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Grandmaster Flash Becomes First DJ to Win Polar Music Prize
Grandmaster Flash with the King of Sweden at the 2019 Polar Music Prize award ceremony in Stockholm. (Credit: Annika Berglund)
DJ and hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash has become the first DJ to win Sweden’s Polar Music Prize, which is often described as the “Nobel Prize for music.”
Flash, who was born in Barbados and raised in the Bronx, was one of three laureates for the 2019 award. The others were the German violinist, Anne-Sophie Mutter, and the music charity, The Playing For Change Foundation. All three received $130,000 of prize money.
The Polar Music Prize was founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, who’s best known as ABBA’s manager. Anderson petitioned the Nobel Prize committee in the late 1980s to add a music award. However, his idea was rejected, so Anderson created his own award: the Polar Music Prize.
Flash accepted the prize from the King of Sweden, saying the award was “in honor of every DJ, every rapper, every graffiti artist, and every breakdancer.”
He added: “This thing that I did had not existed before, and I am one of many where I come from. It ended up being called hip-hop, taking the drum break from pop, rock, jazz, blues, funk, disco, R&B, and using duplicate copies of records. I would take one section and repeat it over and over again.”
De La Soul’s DJ Maseo spoke at the ceremony, saying: “Grandmaster Flash is a scientist and a virtuoso who has demonstrated that turntables and mixing consoles can be musical instruments … [He] changed the course of popular music. Some 40 years later, the musical form and the hip-hop culture that Grandmaster Flash helped to create, in the ruins of the South Bronx in the mid-1970s, has grown into the largest music genre, hip-hop, in the United States and the world.”
Flash is in impressive company. Previous Polar winners include B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, Dizzy Gillespie, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder.
Watch Polar’s video about Flash below. You can also to listen to a Spotify playlist of his influences.
Related Post: Grandmaster Flash: Technology Is a Gift and a Curse
Reloop RP-8000 MK2 Turntable Review
The ultimate DJ turntable? Mojaxx reviews Reloop’s RP-8000 MK2 on this week’s episode of Tips and Tricks.
Related Post: Reloop RP-7000 MK2 Turntable Review
DJcity’s Spotify Playlist Update: June 18
Lil Jon performs at Premier Nightclub in Atlantic City, New Jersey on March 30. (Source: Facebook)
DJcity’s Spotify playlist update for the week of June 18:
DJ Snake & J Balvin ft. Tyga – Loco Contigo
Drake ft. Rick Ross – Money In The Grave
Gucci Mane ft. Meek Mill – Backwards
Kamaiyah ft. Quavo & Tyga – Windows
Lil Jon & Mac Dre – Ain’t No Tellin’
Matoma ft. MNEK & Kiana Lede – Bruised Not Broken
Stream the entire playlist below or from within Spotify.
Related Post: DJcity’s Spotify Playlist Update: June 11
DJcity and ‘R.O.A.D. Podcast’ to Takeover Las Vegas
DJcity and the R.O.A.D. Podcast are set to take over Park MGM in Las Vegas this Thursday, June 20.
The takeover will feature two events.
The first event will be a DJcity Linkup and live recording of the R.O.A.D. Podcast at Roy Choi’s Best Friend restaurant from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. There will be an open bar from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. provided by Don Julio.
The second event will be an after party at On the Record from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m featuring sets from Chris Villa, D-Miles, Jamie Da Great, Crooked, Neva, and Eddie McDonald. The podcast recording will continue at the party.
Michael Basic Delivers ‘DJcity Podcast’ Mix
Michael Basic. (Source: Michael Basic)
Michael Basic, a veteran open-format DJ based in Los Angeles, has delivered a creative mix for the DJcity Podcast. His set, which includes a variety of styles, features wordplay, tone play, and some scratching throughout.
Also available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn.
Tracklist:
1. Far East Movement – Girls On The Dance Floor – Michael Basic Intro
2. FISCHER vs. Eminem – Losing It vs Lose Yourself – Michael Basic Bootleg
3. Sophie Francis – Lose My Mind – DJCity Club Edit
4. DMX – Party Up
5. Lil Jon – Outta Your Mind – DJ Primetyme Alive Bootleg
6. YG ft. Tyga & Jon Z – Go Loko – KidCutUp Acap Intro
7. French Montana ft. Blueface & Lil Tjay – Slide
8. Lil Wayne – Uproar
9. Chris Brown – Wobble Up
10. Marshmellow ft. Tyga – Light It Up
11. City Girls – Act Up
12. Kanye West & Lil Pump – I Love It
13. Tory Lanez – Freaky
14. Tory Lanez – Freaky – Anthem Kingz Yeah Bootleg
15. Billie Eilish – bad guy – Tall Boys 100-135 Transition
16. Migos & Lil Uzi Vert – Bad & Boujee – Bananaz Shooting Stars Bootleg
17. Bag Raiders – Shooting Stars
18. Natasha Bedingfield – Unwritten
19. Dr Dre – Forgot About Dre – Acapella
20. Logic – Homicide – Lincoln Baio What’s Your Fantasy Blend
21. Ludacris ft. Shawnna – What’s Your Fantasy
22. Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
23. Post Malone – Congratulations – Joe Maz Remix
24. 50 Cent – Wanksta
25. Lil Pump – Racks On Racks – Dibs & MGM Remix
Follow Michael Basic on Facebook, Instagram, Mixcloud, and Twitter
Related Post: Navic Delivers ‘DJcity Podcast’ Mix
Baby Bash’s ‘Baby, I’m Back’ Remixed by Thombs: DJcity Exclusive
Thombs at PluggedIn.LA (Credit: Sean O Connor)
Colombian DJ/producer Thombs has dropped a moombahton remix of Baby Bash‘s 2005 hit “Baby, I’m Back” featuring Akon. The remix is available exclusively on DJcity as part of its Puro Pari series.
Produced by Akon, the original version of “Baby, I’m Back” peaked at No. 19 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Thombs’ rework gives the hip-hop and R&B track a Latin twist.
Launched in 2017, DJcity’s Puro Pari series is focused on remixes and party breaks that combine Latin and non-Latin genres.
Preview Thombs’ “Baby, I’m Back” remix below and download it only on DJcity.
Follow Thombs on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Related Post: WS+JR Drops 3 New Edits: DJcity Exclusive
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