By Tyler Schmith | December 20th, 2011

Look up "Dance Music Divas" and you will undoubtedly come across the name Ultra Naté.  The Baltimore native has been a powerhouse in the EDM genre for over twenty years, releasing five albums between 1991 and 2007 and an impressive catalogue of singles, 7 of which have hit the number one spot on the U.S. Dance Charts.  Now she’s working on her sixth album, the second single of which was released last week as a collaboration with Michelle Williams (formerly of Destiny’s Child).  The single, “Waiting on You” is a big-room dance floor stormer; a duet between two commanding female voices that just begs to be played during the peak-hour.  “We were brainstorming on who to bring in on it” Ultra says.  “Our managers are good friends and thought it would be great to get us together.  We thought it would be a good girly song so we sent it over, she liked it, and the rest is history”.

Her previous single "Turn it Up" (released earlier this year) topped the charts at number 4 and “Waiting On You” seems primed to perform even better.  Both are from her forthcoming album “Hero Worship”.  I asked Ultra when we could expect the full album to be released, but she was hesitant to give a firm date.  “I hate giving a projection.  If something happens or things go weird, the die-hard fans say YOU SAID IT WAS GONNA BE OUT THIS SUMMER!”  As Ultra concedes, a lot of things happen behind the scenes in an album release.  There are plenty of unexpected twists and turns that can delay things.  “Early 2012, between this Winter and Spring” was as specific as she would get.  “I’m keeping my fingers crossed”.  Ultra did confirm however that the next single “Save Me”, a collaboration with prolific house music producer Robbie Rivera, is already in the cue for a February release.

Over her lengthy career, Ultra has had the chance to experiment with a lot of different styles.  From Deep House to R&B to Drum and Bass, she’s done it all, but she says this album definitely takes it straight to big room hands-in-the-air pop dance territory.  Contributions come from some of the genre’s biggest names including Todd Terry, David Morales and the previously mentioned Robbie Rivera.  Of course, the underground is still strongly represented as well.  “The track with Morales leans more towards the traditional house sound.  He goes between the underground and commercial worlds really easily.”  Indeed the album is anything but one-note.  “The track after the ‘Save Me’ single is ‘Radio’.  It’s one of my faves and has more of an Electro feel, and is really kind of in a different place.  When I’m putting albums together its more about the feel and the story of the whole record.”

Besides putting in work on her latest albums and singles, Ultra also manages to organize, promote, and DJ at one of the mid-Atlantic’s best and longest-running house music events.  Her Sugar events in Baltimore were my first introduction to what soulful house was all about.  As a young and music-hungry DJ from New Mexico in the early 2000s, Sugar opened my eyes to a side of dance music that I had never really understood.  Sure I had listened to the soulful releases coming out from labels like Kingstreet and MAW, but the experience of seeing performances from names like Louie Vega, Barbara Tucker, Quentin Harris and Byron Stingily made an indelible mark on everything musical I’ve done since.  Sugar (now re-dubbed Deep Sugar) currently holds residency at the Paradox Nightclub, a legendary east coast venue, and continues to host some of the biggest names in House Music.

Among the many events that Deep Sugar throws throughout the year, the January marathon party generates a palpable excitement within the city’s house music community.  Doors open at 11:00PM and don’t close until 9:00AM the next morning.  This year’s marathon set on January 15th will feature acclaimed Miami duo MURK.  Made up of Ralph Falcón and Oscar Gaetan, MURK (also known as Funky Green Dogs) has a vast catalog of music stretching back to the early 1990’s, including 7 consecutive number one singles between 2002 and 2004.  They will be celebrating 20 years of making music in 2012, and Deep Sugar will be the launch pad for their upcoming world tour.  Ultra says she puts a lot of thought into who to book for these marathon parties.  “I was looking for a package.  A story or a DJ team or a concept for a party that would make sense for a marathon situation.  [MURK are] a house music staple.  With Liberty City and Funky Green Dogs, I don’t know if people are aware of what they have done.  They are one of the few that you can say perfected dance music globally.  I think people will really enjoy them.”

With Deep Sugar going strong and an emergence of other house music events featuring top-billed talent, it seems that the underground Baltimore dance scene may be enjoying an upswing.  I asked Ultra if she thought that might be true.  “I hope so.  A lot more kids are starting to dance to cool music again.  I’m not slagging anyone off, all music is relevant in some way, shape or form.  The problem is when people close their minds to varying styles.  With Baltimore it starts to become a difficult place to grow because it’s still so segregated, but people are starting to break through and not be so encumbered by difference.  It’s not like NYC were you grow up with different kinds of people.  If you wanted to, in Baltimore you could just stay in your lane and only be in an environment with like-kind of individuals, and then the creative energy gets lost and things get stagnant.  The new generation is starting to mix and mingle.  Hip Hop is now dance music, everyone out there is doing dance beats and Electro beats, and it’s trickling down to the kids who are getting out of the box of thinking that they can only be into Hip-Hop or only be into House.  Once people get past that, that’s when things really start to pop.  I’ve always tried to foster that at Sugar.  We have always catered to black, white, gay, straight, old and young... everyone in a unifying experience.  It’s what it should be about, that spiritual feeling and that emotion.”

Upswing or not, one thing seems certain.  Ultra Naté does not appear to be stopping anytime soon.  We’re excited to see what 2012 brings from this talent as her sphere of influence continues to grow.  Besides booking accomplished artists, Deep Sugar has also served to nurture many of Baltimore’s best up and coming DJs.  Ultra has helped to turn a lot of people on to that “spiritual feeling”, and there’s no doubt it will continue to be passed along far into the future.

Our good friend Nutritious of SpinSpinNYC and Apt Entertainment has released his third mix in the "Body Out Of Control" series (below) in anticipation of his upcoming San Francisco tour dates!  Since this is the third in the series, we listened to this mix three times, and it had us moving with each go-round.  Nutritious manages to touch on a wide range of house sounds, from jacking to jazzy to soulful to afro to electro, all while keeping a consistent groove, proving once again why we like this guy so much!  If your in the SF area we recommend that you get yourself to one of these appearances this weekend:

Nutritious // Body Out Of Control, Three by Nutritious

Track List:
01. Chemars - The Caddyshack Club (Discouraged Ones Remix) - Ginkgo Music
02. Senor Stereo - Unintentional ft. Danny Daze (Craze's Quiet Storm Remix) - Slow Roast Records
03. Shur-i-kan - One Night In Tokyo - Freerange Records
04. Nate Laurence - No Crapalous From Minneapolis (Emil Lanne Remix) - Flapjack Records
05. Soydan - Katana - Illuminati Records
06. 2 Billion Beats - The Moodymann - Paperecordings
07. Funk Mediterraneo - In Silence - Uma Recordings
08. Abu Maxim & The Praetorian Steppah - Sweet Love - KAT Records
09. Jeff Dougler & Balu - Sample Hits - Kinjo Music
10. Cajmere - Funktified - Cajual Records
11. Locussolus - I Want It (Lindstrom And Prins Thomas Remix) - International Feel
12. MuSol vs Bongoloverz vs Jackson 5 vs Doug Lazy - Dancin Machine - MuSol Recordings
13. DJN Project ft. Eman - Open Your Eyes - Newav Media
14. Captain Planet - Ningane - Bastard Jazz
15. Los Charly's Orchestra - Nuevo Disco (Funkanova (Nu Disco Version) - Imagenes Recordings
16. Kraak Smaak - Call Up to Heaven ft. Lex Empress (SmooveRemix) - Jalapeno Records
17. Musaria ft. Saturna - Moment (Dave Barker Remix) - Headset Records

Cool interactive time-line detailing the history of music from The Guardian.  It's a bit abbreviated I would say, but interesting nontheless!

Jonn Hawley lives and breathes house music.  He's been rocking the turntables since 1991, the production studio since 2000, and his own record label since 2003.  Now, with releases coming out on legendary Large Music as well as his own Soul Fuel imprint, and appearances playing around the country, it seems 2011 may be the year that Hawley crushed.  We sat down with the man from Milwaukee during his recent east-coast tour to talk music, food, and the green and gold: 

This past Saturday the ForQuarters guys brought you out to Baltimore to play.  Impressions of Charm City?

Baltimore definitely gets "IT" when it comes to house music and what it's all about!  The vibe in that room was so thick you could have cut it with a knife.  I have mad love for the 410 and the ForQuarters crew!  This last party ranks in the top 5 nights for me.

Good to hear Baltimore representing!  Now your "Back At It" EP dropped on your label Soul Fuel yesterday, the first release in a while.  I take it the title is a reference to this?  What got you back to concentrating on the label?

The label and its direction kind of strayed for a while because my involvement dropped off due to working on other projects.  Now I have the time to devote to it fully.  2011 is gonna be fun!

How would you describe the "Soul Fuel Sound"?

To put it plain and simple the name explains it all.  Fuel for your soul.  We are not trying to shoot for one specific sound, just soul moving goodness!

In a couple of weeks you'll be playing at the Large Records party in Miami for the Winter Music Conference (WMC).  How did that relationship start?

For years I had been playing Large records in my sets, so my respect for the label was already high.  I had heard that Jeff Craven (the owner of Large) was playing a gig in my hometown Milwaukee, so I decided to go out and see the show.  From the moment I walked in Jeff was playing cuts that touched my soul!  Later that night I was playing an after set at a party that Jeff happened to be at.  I dropped a few of my cuts and Jeff was really feeling them.  He asked if they were available and I nearly shit myself!  I was like "whoa, the owner of Large is asking about my music!"  Mind you I have been playing Large records since 93.  We exchanged numbers after smashing tracks until 7am and ending with "sunshine people", EPIC!  Later that week Jeff asked if I would be interested in doing an EP for him and the rest is history!

Speaking of the conference, you have a lot of history with the WMC. You started your label there back in 2003, and this year I count 9 appearances on the list. What's your take on the whole Ultra-WMC separation?

Personally I was kind of worried at first but as we have gotten closer to WMC I have realized that this year is going to be one of the most real yet.  HOUSE MUSIC is gonna be king again!  Thank you uLOLtra hahaha

What can we expect from Mr. Hawley in 2011?

2011 is gonna be an exciting year in music for me.  So far I have my next EP coming out on Large, also EP's on Lingo and Soul Fuel.  Remixes on Alphabet, Union, Soul Fuel, Guesthouse, and Golden State.  I have a few podcasts in the making too.  Deejay gigs are rolling in for the spring and summer.  Life is good!

Best thing about being from Wisconsin?

People underestimate us!

Do I even need to ask your favorite sports team?

Haha!  Ill give you a hint: that Green and Gold runs thru my veins.

Last thing you had for dinner?

Qdoba - Chicken Burrito

Favorite Beer/Spirit?

Hands down a beer brewed in New Glarus, Wisconsin called Spotted Cow. When it comes to spirits I'm a vodka/tequila guy!

Favorite thing to do on your day off?

I have a few favorite things to do outside all depending on the weather but the top of them all is just relaxing with my wife in front of the fire!

Anything else you want to say to the people?

Live.Love.House!

 Check out Jonn Hawley's latest release on Soul Fuel: "Back At It" available now at Stompy.com!

October of 2010 saw the passing of one of reggae music's greatest voices, Gregory Isaacs.  Known to many for the hit single "Night Nurse", his career spanned over 40 years and influenced artists both in and out of the reggae genre. 

The folks over at Steppas were lucky enough to record with Isaacs before his passing, and are now releasing a new album as a tribute both to him and to UK dub music. 

Available February 14th on 12" Vinyl / Digital Download - www.steppas.com

Producer, musician and best selling author Nutritious (Mikey Beatz) has been a prominent figure in the underground music scene for years, rocking dance floors and bringing ass shaking beats to hungry feet the world over.  Together with his partner Zoe Wilder, a talented vocalist, dancer, and artist in her own right, they are the dynamic duo behind New York's SpinSpinNYC.  We sat down with the two of them to talk about making music, throwing parties, and finding that BOUNCE!

GB: So, I'm glad I have you both here today.  I guess I'll start with Nutritious.  Can you tell me a little bit about your professional relationship with Zoe here?  It seems that you support each-other both in the business arena and on the stage?

Nutritious: Definitely, we do. Zoe's just the bomb. When we first got together in 07, we immediately started talking house music and schemed up a song - I think we danced a lot of that night away, too. Within a few months I was bringing Zoe into the studio and recording her vocals... then we started throwing parties together and created SpinSpinNYC.

Wilder: We both have a history of throwing parties and a passion for music so it just seemed natural to collaborate together.

GB: Zoe, was this the first time making music for you?  Or do you come from a musical background?

Wilder: I come from a very creative family. My mother, father, and sister are poets/musicians/singer-songwriters. I grew up writing poetry and dancing. Later, I started combining the two to create performance art pieces. But, yes, this was my first time laying down vocals, creating music. At first, I was intimidated by the process, but Mikey inspired me and encouraged me; and it's been so much fun pushing my boundaries and seeing what we can come up with.

GB: That's great!  Where are you guys recording?  Do you have a personal studio setup at home or do you go in somewhere?

Nutritious: We do a lot of the basic construction, sound design, and song writing in our home studio and then once the song tests well and we need to open it up on a big board and start mixing down on various monitoring configurations and master, we'll bounce stems and take it outside

GB: Interesting.  I know that you guys love the jazz and the soul, but at the same time I see you have a love for the "booty shaking" house vibe as well.  Where does that come from? Do you think there's a divide between that deeper "serious" house music, and the party-vibe?  Or is it all, at the end of the day, there to make the booty's shake?

Wilder: It's the BOUNCE.  As a dancer, nothing gets me moving more than house music. It takes me to another place. I lose myself in it. It's my therapy, my release. My body is my instrument... there's this physical/spiritual synthesis that happens between me and the beat.

GB: I like that.  The Bounce!

Nutritious: We definitely love a good bounce in the music and love to simply get people’s asses shakin, you know? While I was really taken in by house music by listening to the deeper shades of it, some of my first house vinyl was DJ Duke and DJ Funk ... and in my first year djing, the booty shit just jumped at me... throwing down breaks and ghetto/booty house at parties was just a ton of fun. There's definitely a divide, but I think the best djs bridge it well.

GB: I agree.  That's one thing that I've noticed about not only your music, but even the parties that you throw.  It seems you walk that line very well, bringing intelligent music to the dance-floor while still keeping people moving and having a great time.

Nutritious: Thanks.

Wilder: It's a journey.

GB: Indeed.  So, besides making music together, you two have also been throwing parties for some time.  What goes into throwing a great party in NYC?

Nutritious: Fortunately, our friends and SpinSpin fam that come out to get down with us are just the most wonderful people around and we couldn’t be more grateful for their support and presence. The parties would be nothing without their smiling faces and great vibes and all the new people we meet each time. Outside of that we like to find the right mix of venue, talent, time of year, and a proper soundsystem.

Wilder: All that....and a whole lotta love.

GB: SpinSpinNYC, is this mostly an event production platform for you?

Wilder: That’s how it began...

Nutritious: Yes, and now we're launching it as a record label, too - lining up releases and all that jazz.

GB: Great, that's what I was wondering.  I had heard a rumor of a label in the works.
What’s the focus and what kind of music will future releases see?  Any guest artists planned?  Your first single, Indecent Exposure, was released on SpinSpinNYC as a free download. Do you plan to continue free releases?

Nutritious: The focus is underground/independent dance music and we do have a list of guest artists that we will be reaching out to as well as constantly reviewing what new music producers send us. We’ll definitely keep the release style fun and affordable but it’s also important to note that this is our full-time livelihood, going at it nearly 24-7 and we’ve invested our savings into our events, equipment, recording sessions etc - we absolutely need people to support the legal purchasing of music in order to pay our bills - and ultimately we turn our revenues into more jobs for people and giving back to the community.

GB: That's Great!  What are your goals for the coming year?  2010 seemed to be a tremendous year for you both.  What's next?

Nutritious: We like to keep things open to possibilities... keep it movin. House it out.

Wilder: More parties, more festivals, more dancing, more music...keep building on what we've started.  We've got some funky fresh stuff in the works...always plotting and scheming.

GB: Well I think it's fair to say that you guys are full of surprises, so we'll definitely have to keep an eye on you.  Finally, tell us about your new radio show!  When is it, who’s on it, and what are we going to hear?

Nutritious: I've got a weekly internet radio show coming up on My House Your House called Gratitude, starting February 1st, every Tuesday @ 11am EST. We'll be broadcasting live house sets out of the studio and while we'll continue to rock the latest news on our social media sites, we'll also be posting up with our latest shenanigans on the airwaves now too.

Wilder: I’ll be dancing around the studio and sounding off in the shout box...plus, you’ll hear me chiming in on air. Join us.

Tune in to Nutritious and Wilder live every Tuesday at 11:00AM (EST) at MyHouseYourHouse.  Also, check out his exclusive mix on MixCloud below, as well as the first release from SpinSpinNYC: "Indecent Exposure"!

Indecent Exposure by Nutritious

We're not all down on Coachella.  URB has some great suggestions for not-to-be-missed acts that we mostly agree with.  We would add on Rye Rye, Thunderball, Kode9, Mala (rumor?), and Mary Anne Hobbs to name a few.

The guys over at Esquire magazine explain why you shouldn't be excited about the lineup at Coachella.

The folks over at Crosstown Rebels will be releasing their twelfth full-length album at the end of the month, this time featuring American ex-pat house producer Maceo Plex. Crosstown prides itself on featuring "creative young people with something new to say", and with the one Damian Lazarus at the helm, seems to release a consistent stream of great music.

If Maceo's single "Vibe Your Love" is any indication, this album should be no exception. Pick it up at record stores January 31st.

Interesting interview from Teshno.com with Paul Woolford on the art of production and the structured teaching of music production in classroom environments.

"Increasingly we are seeing that the march of students graduating from production courses has meant that the general standard of production has improved over the years across dance music, but with this it would appear that in the rush to release music and to make a career, there are so many records emerging that are sonically "correct" (for want of a better expression), but redundant in terms of ideas, that the flooding of the market means the genuinely good ideas are getting missed."

http://www.teshno.com/2010/12/interview-art-of-production-with-paul.html

It's December.  Time for another edition of Gourmetbeats Radio.

Pre-Dubwar NYC show!  Live Tuesday the 7th at 7PM eastern with Joe Nice on the one's and two's.  Strictly dub-plates.

Gourmetbeats is all about musical diversity.  We believe that exposing yourself to new music is one of the best ways to become a better person.  Today, however, we give a shout-out to all the genre-snobs reppin their tunes.

You know who they are.  They probably have the name of their favorite musical genre displayed prominently in their email address, across the front of their shirt, and possibly even tattooed on their body.  They have “shogun” status on multiple genre-focused message boards, and don’t even have a use for the sort-by-genre feature on their iPods.  They have researched their music of choice to such a meticulous level, that in reality, they are probably SUB-genre snobs, or even SUB-SUB-genre snobs!  It defines them in almost every way.  Now, some may say that these people are a pox on the face of music; close minded individuals who refuse to admit that good tunes can exists outside of their narrow standards.  But we say no!  Love the genre-snob!  For he is the future!

They push innovation.  They become immersed in their vision of what music should be, and they drive that genre to new levels.  They are “pure” in a sense.  They are outspoken, whether they are the ones producing the music, or simply listening, they tell us what they like and they tell us loudly.  They are the standard-bearers, marching into battle and shouting “Big Ups”!  They push the producers to dive deeper into their sounds, exploring the limits and pushing the boundaries.  Yeah, they say your music sucks, and no, they won’t show up at your show, but they don’t mean any harm.  Instead of brushing them off, we should be listening to them.  Tell us, snob, what’s your favorite track?  Write that down.  Listen to it.  Think about it.  Genre snobs are our most direct line to the best music of one particular sound.  Resist their passionate plea to join them in monophonic bliss, but use them as a resource to expand your musical knowledge.

Big Ups Genre Snobs!  Keep Reppin What You Rep!

For those interested in the cause of musical diversity, check out this great 2006 study by UNESCO:  The Protection and Promotion of Musical Diversity and imc-cim.org.