Busy Boys @ Centaur
Wow, the guys at Centaur must have been putting in some significant overtime in recent months. In addition to the new Gay Games CD that was released last month (reviewed in the previous issue of Boi), Centaur has two other dance music compilations that have recently come to the market.

DJ David Knapp has been tapped for his fourth mix for the Global Groove brand and he's done an exceptional job at creating energy and excitement through thoughtful and sophisticated song selection and programming. Instead of relying on a succession of easily accessible diva vocal anthems, Knapp challenges the listener with a collection of tracks that are truly global in nature. Yes, there is a Kim English track, "It Makes A Difference," but the beauty of this mix is the inclusion of songs by international superstars such as Carl Cox, Goldfrapp, and Kings of Tomorrow. Kudos to Knapp and Centaur on this effort.

Under the record label's Party Groove brand, DJ Roland Belmares expertly guides Blue Ball ­ Volume 5, a CD that benefits the Sapphire Fund of Philadelphia. This circuit-styled CD is typical of Belmares's infectious and inventive live DJing style, filled with fun tribal beats, uplifting house tracks, and plenty of divas. And the great thing about his usage of divas is the introduction of relatively new voices such as Taborah, Alyson, and Lori Jenaire.

Tidbits
Miss Foozie has moved her Thursday night act over to Pride Night at Cesar's on Broadway. With her as the host and me in the DJ booth, Cesar's is surely the place to start your weekends.

Frankie Knuckles will be boosting the Windy City's global music production reputation with the start of a new record label in town. Stay tuned for more news on this development.

Chicago DJ Greg Drescher has been booked up in Milwaukee for the 2nd Annual "PUMP!ed with Pride" party on Saturday, June 10th. This is the highlight dance event during Mil-Town's Pridefest weekend.

Spotlight CD --
Eye To The Telescope ­ KT Tunstall (Virgin)
Since this album's debut in 2004, the Scottish singer/songwriter Tunstall spent 2005 dazzling and conquering Europe with her unique and "provocative sonic mesh of heartfelt pop, bona fide electric blues, and left-field alt.folk." It led to certified double platinum status in the Old World. She is now is the midst of a successful U.S. invasion with her and her songs showing up everywhere on TV: Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel, and Ellen. She's got a compelling personality, a compelling voice, and this album is a compelling 12-track long-player. GET IT!

Spotlight Dance Single --
"Say I" ­ Christina Milian (Island Def Jam)
This talented singer has a new album coming out soon called So Amazin' and the first single, "Say I," has been charting nicely since this past February. Remixes of "Say I" have just come out and they should be quite pleasing to dance floors in the coming months. The smooth and groovy Maurice Joshua So Mo Remix nicely up-tempos the familiar disco and R&B touches of the deliberately paced original single. The other dance remix, by Hani, is not too dis-similar from Joshua's remix but it does have a bit more of an edge to it with lots of EQ and FX going on.

 

DJ Plez is the Music Editor of ChicagoPride.com and BOI. He's a resident DJ at Cocktail and Cesar's as well as at PUMP! in Milwaukee, WI.