go with low expectations and you will enjoy yourself.

Peace
DJ Color TV

Donate Here Online, or Donate at the Event. For directions, and more links/info, click through here.

Add your name to the Facebook invite page, and tell your friends.

Location:
Mercury Bar East
493 3rd (b/w 33th and 34rd st), New York, NY
(212) 683-2645
Map here

Info from Movember.com:

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.

Solas
232 9th ST, between 2nd and 3rd ave (once block north of St Marks Place), NY.
Time: 9pm till close.
Click here to RSVP by Facebook.
See you there!

David Guetta & Chris Wills Ft. Fatman Scoop -Love Is Gone -DJ Lazor Remix

Also, its worth to mention that we are working on an easy way to upload these files so that they will be available to download. That will be coming soon, so keep checking back. Here are the other videos for this week:

Truth Hurts Ft. Rakim- Addictive- DJ Lazor Remix

Lady Smith Ft Soul Sonic Force Zulu War Chant DJ Lazor Mix

Labor Day Party

Lit Lounge is located at:
93 2nd ave, between 5th and 6th streets
litloungenyc.com
google maps

See you all there!

DJ Color TV and DJ A-Trak

The store is very nice. Not your typical DJ Store. They are only selling the products that they make, so no needles or DJ gear. They only stock records from the Fool's Gold Artists, t-shirts, Ducks, and more. Its a nice little storefront in the front and the label in the back. A-Trak told me that they have had the label in this same location for a few years now and they figured they should use the front area for a store. Makes sense to me. Its in a great location, right by the Lorimer L Subway Station.

The store's hours and location are as follows:
Fool’s Gold
536 Metropolitan Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
http://www.foolsgoldrecs.com/

Check out the pics of the store: