Last Minute Shopping --
I know that by the time this issue of Boi hits the street there will only be a couple of days left before Christmas. However, if the gift of music is on your shopping list, a visit to the the following Chicago retailers may be in order.

Borderline MUSIC - 3333 N. Broadway (773.975.9533)
Specializing in "rainbow-colored" music needs, borderline is a true-grit survivor in the rough and tumble world that is the music retailing industry. The store carries a large selection of DJ mixed compilations and is often the only place in the city to get import dance remixes. borderline also has a small section of 12-inch vinyl records that includes rare picture discs ­ the perfect gift for those who still own turntables.

Gramaphone Records - 2843 N Clark Street (773.472.3683)
The perfect gift for any Chicago DJ ­ from the big names to the no names ­ is a gift certificate from Gramaphone. The city's #1 source for dance music on vinyl, Gramaphone has been servicing DJs for more than 30 years. And despite Gramaphone being known as a place geared toward DJs, its new bigger location across the street from the Century Mall has allowed it to offer an array of mixed compilation CDs that will appeal to those who generally populate the dance floor and not the DJ booth.

NYE ­ Coast To Coast
Here's a sampling of what's in the works around the country for the New Year's Eve weekend.
Right Coast: The big NYE event in NYC is at The Roxy with the incomparable Junior Vasquez providing the soundtrack. . .On New Year's Day night, the brand new club, Pacha, hosts a Saint At Large produced affair with Chris Cox and David Knapp commanding the dj booth. . 1,000 miles away, Tracy Young will be DJing the Crobar Miami New Year's Morning Party.
Left Coast: The ads claim that the world is coming to LA for NYE '06 and the myriad of offerings suggests that is indeed the case. The signature event is a Deborah Cox concert followed by a dance party with Manny Lehman on NYE at the Hollywood Palladium. Other parties throughout the weekend feature names such as Abel, Rauhofer, Henrichsen, Phil B, and Paulo. Wow!

Third Coast: In Chicago, the weekend gets off to a great start on December 30 with superstar
DJ Karizma and Craig Loftis housing it up at the Prop House. .Hydrate is doing a Studio 54-styled NYE celebration with resident DJ Ralphi Rosario at the helm. .The other big event of the weekend is DJ Abel at Crobar on New Year's Day night.

Grammy Schmammy
The Grammy nominations were recently announced and somehow hometown hero Ralphi Rosario's Hot Freak Vocal Mix of "Don't Cha" by the Pussycat Dolls was not on the list for Best Remixed Recording. (and the Dolls were surprisingly shut altogether). In light of Ralphi being a house music pioneer and his prolific contributions to the current day dance music scene, it's a shame that his stellar efforts on "Don't Cha" were not officially recognized.

Reviews
Pure Pacha 2005 ­ mixed by Pete Tong & Sarah Main (Om Records)
This is an interesting 2-cd set celebrating the sounds of this past year that rocked the dance floor at the world famous Pacha nightclub on Ibiza. CD1 is a textured progressive set mixed by superstar DJ Pete Tong and features several chart-toppers including the Africanism All-stars' "Summer Moon. CD2 is mixed by Sarah Main and has an infectious dirty house groove that's absolutely stellar. Filled with lesser known tracks by the likes of Mike Monday, The Beginerz, and Jose Nunez, this mix is the real gem of the package.

Playing The Angel ­ Depeche Mode
This is the eleventh studio album for the group and the synthetic electronic pop style that made them famous sounds as good as ever. The 11-track long-player is fresh and vibrant: at times it makes you think that Depeche Mode is a new group bursting onto the scene, not a band that has been around for over 25 years. Playing The Angel is eveidence that Depeche Mode is getting better with age.

Live 8 DVD ­ Various Artists (EMI)
This 4-disc set is the ultimate holiday gift, containing live footage from the Live 8 shows in London and Philadelphia this past summer as well as a never-before-seen backstage documentary. The list of artists who performed at Live 8 is incredible ­ U2, McCartney, Madonna, Coldplay, Elton John, Destiny's Child, and Black Eyed Peas just to same a select few ­ and their inspired live performances all neatly contained in this DVD release is quite simply a magnificent treat.