Comments for Euclids Fifth

Comment on ABW 2010 Contest Music by Kyle Smith

Kyle Smith — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 03:43:22 +0000

New York Jazz In The Early Thirties, if i recall correctly

Comment on ABW 2010 Contest Music by Jamie

Jamie — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:16:20 +0000

Thanks for sharing Kyle. Which album did you get “Business in F” from by Gene Kardos? Thanks!

Comment on ABW 2010 Contest Music by Kyle Smith

Kyle Smith — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:35:54 +0000

good catch, i mistyped, it’s Willie Lewis!

Comment on DJs and Dancing – The Role of the DJ in an Evening of Dance by rikomatic

rikomatic — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 01:38:02 +0000

great thoughts on the responsibility of the DJ. Thanks for sharing this!

Comment on DJs and Dancing – The Role of the DJ in an Evening of Dance by Rich

Rich — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 06:16:22 +0000

I think that the act of being a conscious DJ goes beyond just “picking songs” but are only touched on above. There are things like futzing with your EQ or your compressor to get the right sound in the hall. Pay attention to the actual volume of the room. Make sure in social dances to let songs breathe for a moment in between each selection. Download a goddamn copy of audacity and learn to do things like normalize and remove his as well as cut out sections that are bad for dancing. Your role is to not only curate a personal tune selection and aesthetic, but to produce and present those selections in the best manner possible.

Comment on ABW 2010 Contest Music by Lorenzo

Lorenzo — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 23:08:15 +0000

Kyle, I would be curious to know more about the tune “I’ve Found a New Baby” by Boots & His Buddies that you list in the Heat 2 of the Open Jack and Jill Prelims. I don’t think that such a tune is any of two Chronological Classics compilations for that band.

Thank you very much!

Comment on Top 5 Balboa Songs For Beginners by Kyle Smith

Kyle Smith — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 04:05:32 +0000

String of Pearls would be a great song to use for learning. Nice and slow, and not too much in there to confuse or distract.

Bobby Darin is always great for its ability to reach the listener. Many new dancers have heard many of those classic vocalists, Frank, Dean etc… So that would be a great simple tune to learn to.

Comment on DJs and Dancing – The Role of the DJ in an Evening of Dance by Kyle Smith

Kyle Smith — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 04:01:00 +0000

Yah, I can see how that can be a problem. I don’t have any problems with a DJ/dancer per se. Set up a couple songs, go dance, and then come back and keep DJing. But, I would hope that a DJ has more sense than to set up a playlist and let it go for the whole night. How is that paying attention to your crowd?

Comment on Top 5 Balboa Songs For Beginners by Bill

Bill — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 03:47:30 +0000

Clambake Carnival was great! Was familiar with a section of Viper’s Moan from Joel Plys Balboa instructional DVD. Great piece.

Mine are a tad slower than yours but when a learner is just starting out it can be useful.

- So Rare / Harry Roy Orchestra (UK)
A gentle, slow and steady tempo — and such a delightful track — helpful while one is learning footwork in combination with basic moves. Heard this on Rob Bamberger’s “Hot Jazz Saturday Night” on WAMU in DC. Doesn’t seem to be listed on CD anywhere.

Wouldn’t these also work?

- A String of Pearls / Glenn Miller (“Army Air Force Band”/2001: track 2)
- Beginning to See the Light / Bobby Darin (I think it works, yes?)

Comment on DJs and Dancing – The Role of the DJ in an Evening of Dance by Randy Pante

Randy Pante — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 03:35:04 +0000

Hey Kyle, great read. Thanks a lot for posting it, it definitely gets my mind thinking about DJ’ing in my own community. The only thing I would add, and maybe this is just unique where I dance, is that a DJ’s responsibility is also to… DJ. We often have a case of “dancer-dj’s” out here who load an itunes playlist then proceed to dance to the songs that they have pre-chosen. Often times I would look around to see who is on the DJ “booth” to find no one there for an extended period of time.