Urban House 'Next Big Thing

Is house music creeping into the urban scene?
Words: Terry Church

Some industry insiders are predicting that house music will become the next big urban movement, blud.

Paul McKenzie, editor of Touch Magazine, one of the UK’s most influential urban music mags, said: “House just never seemed to cross over, but with grime and garage getting so ugly, house is becoming more and more popular.

Attitude-Free
“A new younger generation are coming through who are saying to themselves, ‘You know what? I don’t fancy going somewhere tonight where I might get shot.

“I don’t want to go to a club where I’m going to get beaten up.’

“House is attractive because it’s attitude-free.”

Defected Records’ Toni Tambourine agrees that urban house could be the next big thing.

“I was recently contacted by Austin Daboh, music co-ordinator for BBC 1xtra,” he told DJmag.com.

“Daboh said that house music was becoming more and more popular on the station, and he wanted to make our deep house record by Fish Go Deep, ‘The Cure and the Cause’, 1xtra’s record of the week.”

Urban Youth
Toni believes that’s significant because 1xtra is the UK’s premier black music radio station and an important indicator of coming trends amongst urban youth.

DJ Technic’s ‘Gabryelle’, another house record on Defected, has also been caned on 1xtra.

But even more indicative of the urban house potential is the fact that Twice As Nice, usually a bastion for garage and r&b, has requested eight Defected house tunes for their next CD compilation.

Soulful, funky house
“When people talk of ‘urban house’, what they really mean is funky, soulful house,” said McKenzie, whose magazine is running a special feature on the genre in December.

“Soulful, gospel-inspired house has urban sensibilities, it’s got black soul.

The urban scene won’t be kicking off to the Fergies or Pete Tongs of this world, but they might get into Norman Jay, and Paul ‘Trouble’ Anderson.”

2007 Huge Year For House
Aaron Ross, 1xtra’s soulful house DJ agreed: “Because garage and grime is so hard these days, a lot of people miss the soulful stuff.

In the last few months, I’ve seen a lot of old drum & bass fans and old garage heads in house clubs.

Next year will be a huge year for house.”

Whilst it would be difficult to prove that gun crime and gang violence is a direct result of the grime and garage scenes, it’s clear that those scenes are currently losing supporters because they reflect a lifestyle that flirts with violence and hostility.

With London gun crime on the rise, it seems house music might be the alternative choice for urban youths seeking a safer, hassle-free night out.

Tks to DjMag.com

TOP 100 DJ's 2006 - Dj Magazine

1. PAUL VAN DYK – Non-Mover – Highest Trance DJ
2. ARMIN VAN BUUREN – Up 1
3. TIESTO – Down 1
4. CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE – Up 10
5. DJ DAN – UP 19 – Highest House DJ
6. FERRY CORSTEN – Down 1
7. SASHA – Down 3 – Highest Prog DJ
8. JOHN DIGWEED – Down 2
9. ABOVE & BEYOND – Up 10
10. DEEP DISH – Down 2

11. CARL COX – Down 1 – Highest Techno DJ
12. INFECTED MUSHROOM – Up 14
13. ATB – Down 4
14. PAUL OAKENFOLD – Down 3
15. HERNAN CATTANEO – Down 8
16. JUDGE JULES – Down 1
17. EDDIE HALLIWELL – Non-Mover
18. MARCO V – Down 2
19. MARKUS SCHULZ – Up 2
20. GABRIEL & DRESDEN – Up 9

21. JAMES ZABIELA – Down 8
22. JOHN ACQUAVIVA – Highest New Entry
23. FLASH BROTHERS – Up 43 – Highest Climbers
24. AMADEUS – New Entry
25. ERICK MORILLO – Down 7
26. BENNY BENASSI – Down 4
27. SANDER KLEINENBERG – Down 7
28. DJ YAHEL – Up 17
29. OFFER NISIM – New Entry
30. ANDY MOOR – Up 16

31. DAVID GUETTA – Up 8
32. SANDER VAN DOORN – New Entry
33. RICHIE HAWTIN – Down 21
34. GARETH EMERY – New Entry
35. PHIL KIERAN – New Entry
36. NICK WARREN – Down 1
37. DJ SKAZI – New Entry
38. STEVE LAWLER – Down 8
39. D-FORMATION – New Entry
40. RICKY STONE – Up 8

41. ASTRIX – Up 34
42. ROGER SANCHEZ – Down 15
43. BAD BOY BILL – Down 1
44. SVEN VATH – Down 21
45. THRILLSEEKERS – Re-Entry
46. DONALD GLAUDE – Up 22
47. DJ VIBE – Down 7
48. KYAU VS ALBERT – New Entry
49. CHRIS LIEBING – Down 16
50. TIGA – Down 6

51. MATT DAREY – Up 40
52. BOB SINCLAR – New Entry
53. JAMES HOLDEN – Down 16
54. LANGE – New Entry
55. WRECKED MACHINES – New Entry
56. DION MAVATH – New Entry
57. PETE TONG – Down 8
58. DANNY TENAGLIA – Down 22
59. GEORGE ACOSTA – New Entry
60. BLANK & JONES – Down 29

61. DJ SAMMY – Up 31
62. JOACHIM GARAUD – New Entry
63. TIMO MAAS – Down 11
64. MATT HARDWICK – Down 6
65. FRANK TRAX – Down 14
66. STEVE ANGELLO – New Entry
67. DANNY HOWELLS – Down 42
68. SIMON POSFORD – New Entry
69. JOHN GRAHAM – New Entry
70. DESYN MASIELLO – Down 16

71. MAURO PICOTTO – Down 43
72. MENNO DE JONG – New Entry
73. BT – Up 9
74. SCOTT K – New Entry
75. TALL PAUL – Down 32
76. M.I.K.E PUSH – Up 1
77. FILO & PERI – New Entry
78. DJ TARKAN – New Entry
79. ANDERSON NOISE – New Entry
80. FATBOY SLIM – Down 17

81. DJ SERGE DEVANT – New Entry
82. DJ UMEK – Down 3
83. VICTOR CALDERONE – Down 28
84. DARUDE – Re-Entry
85. FERGIE – Down 25
86. TALLA 2 XLC – New Entry
87. RONSKI SPEED – Re-Entry
88. LEE BURRIDGE – Down 12
89. MARIO PIU – Down 51
90. AXEL KARAKASIS – New Entry

91. STEVE PORTER – New Entry
92. YOJI BIOMEHANIKA – Down 60
93. AXWELL – New Entry
94. STANTON WARRIORS – Re-Entry
95. DAVE SEAMAN – Down 26
96. ROBBIE RIVERA – New Entry
97. ANDY C – Down 27
98. AGNELLI & NELSON – New Entry
99. LISA LASHES – Down 43

FHC admite que ida de Alckmin para segundo turno foi uma "proeza"

De Folha Online - 06/10/2006.

O ex-presidente Fernando Henrique Cardoso admitiu, por meio de uma entrevista ao jornal argentino "La Nación", que a ida do presidenciável tucano Geraldo Alckmin foi uma "proeza", já que ninguém no PSDB acredita que seria possível bater o candidato do PT, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, nas eleições do dia 1º.

"Pensava-se que Lula era invencível. Alckmin conseguiu uma proeza, porque o eleitor podia se perguntar: por que eu vou votar neste e colocar [no poder] alguém que eu não conheço, se a economia vai mais ou menos", afirma ele.

FHC reserva algumas das suas críticas mais duras para o seu sucessor no Planalto. Além das habituais reservas quanto a suposta falta de continuidade das reformas, o ex-presidente afirma que Lula não venceu a eleição no primeiro turno por "arrogância" e sugere que o atual presidente da República se comporta como um "caudilho".

"Lula não tem herdeiros, porque tem algo de caudilho. E um caudilho sempre acredita que ele é único, e os que o rodeiam também", disse FHC.

O ex-presidente também procura rebater a tese de que a divisão de votos entre Alckmin e Lula refletiu uma separação entre eleitores pobres e ricos. Para o ex-presidente, foi uma divisão entre "modernos e atrasados".

"Lula ganhou aonde? No Brasil onde o desenvolvimento econômico é mais fraco e o Estado é mais forte. Onde os 'favores políticos' são maiores. O Brasil ficou dividido, mas não entre ricos e pobres. Ficou dividido entre modernos e atrasados", afirma.