Across the Lake 4 Labor Day
Due in part to Chicago's plodding nightlife calendar, boyz a plenty hit the road and headed to Saugatuck, Michigan to end the summer in grand style and fashion over Labor Day weekend. The crowds were large and impressive at the Dunes Resort and at The Farm Party as DJs Lydia Prim, Mark Valleese, Greg Drescher, and Tom McBride collectively pumped funky fresh beats all weekend long for folks not only from the Midwest but also from both coasts. Yes, western Michigan benefitted from the influx of some who were forced to change their plans after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, but a fun time was already well in the making for this weekend in Saugatuck.

Get Your Passports Ready
While rumors are growing strong that the party calendar for 2006 will not have it's traditional February Chicago listing, the folks north of the border in Montreal are preparing to push the party envelope next month with the 15th edition of the Black & Blue Festival. The main event on October 9th, called the Xtreme Ball this year, is again back at Olympic Stadium with Danny Tenaglia and Chus & Ceballos as the headlining DJs. While for true dance music lovers (and if you don't know who Tenaglia and C&C are, you honestly aren't much of a dance music fan) this is a heavenly electronica lineup; for those who simply like to dance, attend a fabulous party, and/or visit a great city, Black & Blue is a can't miss event.

Featured CDs

Queer As Folk ­ Music From The Final Season ­ Various Artists (Tommy Boy Silver)
Providing a refreshing change of pace from the previous QAF continuous dance music mix CDs, Music From The Final Season is a soundtrack containing 14 of the fifth season's most memorable songs from the likes of Scissor Sisters, Gerri Haliwell, Fatboy Slim, and Marilyn Manson. Interesting new mixes of already familiar songs include "Proud" by Heather Small and an extra groovy "Shine" by Cyndi Lauper. Dance tracks that are sure to impress include "Drama" by Soul Theory and "Summer Moon" by Africanism All-Stars. This CD will likely find a home in the CD collection of QAF fans but deserves full attention from those outside of the QAF world.

House of Om ­ Mixed by Groove Junkies (Om Records)
This is the latest in the House of Om mixed compilations series and it very well may be the best. For those who are fans of Frankie Knuckles, Masters at Work, and Marques Wyatt, you WILL be adding the name Groove Junkies to your list of favorites. This double CD set of deep house music that's heavy with the influences of soul and gospel is a glorious treat to the ears. Disc 1 is highlighted by tracks such as "O Grateful" by Dennis Ferrer featuring Kenny Bobien and the classic "My Beat" by Blaze. The harder hitting Disc 2, contains recent house hits "Walking on Sunshine" by Rockers Revenge and "Dangerous Frequencies" by Coffee Kids. The Groove Junkies are the real deal and so is this CD.

Other CDs To Lookout For

Bloom Remix Album ­ by Sarah McLachlabn (Arista)
I know there are a bunch of Sarah McLachlan fans out there and they will surely want to snap up this CD of previously unreleased remixes. There are six tracks from the Afterglow album (including a Gabriel & Dresden mix of "Fallen" and a Hyper remix of "Stupid"), two from Fumbling Toward Ecstasy, and a Tom Middleton mix of "Vox" from McLachlan's debut album Touch. Finally, there is the brand new "Just Like Me," a collaborative effort amongst Sarah, Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC and will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas.

PCD - Pussycat Dolls (A&M Records)
Ok, you've been dancing like crazy to Ralphi Rosario's remix of their smash hit "Don't Cha" and so it's now time to check out what else The Pussycat Dolls have got going for them on their debut album PCD. The sextet, not just intent on being a collection of pretty faces, has something to say and does so with feelings aplenty on this 12-track long-player.

S.P.F. 20 ­ mixed by Brett Henrichsen (Masterbeat)
If you need an energized musical recap of what happened during the past few months, S.P.F. 20 is made to order. It includes hit tracks "Lift It Up" by Inaya Day and the "Wonder Of It All" by Kristine W as well as '05 favorites by David Morales, RuPaul, and Offer Nissim.