Mixed Emotions by Brian Norwood

Let me tell you an awesome story.  I played Epic Maui Journey on the beach every year for 7 years (until 2021 of course) and we were hoping for its return in 2022.  Unfortunately because of restrictions on Maui that were lifted too late to give most people time to plan we weren't able to pull together an official party again.  But 2020 and 2021 being what they had been (especially to me personally...

#/Artist/Title/Remix 01.  Shouse/Love Tonight/Robin Schulz Remix 02.  John Legend/Wild/Meduza Extended Remix 03.  Tom Staar/Not Over Yet/Extended Mix 04.  Tom Staar/Otherside/Extended Mix 05.  Seal/Killer/Paul Morrell Remix 06.  Federico Scavo/I Do/Extended Mix 07.  Tristan Henry/Butterflies/Biscits Remix 08.  Zac Abel/The Power/Vintage Culture Extended 09.  Aevion/Waves/Extended Mix 10.  gardenst...

Here is New Year's Eve in Detroit -- Part 2. I should note that the four parts that I'm going to upload don't flow together seamlessly. They all have quite distinctive feels that are quite different from the others. Since these are samplers of what the night would have sounded like live I wanted to neatly orchestrate these podcasts so that they would showcase various points in the night. In this s...

Conceptualizing the music for Alan Brown's New Year's Eve party in Detroit was an incredible endeavor in joy for me as I got to get really creative with the musical journey. I should note that this is not a live recording. Unfortunately this party was cancelled at the last minute due to the omicon varient but we thought that the music should still be heard -- live or not. That being said...if you'...

One of the awesome things about having been around and immersed in music for as long as I've been is that I know songs from years ago and the general history of music that surrounds those songs -- and that knowledge guides me through my current musical projects.  One of my major sources of joy is finding new remixes of songs from years ago that are fresh, intriguing and current with the times.  An...

I was lucky enough to have come of age during the glory years of the 90s when clubbing was in it's youthful years and it wasn't pounding beats far into the next morning/day.  During those years the transition from late night to the early morning hours at clubs and parties were notable for the slowing of the BPM tempo as the music settled into a melodic and emotionally-rich groove.  One could hear...

On all of my DJ sets I always have one or two songs that are my absolute favorites from the bunch; the songs that I listen to on repeat, over and over and over again. Well...almost unbelievably...there are about 6 or 7 of those songs on this new Morning set. These are songs that would have a legitimate shot at my "record of the year" title. Sometimes...luck, fate and circumstances deliver me the o...

I have always been a huge fan of many different genres of music and that's been a real blessing to me as a person but in some regards I consider it a slight curse -- as an artist.  Let me explain that so that it makes sense.  Personally I love many different genres of music -- some that might surprise you.  I love disco, tech house, techno...and the list goes on and on and on.  You probably don't...

If you've ever been to either the Pines or Cherry Grove on Fire Island...then you've been blessed to experience what I say is the closest thing to heaven on earth.  Fire Island is truly a place like no other.   Starting with the moment you get onto the ferry in Sayville to carry you over and continuing on with every single moment you're there...there's something magically different about it.  That...

You hear me talk a lot about what I call "heart-tuggers"; songs that pull at your heartstrings. I've always had a weak spot for those types of songs because I find music so much more enjoyable when the songs I'm listening to really pull some sort of strong emotion from me. Really, what's the point of music if it isn't going to affect us (and hopefully for the better)? All that being said...I'm hap...

With this new Deep episode I am beside myself with excitement by the messages that the Sprit has brought to me...and I therefore get to bring to you. As is the usual case there are very few vocals to be found on this (Deep) mix. But I do open with two vocal pieces."Wide Eyed" by Double Touch and "Music Is My Medicine". The lyrics on both pieces just spoke to me so powerfully so I broke my "no voca...

I've always believed that the job is a true artist DJ is like walking a tightrope in that it's imperative to deliver music to listeners that they easily latch on to and identify with while at the same time staying true to the artistry aspect of it all by playing fresh and unique music that has a great air of surprise and mystique to it. It's always a delicate balance. Play too much of the music th...

When I first started DJing in my early 20s I had no idea of the magical ride I was about to embark upon. Few things seem to be forever, but one thing that I've discovered as the years have rolled along...is that there are two things that have been "forever" in my life: my drive to deliver love and joy through music and also the enduring friendships that I share with so many of you through that mus...

I've been thinking about life lately; where I've been, where I am and where I'm going. I've been thinking about the musical traditions and history that involve our gay culture and subculture. I consider myself so fortunate to have come of age when I did. The second Summer of Love from the summer of '88 had recently happened and ballooned into a full-on worldwide phenomenon resulting in music that...

One of the best things that 2020 brought me...was my discovery of "the" sound for my Deep series. If you've listened to me long enough then you'll know that there's a wide range of styles of music that I love. As a music lover, that's awesome! But as an artist it's not great as it pertains to defining my "brand". When I conceptualized the Deep series...I knew I wanted something, well, deep. But de...

This new edition in my Sophisticated Morning series is extremely special to me (and I hope it will be to you too). If you've been following me long enough or if you know me well then you'll know that I look at my musical endeavors as much more than me just serving beats to people wanting to party. I think of my music as serving a greater purpose so I go out of my way to have my music deliver messa...

What a gorgeous collection of songs this newest Sophisticated Morning is. I start the set out with the heart-tugging acoustic mix of "All On Me" with Andreas Moe on vocals (produced by Armin van Buuren) and then weave my way through warm and emotionally rich morning music before subtly ending up on a sound of gorgeous and uplifting trance music. Have you been following me long enough to have been...

Life and it's goings on will make it so that there will sometimes be slightly longer stretches between my podcast uploads than I would like there to be. That being said thank you for your patience as we just went through one of those stretches. I am super happy to end our recent "music drought" and bring to you Sophisticated Morning 77. I start this edition out with a warm, melodic and laidback vi...

It's a fine line that I walk as it pertains to keeping the sound of the various mix series podcasts that I release constant and steady, especially with the Sophisticated Deep series. It's super important that I keep the sound tightly confined within the genre that the series belongs to but equally important that I present enough diversity that the mixes don't become stale or all sound alike. That...

If you are reading this then most likely you were no stranger to dance floors and the beautiful music that has graced us over the past decades. One of the best things about music is its ability to take us back to a particular time and place as though it were just yesterday. So on that subject I'm really happy to bring you the newest edition of Sophisticated Morning. There are 15 songs presented he...

#/Artist/Title/Remix 01. Kylie Minogue/Say Something/Acoustic 02. The Vamps/Married In Vegas/Matoma Remix 03. Baynk/Come Home/Hazey Eyes Remix 04. Armin van Buuren/Heading Up High/IHG Remix 05. DJ Licious/Lazy Day/Extended Mix 06. Jason Walker/Never Ending/Original Mix 07. Colton Avery/Always On Your Mind/Golden Hour Remix 08. Wilhelmsson/Fireflies/Extended Mix 09. Tailor/Holding Out/Original Mix...

One of most important ingredients in the DJ/listener relationship is trust. I believe that the most successful DJs are the ones that figure out how to convince a crowd to trust them so that they may have the liberty of being a true artist -- versus being a human juke box that plays what is demanded of them. Playing what's demanded of me always seemed so boring -- and insulting truthfully. I would...

Welcome to Sophisticated Morning 74. This set drips with summertime vibes; if there was a soundtrack to lazy days around the pool or crashing waves on a beautiful beach under shimmering sunshine -- this is it. I always say that life is better with a gorgeous soundtrack to go along with it so I'm happy to mix and share this summery soundtrack to brighten your days and soothe your soul. My music pro...

Welcome to Sophisticated Chill 9, the slower sibling to my Morning series. The music that I source and play for the Chill sets have very much the same feel as the Morning sets -- with the only difference being that they chug along at a slower pace. This Chill set clocks in between 105 & 110 bpm, whereas the Morning sets groove along at about 120 bpm. Otherwise you'd really not know the differe...

Welcome to Sophisticated Deep 12. The Deep series has fast become a favorite of mine to mix. It's what I call the deeper, sturdier and more worldly sibling to my Sophisticated Morning series. These songs have the same warmth and melody that the Morning series has but are largely missing the vocals. The music that I find for the Deep series is sometimes deep and meditative, sometimes sweeping and s...