Mood Music
In celebration of this year's 29th International Mr. Leather contest and confab here in Chicago over Memorial Day weekend, I thought I'd devote my column to music that explores and enhances the deeper and darker side of one's carnal experiences. There are two leading sources that many in the leather community rely on for providing the perfect mood music for pleasurable sexual pursuits: Butt Boy Music and Barre Parts.

Butt Boy --
The guiding light ­ or dark force ­ behind Butt Boy Music is Doug Bench. A music composer and recording artist, Bench has been creating original "dungeon music" for many years and has a legion of fans the world over. He writes specifically for BDSM play ­ song titles include "The Sling," "The Draping of the Hoods," "Slow Screw," and "Daddy's Ride" ­ and always visualizing the action happening with the music. Bench mixes orchestral and techno elements to produce his unique trance-ish music and actually performs the BDSM acts in order to find the right tempo and beat. And even though the songs he writes are usually meant for a specific sex act or sex scene in mind, but the music can be used to heighten any kind of scene.

A multiple nominee for an OutMusic Award and voted "Cool Composer" of 2003 by Rolling Stone Magazine, Bench has branched slightly away from the dungeon to the dance floor and created a new line of music that he describes as "up-beat and danceable but not carrying the cloned sound of today's dance music." He's marketing this dance music under the pen name Tekestral (Teh-KESS-trul), and while it's not as deliberate or intense as his dungeon music, it nonetheless has an intoxicating sensuousness and sexuality that is very appealing and sure to get you in the mood. You can find out more about Bench and his music at www.ButtBoyMusic.com .

Barre Parts --
Considered a master in the art of erotic soundscapes, Tony Barre (pronounced "bare") is a leather-loving artist who produces music of the type most often heard in bedrooms, dungeons, and backrooms. His best selling CDs, "BARRE-HANDED" and "BARRE-MANEUVERS" have been described by his fans as sensual, sweat-inducing, hard, steamy, provocative, and orgasmic. Those not familiar with his work will undoubtedly ascribe to the same collection of adjectives upon first listen.

Barre tantalizingly tags his aural creations as "Music That Fits." He creates a sensual environment of masculinity mixing heavy beats, groans and grunts, synthesized notes, and even some chains. Barre expertly, and knowingly, sets a mood that enhances and intensifies a person's sexual experience, journeying from foreplay to climax. As he put it in a recent Unzipped interview: "My priority is to create music for intimate adult play. I love sharing my desires through music. I want the music to inspire the listeners to engage in their fantasies, and to share their inner wants and experiences with others." Check out www.barreparts.com for more info about Tony and his music.

Special IML Groove Line Mixshow
Yours truly will be airing a special IML mix on my Groove Line internet radio mixshow on Sunday, May 27, 2007. Presented by ChicagoPride.com, the show airs on Fusion Radio Chicago at 10 pm (Central). The mix will be deep, dark, and sexy - a perfect mix for your IML experience. You can tune in at www.FusionChicago.com or via iTunes Radio (the Fusion station is listed under Electronic.)