They later released How Progress Was Made, a collection of tracks that led each artist from the start of their career to where they are now. It Includes D. Allie’s work with United States of Mind, his solo work, and tracks that Eddie Logix worked on over the years. On Pop’s Guitar Pt. 3, D. Allie explains a little bit about Progress Report, accompanied by his father on the guitar.

Progress Report now needs some help from the online community to release their first full-length album. They set a goal to raise $5000 to get the album off the ground. By placing a donation, you can help out two talented Detroit artists, and get a little something in return as well.

For a $10 donation you will receive a signed copy of the CD and entry to the album release party. For a $25 donation you get the same, plus a Junkie Rockstar t-shirt or hoodie. $50 will get you the signed CD, Junkie Rockstar shirt, Progress Report shirt, Vinyl Single and VIP access to the album release party. For an even larger donation of $250 or more, you get a big stake in Progress Report, including album credits, and access to all of their future events.

The deadline for donating is Monday Jan 31st at 11:59PM EST. Unfortunately, if they don’t make the deadline, the album isn’t happening. I have made a small donation myself, and I’m asking you to do the same. We are all going through some tough times, and it’s times like this that we need to help each other out the most. Check out their Kickstart Page for more details on how to donate, and thanks for supporting Detroit music.

On a side note, Mixtape Mondays is coming back next week! I’ve got a lot of great mixes to share, and I even have DJs all over the world working on exclusive mixes.

Let’s do this in 2011! I want to meet and collaborate with other artists and DJs this year. Contact me if you’re ready to build. Let’s make 2011 a memorable year in music!

Hip Hop Awards

Best Hip Hop Single: Herma Puma (@hermapuma) – Disposable Rappers feat. Sensei and D-Nick

I had the pleasure of meeting a producer from Chicago this year who calls himself Simple X. (@SimpleXTweets) He produces for two hip hop projects, Tensei (@_Tensei) and Herma Puma. Herma Puma is a collaboration between Simple X and a producer from the UK named Pimpernel Jones. They met on the internet and bonded over a mutual admiration of old library records and odd samples. Once they had enough beats, they worked with emcees from both sides of the pond to put together their debut album Synchromystic. They released a 7″ single off the album called Disposable Rappers. This track uses a funk-break sample and is reminiscent of Jurassic 5 or Ugly Duckling. What I really love about this track is that it represents two meanings, both an important environmental message, and an indictment of the cesspool that rap music has become. It encourages us, as fans of hip hop, not to tolerate the barrage of whack mixtapes and unlistenable cyphers that have become  much more commonplace than a classic hip hop album. The song delivers a powerful message, in a creative and clever way.

Best Hip Hop Album – The Left (@wearetheleft) – Gas Mask

This album is one of the most critically acclaimed hip hop albums of the year. The Left features Apollo Brown (@ApolloBrown) on the beats, Journalist 103 (@Journalist103) on the mic and my man DJ Soko (@DJSoko) on the cuts. The album features guests Kool G Rap, (@TheRealKoolGRap) Mu, (@Mu2u) Hassaan Mackey, (@HassaanMackey) Paradime, (@Paradime) Invincible, (@invincibleDET) MarvWon, (@marvwon) Guilty Simpson, (@thatsimpsonguy) Finale (@finaledet313) and Frank West. (@FrankWest_) I’ve always been a big fan of Apollo’s beats, but the concentration of talent makes this record the epitome of his life’s work. The record itself is available at UGHH. It’s a 2-disc LP with a smokey, translucent finish. Even if you don’t agree with me that this was the hip hop album of the year, this is a must for any true head’s vinyl collection.

Best Hip Hop Music Video: Die Antwoord (@dieantwoord) – Evil Boy

Die Antwoord took the internet by storm in 2010, with the launch of their web site and the subsequent release of tantalizing viral videos. The self-proclaimed Zef hip hop rave crew from South Africa released both an EP called 5, and a full length album called $O$. The front man for the group, Ninja, claims to have survived on the streets of Cape Town for three years on nothing but boiled cabbage and reefer. Also on the vocals is Ninja’s female counterpart, Yolandi Vi$$er. She used to have 13 rats, but they got freaky on the set of this video and now she has 23. DJ Hi-Tek makes next level beats on his PC computer for the band. He went missing shortly after they released the video for Enter the Ninja, but he returned and joined them on their world tour. They have successfully brought the culture of the streets of South Africa to the hearts and computer monitors of music lovers all across the world, and are one of my favorite new music acts to debut this year. The video for the song Evil Boy (produced by Diplo) features an uncircumcised Xhosa rapper named Wanga, who speaks out against ritual circumcision, which makes him an “Evil Boy for Life.” Although the track has hints of homophobia, (baby steps…) it delivers a powerful progressive message against genital mutilation that I think is very important in the fight against religious suppression of individual sexual expression. The video is riddled with symbolism, metaphorical imagery and anti-religious undertones. It’s both ridiculously off-the-wall and emotionally inspiring at the same time.

Best Hip Hop Live Performance: Black Milk (@black_milk) – Album Of The Year Release – St. Andrews Hall, Detroit

This show was special in many ways. Not only was it Black Milk’s album release party, it was also the return of Detroit’s favorite hater, Hex Murda. (@hexmurda) Black Milk was joined by the Will Sessions band, and a who’s who of Detroit’s best hip hop artists, including Guilty Simpson, Royce The 5’9″, Elzhi (@eLZhi) and Danny Brown. (@DannyTheHybrid) Even DJ House Shoes (@houseshoes)  and Mayer Hawthorne (@MayerHawthorne) could be seen on the stage, just showing support. I invited my good friend, @rockinrita, and it was the very first Detroit hip hop show she had ever been to. We both had an amazing time, and she left with a new appreciation for Detroit hip hop. The highlight of the night was Black Milk’s tribute to J Dilla, Proof and Baatin, which was caught on film by probably a hundred camera phones and digital cameras in the crowd. I picked up a copy of Album of the Year on vinyl, which came with a free digital download. Although it didn’t quite make the cut for the actual album of the year, it was definitely a great release for Black Milk. Those in attendance will never forget the great memories that were made that night.

Electronic Dance Music Awards

Best Dance Single: Avicii & Sebastien Drums (@avicii and @sebastiendrums) – My Feelings For You

This is my SHIT right here! My anthem for 2010. Words really can’t describe the way this track made me feel the first time I heard it. Sure, it’s been played on the radio a lot, which typically goes completely against my beliefs, but I can’t find even a small spot in my heart to hate this song. Whenever I hear this song, I just want to let go and dance all night, like we did back in the day. The video rocks too. “Tell me, can’t you feel?”

Best Dance Album: Skrillex (@skrillex) – Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites

This album is a rarity. It’s not often you see one artist master so many genres of dance music in one album. Hell, you rarely see good concept albums anymore. The opener is an electro house track called Rock N Roll. I heard it on Area XM and I knew I had to check out the album. The hook delivered chills down my spine as I bumped it in my car. At the end of the track, you can hear a guy whining about electronic music. “You have technicians here, making noise. No one is a musician. They’re not artists, because no one can play the guitar.” The quote was taken from a glitch mob video, filmed on the streets of San Francisco.  The next song is named after the album title. It is half glitch house, half dubstep, switching between 140 and 80 bpm throughout the track. I’m not even a big fan of dubstep, especially of the American, wobble/glitch variety, but this track is exactly what I think dubstep should be. No DJ should ever play an entire set of dubstep. It should be mixed with other forms of music like jungle, breaks and hip hop. Skrillex managed to put together a dubstep track that can be mixed with electro house, and for that he definitely deserves a fucking cookie. The third track on the album blew my mind to pieces. It’s as if Skrillex knew the concept of the new Lune Noir (@lunenoirmusic) mix that I have been planning since before we finished Rocktronic, (Listen or Download) and specifically made this track for us. I don’t want to give away too much, but it’s safe to say that Kill Everybody will be on the next Lune Noir mix. It is evil and grimey and everything I love about glitch music. The fourth track tones it down a bit with a progressive house sound, and features vocalist, Penny. The fifth track is a hip hop/dubstep track featuring Foreign Beggars and Bare Noize. The rest of the album is all remixes featuring Noisia, Zedd, and Bare Noize. This album will take you on a journey, from beginning to end.

Best Dance Music Video: Röyksopp (@royksopp) – This Must Be It

Röyksopp is one of my favorite dance music producers of all time. For me, they have almost elevated to Daft Punk status. If my heart could make music, this is what it would sound like. They are also very well known for their conceptual music videos. This Must Be It came from the album, Junior. The video depicts a neanderthal rave, in which a primitive people are reluctantly inspired to make music and dance by a pied piper on a percussion-adorned four-wheeler. It’s almost like the raver version of Footloose. “Arms full of bracelets and smoke in the air, and they talk, and they dance.”

Best Live Dance Performance: Plastikman (@rhawtin) – Movement 2010 – Hart Plaza, Detroit

Back in the nineties, when Detroit’s rave scene was nearing its peak, I was more into the industrial and trance flavors of electronic dance music, so I missed out on a lot of good techno and house performances. One act in particular that is talked about a lot is Plastikman, which was Richie Hawtin’s original stage name. When it was announced around this time last year that Plastikman would be returning to Detroit for the Electronic Music Festival, everyone was pumped, but I don’t think anyone realized what they were in store for. Not only did Hawtin return with an amazing minimal techno sound, he included a stimulating visual display. As I stood there on the concrete bleachers of Hart Plaza, sober as a bird, the combination of music and visuals delivered a natural high that I rarely experience in life. The performance was accompanied by an iPhone app, which allowed people to interact with the show using their Apple Smartphones. Overall it is one of the most innovative and spectacular combinations of music & sound I’ve ever seen. Below I have posted the entire performance. The person filming also shows their iPhone playing the interactive app.

Now it’s time for you to tell me about your favorite singles, albums, concerts and videos. Thanks to everyone for your support throughout 2010. I hope to see even bigger and better things in 2011!

I teamed up with Brian Ambrozy of Icrontic (@primesuspect) to plan a day of fun and adventure! Brian put together an achievement game using the new location-based social media service, SCVNGR. We have teamed up with local businesses for a virtual scavenger hunt that will send teams all across Detroit to have fun. Some of the activities include laser tag, arcade gaming, watching the movie at an IMAX 3D theater and various eating and drinking spots.

At the end of the night, we will all gather at The Old Miami in Detroit for a Daft Punk tribute, performed by my band, Lune Noir. There we will announce the winning team and give out prizes.

If you are interested in participating, please go to Icrontic and read the instructions.

Can’t take the day off? There will be other ways to participate, and you’re welcome to join us at The Old Miami after the movie.

Last week, my friend Mike (@p7lbass) and I spent five days listening to records and recording a demo for our new DJ super group called Prisoners of Atlantis. While this project is very new, there are 20 years experience between the two of us in the dance music scene.

We specifically recorded this demo with the hope that it would land us a very special gig. If we win, we get to play after DJ Kenneth Thomas (@djKennethThomas) at Bleu Detroit on New Years Eve!

The new mix is hot. It consists mostly of old tech house and progressive house records, blended with some newer music of the same style. Some of the records featured are Detroit native DJ Seoul’s (@djseoul) Detroit Techno Militia release titled “Electrified Planet”. Another record is an eclectic house track called “Don’t Leave Me This Way” from Palms Out Records, and was mastered by another Detroit native, Noel Jackson. (@noel)

To help us win, we need to build some chatter on the site spindetroit.com over our mix. However, I’m not asking anyone to blindly support me. PLEASE, listen to the mix first and judge for yourself.

Prism Break by Prisoners Of Atlantis

After that, follow these steps:

1. Register at http://spindetroit.com

2. Go to http://www.spindetroit.com/nyedjmixcompetition and log in if you haven’t already.

3. Leave a comment saying you vote for DJ Meph and include the URL to my Spin Detroit profile. http://spindetroit.com/djmeph

3. Click on “My Audio” (Make sure you’re still at the nyedjmixcompetition profile)

4. Look for “Spin Detroit NYE 2011 Mix”. It’s at the bottom of the last page, page 11. Make sure the title matches in case it moves. Click on “Rate” and give it an honest rating. 5 stars of course would be helpful.

Thanks in advance for your support, and get ready to rock out with me on New Years Eve!

I looked around for a long time trying to find a venue that would work with us. Coincidentally, an old bowling alley in Sylvan Lake was recently refurbished under new ownership, and the management was eager to work with us.

Red Rock Bar and Sylvan Lanes is more than just a bowling alley, in fact, it’s less of a bowling alley than it used to be. They tore down a few lanes so they could build a big poker room in the back. Then they completely renovated the bar, hired some hottie bartenders and started re-branding the venue with a new, hip image. I have been frequenting this establishment a great deal lately, and have a blast every time I’m there.

That’s why I’m absolutely astounded by the possibilities that have arisen through this new opportunity. Not only does my band, Lune Noir, have the opportunity to rock out in front a real crowd for once, we also have the opportunity to reinvent night-time entertainment as we know it.

The club scene in Detroit, and throughout America, has become a complete joke, but has mostly followed the same direction as the ever-failing mainstream music industry. The focus is on social status, not music. Entertainment is no longer about pushing the boundaries of creativity, but about pushing the boundaries of taste.

I think one of the main reasons why night life has gotten to this point is because of a lack of brick-paving DJs. Back in the day, people worshiped DJs. People respected their opinions on music, and counted on them to lead the dance floor. You would have never asked Afrika Bambaataa to play a song request, that’s for sure. The lack of talented and experienced DJs who are willing to play at the low wages these club DJs are getting these days is a huge factor. Lack of talent leads club owners to get more involved in the entertainment experience, and club owners know even less about leading the dance floor than most of these hack DJs.

I am not against playing at, or even going out to clubs and bars, but that’s just not going to be where I focus my energy right now. Bowl-A-Tron will be a spectacular event, no doubt, but it will be the first event in a revolution that is going to sweep through Detroit and take over our entertainment industry.

It’s time to think differently about our night life experience. Do we really want to go to a club and pay Miami Beach prices for drinks and bottle service, only to hear the same shitty music they play on the radio while some skank pole dances on the bar with her clothes on? If you pay $400 for a bottle of champagne, don’t you want a little bit more than a bed to sit on while you drink it? Are we going to keep letting these clubs get away with raping our wallets without adding any significant value to our night life? It’s time to demand more!

Value will be my number one priority as I move forward with this revolution. I aim to deliver a more complete night life experience for your dollar than any club in Detroit. It all starts this Saturday, I hope to see you there! Click here for more details.

Friday night I will be at the loft spinning 80s hip hop at Rock N Retro, an 80s themed party.

Saturday night I’ll be spinning at a fashion show, to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

My google voice phone number is 313-473-WORD. Call or text me if you have any questions.

Alas, the cure to the world’s DJing woes has been found, and his name is Mayer Hawthorne. An Ann Arbor native, formerly known as DJ Haircut from the A-Side Worldwide hip hop crew, Mayer left Michigan like many good artists from this state do when they want to use their talent to make a living. While in LA, he picked up some DJ gigs and decided to make a solo album. The rest is musical history in the making.

Here are a few songs that come to mind as I listen to Mayer Hawthorne:

Starting to see a pattern? Mayer Hawthorne is funk, soul, Motown, rock n roll and a little bit of hip hop all rolled into one, but most importantly, he’s all Detroit. Let’s face it, right now is no better time than ever for an artist to “stand up and tell em your from Detroit.” There is a stigma that goes along with this city, and it’s well-deserved. Detroit is still putting out some of the most talented musicians and artists this world has ever seen.

“I’m a DJ… What does this mean for me?” Grab Mayer Hawthorne’s heart-shaped and soon-to-be-collectible 10″ single, play it at your next gig and come back to me with that answer. I played that song at a gig I had in Flint last month and I had five people come up to me and ask me who it was. It’s not just about it being good music, it’s both catchy and (for now) obscure enough to really get people dancing and asking questions. Unlike most modern music, however, it’s timeless. It has staying power and has the potential to be played for years and years to come.

Mayer Hawthorne’s music is a collection of future hits that are bound to make teenagers fall in love, and increase the spread of STDs at nursing homes all across the country. It’ll put the funk back into your boring sex life too. Then, when you become a big superstar DJ from playing these tracks, and all the girlies want some of that action, you can let ‘em down easily with this song:

Justin Timberlake and John Mayer agree, Mayer Hawthorne’s new album, A Strange Arrangement, is a must-buy. (CDs and digital media available at Stones Throw Records for all you non-audiophiles) The 2-disc LP also comes with a limited edition 4″ single. This is yet another benefit to us DJs, and a sign that Mayer Hawthorne honors the art of record collecting by adding value and giving us a reason to buy. Hawthorne and the good folks at Stonesthrow Records are obviously well-versed in the Trent Reznor case study, which puts them light-years ahead of the recording industry.

So do yourself a favor and buy this album. Also, don’t be afraid to sing these songs in the shower, or dance around naked to them in your house. And be sure to tell a friend.

I barely remember the day Thriller debuted on MTV. Hell, it wasn’t too long after that when MTV became too raunchy and my parents wouldn’t let me watch it anymore. I was ten  years old when Dangerous came out, and it was one of the very first CD’s I ever owned.

I always had an interest in my parent’s records though. As I got older I began to explore different genre’s of music, and went through many phases, but Michael Jackson’s music always seemed to fit into my life along the way.

When I heard about the child molestation allegations, I was angry. I couldn’t believe that one of my idols could have turned into such a vile person. However, it prepared me for a lifetime of being disappointed by the people I look up to.

By the time Michael Jackson was acquitted of the second set of child molestation charges, I started to feel bad for him. I realized that he never got a chance to live a normal life. It was the people around him that made him into what he had become.

Yesterday, when I heard that he had passed away, it was shocking to me. Michael Jackson was only a year younger than my own father. I can’t imagine what his kids must be going through. I’m 28 years old and I’m not ready to lose my father.

All I can do is remember the good times that I had when his music was involved. I can continue to let his style influence my music. I can appreciate him for what he was, and what he contributed to mankind.

His music will live on forever. No one will ever forget. We will feel his pain through his music and it will help us to get through our own lives. We will dance like fools to his music when we’re having a good time. We will carry on his message, and continue to make this world a better place to live.