New music with an old feel...

So in the wake of my song "I Bust It" going live on Beatport, I decided to put out some more music.  As quiet as it is kept I uploaded my remix of Chris Brown's "Beautiful People" which I'm told has been making the rounds in the clubs in Chicago.   I also put out a few tracks that were nagging me which I will compile into a big album's worth of tracks soon.

Is there still room for Ghettotech in the world?  I hear I'm popular in England so we will see.

In other news I recently completed a new Juke mix with DJ Fulltono of Osaka, Japan.  It's called "Superjuke" and it can be streamed from the previous link.  I don't do Juke very often but when I do I do it to death.  Special thanks to DJ Fulltono for his help with this and his mixing skills.  I gained quite a few new fans due to this.  Maybe I should have called it "Halsted Street Entertainment Volume 5."  Maybe I'll save that for later.

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Self promotion

When you are doing self promotion often times you hit that wall.  The part where you have done everything you can do and you are waiting for people to discover your efforts.  You've posted everywhere you know to post and you've updated everything you could.  Then comes the wait.  And you wait.  And wait.  The you say screw it and you start promoting something new but by that time you start seeing results for the promotion you gave up on.  Sometimes it can be very frustrating especially doing it from scratch.  Big companies can throw a lot of money at something and guarantee that SOMEONE will buy what they are promoting even if it is hot crap.

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Pimping my own music

Sometimes self promotion can get out of hand.  I joined a support group for DJ's on  Facebook thinking I could network and build connections.  What I got was endless posts of parties I did not intend to attend.  One girl would advertise her clients but failed to mention what city/region they represented and how to get to their parties.  She was eventually kicked out of the group.  Well I've tried to post a few things in the group which seemed to have a frenzy of new posts right after whatever I'd post.  Maybe it is time to start advertising.
 My Music on Amazon.com
Follow DJ Flint on Mixcloud

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DJ Flint Snapped Again by Dj Flint on Mixcloud

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So I was watching Netflix and...

I was watching this show called "Taboo" which aires on the NatGeo channel and the topic was about the drug Ecstasy and the Rave scene. They mentioned the premise of P.L.U.R. which means "Peace, Love, Understanding and Respect" and is the basis for the movement. My being a DJ means I'm all about the music and as long as people are dancing and happy I'm oblivious to anything else. My first rave some really cute girl came up to me and asked if I was "rolling" but I did not know what she meant so I answered "No. I took the bus here."

Anyway, I got inspired to design a t-shirt and here is the result.

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Something to listen to...

Here are a couple of mixes from the vaults.

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Physical Wax vs Digital Tracks

Now that HSE is starting to get digital sales the new question of the day is "do we need to produce records for old school DJs?"

Well, I am an old school DJ and before the wide spread usage of such resources as Traktor and Serato we carried our crates from party to party. This task was tedious and stressful as we had to keep one eye on the crate and the other on the turntables. Some DJs would get victimize for their best wax and often would not know until the next gig.

There is still a demand for wax and still DJs that refuse to use the digital resources while others scoff at the "old ways." Still, there is the satisfaction of seeing your name on your very own record that cannot be matched digitally. The debate continues...

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Juba and the Ooogabooga

When it comes to supporting stuff I'm usually on the fringe of the ordeal as people tend to think they know what you are all about based on what they see you do. With that said a buddy of mine from my college days has reached out from the vastness of cyberspace for support and I have seen his beacon.

His name is Juba Kalamka and he has a message he wants you to hear but he needs your assistance. The link above will tell you more as I lack the communication skills to describe it properly. G Phi F, bruh.

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Ronin DJ is the ish...

So my buddy Ronin DJ has been writing his album and it is very good! I wish I was that good when I first started out.

Look for his tracks to come out soon.

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Finally!

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I finally got my buddy Ronin DJ to sign up to sell his excellent music online through digital sources. When I say excellet I'm not just whistling Dixie. He is a great producer already and he is only just starting to produce! Soon you will see him online like the following store:

YAAAAAAY....awwwwwww

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The best thing about being home is that I'm home. The worst thing is that I don't have the resources that I had in TN. Getting on the internet has become a chore as it involves going to the library. When did they stop enforcing the quiet rule? I'm sitting here and there is this obnoxious little girl making a metric ton of noise and her mother and older brother is constantly "shushing" her. Now she is crying. WTF! I'm beginning to believe that the motivation to get out of the ghetto is not for a higher standard of living but to get away from annoying people with no regard for their neighbors. And don't even get me started about people throwing their trash just anywhere....

I get sidetracked to easily...

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So I'm hanging out with my "little" brother and I'm stuffed because of the chili his girlfriend cooked and I totally forgot I was supposed to go back to town and get some things printed up to put out these CDs. Guess I have something to do tomorrow.

I Bust It

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One of my older tracks has been released in the U.S. Finally! Search DJ Flint "IBust It" for your favorite download site.

Back in the saddle again....

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So now I'm in Chicago and a lot of the people I knew are in the business. Makes me wonder how far into the business I would have been had I not left. Time will tell whether these connections are true insider connections or "that guy used to be a top DJ but look at him now." I say screw that! Start as if I'm a new guy but with old guy knowledge!

Back In the Chi!

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I'm am officially back in Chicago. Now that I'm back I've been catching up on things and putting music together. "I Bust It" is being distributed via RecordUnion.com and has been added to iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody and PeoplesMusicStore.com plus music from the Dance Mania release "I Owe Some People Money" (DM 256) is being re-released and repackaged soon with remixes and new music. Yes, a lot is happening and it is happening fast. More news to follow.

Prepping for the trip home to Chicago. I wish I didn't have to make this trip in the dead of Winter but I've no choice in the matter. OH well

Evolution

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Now before any of you send me ugly emails regarding the title of this entry read the whole thing. The evolution I am writing about is of the love of music. Almost everyone on the planet loves music in some form. There is only a small portion of the population who find music unappealing.

Every DJ can trace their evolution into a DJ from their love of music. If you were to survey any DJ you know he would say that it was their love of music that inspired them to become a DJ. For most of them being the guy that plays the music that makes people dance is enough.

For me it was different. My love for the music was my inspiration to become a DJ. The rush you get when people are caught up into the mood is like no other drug you can take. The problem was when I realized that being a DJ is expensive. If I was to continue as a DJ I would need to make money doing it. I then realized that I was one out of thousands and we all had the same music sources. Some of us had hard to find remixes and they were the ones that stood out and commanded the highest fees. If I wanted to make money I had to get away from the pack.

Enter producing my own songs. It became the logical next step if I wanted to make a living at something I loved. Ask any producer and he/she will likely tell you how they started as a DJ. Now remember how I stated that you get a high while DJing. It's like mass hypnosis and you are the leader. Well you get a different high when you enter a party and the DJ plays your track and the crowd goes wild. The problem is the type of high. While DJing you get a smooth mellow high that lasts the evening and into the next day. The high you get when your music is played is fast, hard and fleeting. It leaves you wanting another hit. You become an addict and you have to get more. And the sad part is there is no detoxt for this type of high.

Masterbeat

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Whenever I find new stuff I try to share it. This time I found Masterbeat.com where you can get remixes of the popular dance tracks out there. If you are a DJ like me this can come in handy especially when it comes time to stand out from your peers with the new music. Don't say I never did anything for you.

DJ Funk is not dead

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Twitter, Twitter , Twitter. Remember when gossip took weeks to get started and circulate? Now it takes a day. I'm checking my Twitter account and I see an update from DJ Gantman exclaiming "For everybody's info. DJ FUNK IS NOT DEAD! I talked to him yesterday. He's at home. He was asleep!! Stop spreading fucked up rumors!" Hell, I didn't even know the rumor was going around.

Blip!

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So I was on last.fm listening to some classic House music and I was thinking to myself that I would have loved to program the song list. Then It hit me that I could do that on Blip.fm and broadcast what I wanted to hear. These are the songs that inspired me to become a DJ.