Universal Opens Its Doors for Music Mastering!

Most experts will tell up and coming artists, and even established artists too, that music should be polished and ready for market, particularly, it should be radio ready.  To get it ready, all songs need to be mastered.  In steps Universal, yes, Universal as in the record label!

Universal Mastering's engineers have worked with artists including Aerosmith, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye West, Harry Connick Jr. and more.  Universal Mastering is a full-service professional mastering facility equipped with a staff of world-class mastering engineers have worked with some of the industry's top recording artists and producers including Stevie Wonder, The Who, John Coltrane, Sublime, Lil' Wayne and more!

Using effects such as compression, limiting, and equalization plus others to enhance the overall sound of your music, your songs will be comparable in presence and volume to commercially released recordings after it has been mastered.

To take advantage of this special offer, sign up at Tune Core.  Here’s the link: 

http://www.tunecore.com/store/product/62

The Jackson's Unity Tour!

After nearly three decades of wanting them back, the Jackson's are returning. The remaining members of the Jackson 5 have announced the dates of a U.S. summer trek called the Unity Tour 2012.

Beginning June 18 in Louisville, Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Tito Jackson will tour together for the first time since 1984, when the Jackson's were supporting their "Victory" album. According to a press release, the Unity Tour will showcase the Jackson's classic hits like "I Want You Back," "ABC" and "I'll Be There," as well as honor the legacy of Michael Jackson, who died in 2009.

"I am so happy and excited to perform again onstage with my brothers," says Jermaine Jackson in a statement. "I can't wait to sing all the songs that were so much a part of all of our lives. We are ready and committed to keep the family's legacy alive and perform once again with the highest level of excellence, creativity, and most of all, integrity."

The Jackson's were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, and in January, Michael Jackson's handprints and footprints were immortalized during a ceremony at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Cirque du Soleil's "Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour" tribute show is currently housed at Madison Square Garden in New York, and continues across North America through August.


Here are the dates for the Jacksons' Unity Tour 2012:

June 18: Louisville, KY (Palace Theatre)
June 19: Cincinnati, OH (PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center)
June 20: Rama, ON (Casino Rama)
June 22: Merrillville, IN (Star Plaza Theatre)
June 23: Detroit, MI (Fox Theatre)
June 24: Kettering, OH (Fraze Pavilion)
June 26: Cleveland, OH (Jacob's Pavilion)
June 28: New York, NY (Apollo)
June 29: Atlantic City, NJ (Borgata)
June 30: Englewood, NJ (Bergen PAC)
July 1: Baltimore, MD (Lyric Opera House)
July 3: Washington, DC (DAR Constitution Hall)
July 6: Raleigh, NC (Raleigh Amphitheatre)
July 7: Charlotte, NC (Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre)
July 8: Atlanta, GA (Chastain Park)
July 10: Nashville, TN (Ryman Auditorium)
July 11: St. Louis, MO (Fox Theatre)
July 13: Dallas, TX (Verizon Theatre)
July 14: Houston, TX (Bayou Music Theatre (Verizon Theatre))
July 17: Albuquerque, NM (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino)
July 18: Phoenix, AZ (Dodge (Comerica Theater))
July 20: Las Vegas, NV (The Cannery)
July 21: San Diego, CA (Harrah's Rincon)
July 22: Los Angeles, CA (The Greek)
July 27: Saratoga, CA (The Mountain Winery)
July 28: Lincoln City, OR (Chinook Winds Casino)
July 29: Snoqualmie, WA (Snoqualmie Casino)

2012 Stylus Nominees Announced!

The 7th annual Stylus Awards presented by PioneerDJ is a stage for honouring, acknowledging, and supporting great Canadian musical talents from across the nation. This year, the event includes a long list on multi-talented artists, DJ’s, and producers who have been nominated by fans and industry leaders alike for a series of awards and well-deserved recognition.  International comedian TRIXX will return torock the house once again with big laughs and controversial material to host this year’s show.  The legendary careers of incredible talents Michie Mee and DJ Bunny will be celebrated as they are inducted into the Hall of Fame. 

The award nominations are based on a bevy of different genres and with voting submissions now closed and the nominees list signed, sealed and delivered, some talents such as Kardinal Offishall, Melanie Fiona, The Weeknd, Drake, 4 Korners, Charlie Brown, Wristpect, T-Minus, Boi 1da, and Noah "40" Shebib have been nominated for categories such as theFan Choice Artist of the Year, Fan Choice DJ of the Year, and the Canadian Producer of the Year to name a few (a complete list of nominees is listed below).  With today’s announcement many nominees are celebrating multiple nods including DJ Anchor, (Saskatoon) with 4 nominations, and triple nominees 4 Korners (Toronto), Mike Tomas (Edmonton), Charlie Brown (Toronto), Lissa Monet (Toronto), Dames Nellas (Toronto), and Keith Dean(Montreal).  

On May 26, 2012 in Toronto, the Stylus Awards presented by Pioneer DJ will kick-off with the 2012 Spinfest weekend, which is a three-day event showcasing the hottest talents in music nationwide and incredible conference speakers.  The weekend of mix n’mingling all lead up to the Awards ceremony as the final premiere event.  This celebratory showcase will take place on Monday May 28th at the newly re-designed Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, located at 147 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M4K 1N2.  Tickets are available for $40 CDN +HST at Ticketmaster.com and will go on sale on Monday, April 16, 2012.

 

2012 Stylus Awards Nominees presented by Pioneer DJ

Fan Choice Club DJ of the Year presented by Pioneer DJ

4 Korners                                 Toronto

Charlie Brown                         Toronto

Hedspin                                   Vancouver

Lissa Monet                            Toronto

Wristpect                                 Toronto

Keith Dean                              Montreal 

Fan Choice Artist of the Year presented by Pioneer DJ

Anjulie

Drake

Kardinal Offishall

Karl Wolf

Melanie Fiona

The Weeknd 

Canadian Hip Hop Single of the Year

A-Game                                   Oh My!

Classified                               That Ain’t Classy

Drake ft. Tyga, Lil’ Wayne     The Motto

JD Era ft. Lokz                          Change

Kardinal Offishall                  Ignorant

P Reign                                     I Need It All

Reema Major                          I’m The One

Rock Da House                       For My City Remix 

Canadian R&B Single of the Year

Andreena Mill                         Key To Your Heart

Ayah                                          Forgive Me Love

Karl Wolf ft Kardinal Offishall  Ghetto Love

Kreesha Turner                       I Could Stay

Jully Black ft Kardinal Offishall Set It Off

Melanie Fiona                        4am

The Weeknd                            High For This

Shi Wisdom                             Love Speak 

Canadian Dance/Pop Single of the Year

Aleesia                                    Life of the Party

Anjulie                                     Brand New Chick

Danny Fernandes ft. Josh Ramsey Hit Me Up

Dru                                            Getting It In

JRDN                                         I Don’t Care

Martin Solveig ft Dragonette Hello

Mia Martina                             Burning

Raghav                                     Fire 

Club Dance DJ of the Year

4 Korners                                 Toronto

DJ Anchor                                Saskatoon

DJ ClimaxXx                             Toronto

DJ Danny D                              Toronto

Mike Thomas                          Edmonton

DJ Yo C                                     Montreal 

DJ Remix of the Year

Cajjmere Wray                        Jennifer Lopez ft Pitbull          On The Floor (Cajjmere Wray (aka:CCW) Remix)

DJ Christylz                              Rock Da House                        For My City Remix

DJ DC                                      Raghav                                    Fire

EviCtion                                  Tribute                                    Disco Reason

Future The Prince                   Adele                                       Someone Like You (Future The Prince Remix)

Kidmyn                                    Drake ft Rihanna                     Take Care  

Canadian Producer of the Year

Arthur McArthur                    Tyga                                                        Kings & Queens

Boi -1 da                                Drake                                                       Headlines

Cirkut                                      Rihanna                                                   You The One

Illangelo                                 Drake                                                       Crew Love

Noah “40” Shebib                   DJ Khaled ft. Drake, Rick Ross, Lil’ Wayne               I’m On One

T-Minus                                   Lil Wayne ft Drake                                 She Will
 

Club Reggae DJ of the Year

Blax Dun Da Place                   Toronto

Firekid Steenie                        Toronto

Little Thunder                         Montreal

Spex                                        Toronto

Tasha Rozez                            Toronto

White Bwoy                             Toronto 

Soca DJ of the Year

2 Touch                                   Toronto

D’Enforcas                               Toronto

Jump Up Kingz                        Toronto

Junya Menace                         Toronto

MarXman                                Toronto

Soca Sweetness                      Toronto 

Radio Mixshow DJ of the Year

DJ ClymaxXx & Mocha            Set It Off                                                Kiss 92.5                  Toronto

DJ Anchor                            DriveHome                                             Wired 96.3              Saskatoon

Flipout                                 5 O’clock TrafficJam                              The Beat 94.5         Vancouver

Keith Dean                          The Keith DeanShow                             K103                        Montreal

Mike Tomas                        The 90 Minute Commercial Free HOTmix         Hot 107                   Edmonton             

The Angry Kids                    The HitFix                                              Virgin 99.9              Toronto

 

Video of the Year                                                                                                               

Ayanie Naseem & Getti                         Oh My!                                   A-Game

Aaron A                                                   Rock PaperScissors                                Kreesha Turner

Chris G                                                    Let MeGo                               Shaun Boothe ft Lykke Li       

David F Mewa                                         We Do                                    Tona

Ken Galloway                                          Haunted                                 Son Real ft. Ali Milner

Lamar Taylor & Hyghly Alleyne              Headlines                                               Drake

Marc Andre Debruyne                             Hit Me Up                               Danny Fernandes ft Josh Ramsay& Belly

RT!                                                          Kiss It ByeBye                        Aleesia ft. Big Sean

Sixteen Pads Films                                 Lonely Girl                              Mugz

Slakah the Beatchild                               Forgive Me Love                     Ayah
 

West Coast DJ of the Year (British Columbia, Alberta, & Saskatchewan *not including Vancouver)

Ali.Ze                                       Edmonton

DJ Al V                                     Calgary

DJ Anchor                                Saskatoon

Fresh                                      Calgary                                   

Mike Tomas                            Edmonton

Matt Fossey                            Saskatoon 

Central DJ of the Year (Manitoba, Ontario, & Quebec * not including Montreal and Toronto)

Critik                                        Ottawa

DJ DLO                                     Winnipeg

Dow Jones                               Winnipeg

Drastik                                     Ottawa

Illo                                           Ottawa

White Gold                             Kitchener 

East Coast DJ of the Year (Nova Scotia, PEI, New Brunswick and Newfoundland)

IV                                             Halifax

J Ohh                                       NFLD

Plae Boi                                   Halifax

NuRock                                    Newfoundland

Sina                                         Newfoundland 

Vancouver DJ of the Year

DJ Marvel

DJ Seko

DJ P Luv

Friktion

Hedspin

Rico Uno 

Toronto DJ of the Year

4 Korners

Charlie Brown

Jester

Lissa Monet

Ritz

Wristpect 

Montreal DJ of the Year

Jo Jo Flores

Keith Dean

Kwite Sane

Payce

Special K

Star Q 

Breakthrough DJ of the Year

Charlie Brown                         Toronto

Dames Nellas                         Toronto

DJ Rich A                                 Vancouver

ISC Nation                               Toronto

James Redi                             Toronto

J Ohh                                       NFLD 

DJ Mixtape of the Year                           

Dames Nellas                         Hip Hop Ain’t Dead; It Lives in the North Vol 4

Dafunky Situation                  Control the Moment

DJ Christylz                              The Mega City Mixtape vol. 4 (The T-Dot Meets The Doc)

DJ Mensa                                 Babygirl: An Aaliyah Retrospective

Dow Jones                               Free Trade Agreement

P Plus and Lissa Monet         Love Letters & Broken Hearts Pt. 3         

Artist Mixtape of the Year

Ayah & DJ Jazzy Jeff               Back For More

Belly                                        The Greatest Dream I Never Had         

Magnum                                 I’m G.O.O.D

Raz Fresco                              MCMXCV

Reema Major                         I Am Legend

Rich Kidd                                We On Some Rich Kidd Sh*t Vol 5: Born To Win

Shaun Boothe                        Waiting Room

Son Real                                 Where’s Waldo?

The Airplane Boys                 Where’ve You Been

The Weeknd                          House of Balloons 

Female DJ of the Year

DJ Nora Tones                        Toronto

DJ She                                      Vancouver

DJ Vilify                                   Montreal

Mel Boogie                             Toronto

Tasha Rozez                            Toronto                  

Vivi Diamond                          Toronto 

Video DJ of the Year

Armed with Harmony (DJ Anchor and Matt Fossey)        Saskatoon

Blind Method                                                          Toronto

DJ Dopey                                                                Toronto

Starski                                                                     Toronto
 

Club MC of the Year

Almighty Chops                                                       Montreal

Bassline (D’Enforcas)                                             Toronto

Celebrity Dru                                                           Toronto  

KidKut                                                                     Toronto

MC Linx                                                                  Hamilton

Sir Lancelot                                                             Toronto
 
Underground Hip Hop DJ of the Year

Big Jacks                                 Toronto

Dames Nellas                         Toronto

DJ Fase                                    Toronto

DJ Law                                     Toronto

DJ Sage                                   Vancouver

Marvel                                     Vancouver
 

College Radio Show of the Year

DJ Manifest & Flo                                   Toronto Morning Live             CHRY 105.5            Toronto

DJ MedicineMan                                     No Man’s Land                        CIUT 89.5               Toronto

Doe-Ran                                                  Bootlegs & B-Sides                CITR 101.9               Vancouver

DJ Gnat, Red Worm                                 Quadrafunk                             CKUW 95.9             Winnipeg

DJ Chedo                                                 The Come Up Show                   CHRW94.9             London

Theo3, DJ Serious & DJ Fase                  Stylistic Endeavours               CIUT 89.5               Toronto
 

House DJ of the Year

Cyruss Sanchez                      Toronto

Dirty Dale                               Toronto

Hennie V                                Toronto

Joe Ghost                               Toronto

JoJo Flores                             Montreal

Kevin Shiu                              Vancouver
 

Electro DJ of the Year

A Trak                                       Montreal

Deadmau5                              Toronto

Jokers of the Scene               Ottawa

Torro Torro                              Toronto

Vito V                                       Montreal

ViVi Diamonds                       Toronto
 

Hall of Fame Inductees

Michie Mee                             Artist

DJ Bunny (Calgary)                  DJ

Massive Support for Reggae Songstress Phillye!

Looking at Reggae Songstress Phillye (pronounced Philly), many would not suspect the beautiful gem hidden inside, but to hear the Reggae Songstress, listeners become blessed with a voice that is soothing, poetic and full of charm!

Hailing from Willow Grove just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phillye grew up in a home filled with music.  Her Mother, a Jazz singer and her Father a guitarist, Phillye’s path in music was set, reinforced by Jam Sessions which were regular events in her home.  Adding to her home nurturing, the church became the stage on which the songstress praised God for her gift, and perfected her performance style.

Her first single, “Live Your Life,” has been picked up by international radio, earning her unprecedented support from a sometimes hard to please DJ fraternity.

Radio stations such as Klass 92.9 FM in Anguilla, Cool 96 FM in the Bahamas and Hott 95.3 FM in Barbados have all shown the young artist love.  In the U.S., Rico Vibes at Da Flava Radio.com in Atlanta expressed early interest saying “Philly has the kind of voice that is perfectly suited for Lover’s Rock.  Our listeners request her single daily.”  The same feelings are echoed at Flava 105.1 in Boston, Irie Jam radio in New York as well as Power 96.5FM.

In Canada, DJ Wiz from CHRY, 105.5 FM said “Phillye’s talent is welcome on my radio show anytime.  Her voice is that sweet.”  Sir Daddy D from Reggae4Us.com adds “Phillye has a bright and long future ahead of her in music.  She is very talented and sings with soul.”

Of her music Phillye says “When I sing and make music, I do it from my soul to the soul of the listener.  I want them to know that it’s my joy to sing for them and with them.”  Influenced by Gospel great Yolanda Adams, Phillye has also been influenced by soul sisters Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige but notes her style is uniquely her own. 

Not new to musical success, Phillye was one of the most talked about independent artists on Myspace as her single “It’s All Up To You” featuring Raw Raw earned over 300,000 plays on the music networking portal.

Currently, Phillye is in Jamaica working on productions with Mahlon Moving (from Raging Fyah band), Eric 'Don Rico' Dixon, Anthony 'Gideon Baseman' Hibbert, and Sly Dunbar from Taxi Records.  All efforts come together on her first studio album due to be released towards the end of the year.