A few songs, including “Towa Tei” by Technova, courtesy of our DJ who spun old-school Bossa Nova at last night’s Havaiana’s party at The Webster in Miami Beach.

Mentira by Marcos Valle

Utopia by Alex Malheiros

Havana 2am by Thomas Blondet

“Since I Left You” by The Avalanches – an Australian group formed in 1997.

Classic Bowie – “Starman,” performed at the absolute height of his incredible career – looking completely original.

Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash sing “Jackson” in this nostalgic 1970′s duet. Cash would have turned 80 on February 26th. He passed away in 2003.

If you watched Mad Men last night you’ll recognize this song, played during the final sequence, “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” by Dusty Springfield, performed in 1967. Springfield was the best-selling female singer in the world in 1966 and was dubbed “The White Queen of Soul.” Interest in her music took a serious hit in the 1970′s and 80′s and was revived again in 1994, after her incredible song “Son of a Preacher Man” was included on the soundtrack for Pulp Fiction. If you want to hear more, her album “Dusty in Memphis” was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the best albums of all time. Springfield died in 1996 after losing her battle to cancer.

This girl’s got style. “Le Chat Du Cafe Des Artistes” by Charlotte Gainsbourg, daughter of songwriter Serge Gainsbourg and British actress Jane Birkin.

This is a great example of a city being smart about it’s branding. Upon entering the main hallway of the Seattle airport (Sea-Tac) you are quickly greeted by a message from Alice & Chains front man Jerry Cantrell, promoting Seattle’s impressive music heritage. “Winter Song” by up-and-coming folk band, The Head and the Heart (from Seattle), quickly followed during my recent visit. The song features Charity Rose Thielen, perhaps one of the best young vocalists out there. Give it a listen, and make sure it’s on repeat.  (more…)

This is pretty great. Lana Del Ray’s “Born to Die,” directed by Yoann Lemoine.

Here’s a playlist that’s a bit more sophisticated and less centered around a heavy thumping bass. From Django Reinhardt in the 1920′s to today’s Belle & Sebastian, it’s intended to complement conversation and not compete with it. Latin flavor is always essential along with a few classics mixed in to tie it all together, from Dinah Washington to the Rolling Stones. You’ll need to look them up on your own but for a small taste, here’s “Morenito” by Stephane Pompougnac: (more…)

Some music gets the mind going better than others, jazz and the big band era in particular. Count Basie (1904-1984) was one of the most influential musicians of his time and his song “Jumpin at the Woodside” helped usher in the golden age of Big Band Jazz. He introduced several generations of listeners to this new sound and helped support the careers of hundreds of musicians. From his peers: “Basie is remembered by many who worked for him as being considerate of musicians and their opinions, modest, relaxed, fun-loving, dryly witty, and always enthusiastic about his music. As he summed up the key to his understated style, in his autobiography, ‘I think the band can really swing when it swings easy, when it can just play along like you are cutting butter’”. That’s a good philosophy for just about any earnest endeavor. If you like this song, here’s another favorite: (more…)

Think I like this remix by Fred Falke better than the original.

“We are the People” by Empire of the Sun is good across all versions but this remix takes it up a notch.

Here’s a good one for the dance floor, “Love Rehab” by Chaim.

A memorable song in its own right, “La Mer” sung live by Julio Iglesias in 1976, should be receiving a lot of attention as it’s the final song in a key sequence of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. It was chosen by the Director Tomas Alfredson and his team because it was something they thought lead spy George Smiley would listen to. A great play for your New Years party.

“Crave You” featuring Giselle by Flight Facilities, an Indie DJ duo made up of Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell. Pretty sweet song.

This is a clever and simple solution for playing music while hosting parties this winter. DJAY by Algoriddim will make you look like a pro. Download the demo for your iPad, Mac or iPhone and give it a spin. Your iTunes playlists come up automatically and you can play music by dragging a song onto one of the turntables, or simply set up automix and let the program spin through your playlist, fading seamlessly (more…)

Played last night at a new hot spot on the lower east side, the “Red Egg.” Boney M was a funky disco group from West Germany that toured during the 70′s.