Rock The Dancefloor

If you want to know how it feels to be the DJ, to share the music you love with other people, to receive the adulation of packed dancefloors night after night, this book will show you exactly what to do to get there. Whether you're brand-new to this, a DJ who wants to finally break out of the bedroom, or you just want to improve your game, the five-step formula in Rock The Dancefloor! will help you to become a truly great DJ. This clear and practical guide will enable you to: Understand modern DJ gear, in order to avoid expensive mistakes Assemble the best music collection, so you can fill any dancefloor Quickly master all the techniques, so your DJ mixes sound amazing Perform like a pro at any type of gig: parties, bars, night clubs... Promote yourself effectively, for more and better paid bookings

This descriptive and analytic study examines how 1950s rock 'n' roll dancing illuminates the larger cultural context out of which the dancing arose. Rock 'n' Roll Dances of the 1950s provides a fresh, highly animated lens through which to observe and understand the cultural climate of 1950s America, examining, not only the steps and aesthetic qualities of rock 'n' roll dances, but also their emblematic meanings. Exploring dance as a reflection and expression of cultural trends, the book takes a sharply analytical look at rock 'n' roll dances from the birth of the genre in the mid-1950s to the decade's end. Readers will explore the emergence of teen culture in the '50s, rock 'n' roll's association with delinquency, and the controversy ignited by the physical movements of early rock 'n' roll artists. They will learn about the influence of black culture on 1950s dances and about the trendsetting TV show American Bandstand. Particularly telling for those wishing to grasp the underlying tensions of the decade is a discussion of the dance floor as a platform for racial integration.

As the 1970s gave way to the 80s, New York's party scene entered a ferociously inventive period characterized by its creativity, intensity, and hybridity. Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor chronicles this tumultuous time, charting the sonic and social eruptions that took place in the city’s subterranean party venues as well as the way they cultivated breakthrough movements in art, performance, video, and film. Interviewing DJs, party hosts, producers, musicians, artists, and dancers, Tim Lawrence illustrates how the relatively discrete post-disco, post-punk, and hip hop scenes became marked by their level of plurality, interaction, and convergence. He also explains how the shifting urban landscape of New York supported the cultural renaissance before gentrification, Reaganomics, corporate intrusion, and the spread of AIDS brought this gritty and protean time and place in American culture to a troubled denouement.

Lovers Rock (as portrayed in Steve McQueen's Small Axe series) has been misrepresented. This book demonstrates the therapeutic role that Lovers Rock played for people who lacked identity, parental control or guidance, and who lack love. It shows how dancing intimately on a dance floor with a stranger, was where many of us found solace.

DANCEFLOOR THUNDERSTORM: Land Of The Free, Home Of The Rave is the spectacular visual storytelling of when the rave scene brought electronic music up from obscurity, and changed the way America looked at dance music forever. Written by rave super-insider Michael Tullberg, the book takes the reader back to the halcyon days of the U.S. rave underground in the 1990s, when the seeds of modern-day EDM were sown. Photographing and writing for the major dance music magazines of the day, Tullberg amassed an enormous collection of photos, live reviews, interviews, rave memorabilia and ephemera over the years. It is this collection that forms the basis for this book. DANCEFLOOR THUNDERSTORM takes the reader into the very heart of the rave scene, when these controversial parties hosted the hottest and most cutting-edge dance music in the country. It gives you VIP, backstage and on-stage access with the biggest electronic music talent in the world, including dance music legends like Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Moby, Fat Boy Slim and more. The first book of its kind in the U.S., DANCEFLOOR THUNDERSTORM pulls back the curtain and captures this cultural explosion as it shot across the country, converting millions into fans of electronic music. A must-have for any fan of music or pop culture, the book is a time warp back to a time of magical nights and miraculous rhythms.

'A fantastic tribute to an amazingly creative musical period . . . An instant pop classic, worthy of a place on your shelves beside the handful of music books that really matter.' John McTernan, Scotland on Sunday Punk revitalized rock in the mid-seventies, but the movement soon degenerated into self-parody. Rip It Up and Start Again is the first book-length celebration of what happened next: post-punk bands who dedicated themselves to fulfilling punk's unfinished musical revolution. 1978 - 1984 rivals the sixties for the sheer amount of fabulous music created, the spirit of adventure and possibility that infused it, and the way the sounds felt inextricably connected to the political and social turbulence of the day. Simon Reynolds, acclaimed author of Energy Flash, recreates a time of tremendous urgency and idealism in pop music. Packed with anecdote and insight, populated by charismatic and maverick characters, Rip It Up and Start Again stands as one of the most inspired and inspiring books on popular music ever written. 'I had never expected there to be a book on this subject; had I done so, I would never have dared to hope it could be as good as this.' Nicholas Lezard, Guardian Book of the Week 'This remarkable and perfectly timed cultural history is required reading.' Q Magazine

Leading schools with courage, intention, and honesty What can a deejay teach us about the classroom? What does a superintendent do besides decide when to close school for snow? What makes someone a great teacher or a great principal? In this collection of essays, Dr. Joe Clark answers these questions by offering a model for compassionate, principled, and student-centered school leadership. In the process, If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song offers leaders a handbook for placing kindness, community, and diversity at the heart of successful education. Full of humor and resilience, Clark's essays beam with as much range as they do insight. He dives right into issues like changing instructional standards, increased reliance on testing, and anxiety about social media in schools--and others--while providing collegial advice that new school leaders in particular will find indispensable. With an eye toward centering students, supporting teachers, and empowering communities, If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song never loses sight of the human needs and connections that ultimately drive learning. This is the type of read that can rejuvenate a veteran, or give new teachers tools to keep their morale and inspiration at their peak. The lessons you learn from this book can carry over throughout the year, even when you don't know if you can get through it. --Amber Teamann, principal of Whitt Elementary in Wylie ISD in Wylie, Texas Woven through these pages are stories of connection, told with the candor and vulnerability necessary for promoting personal and professional growth. There is something for everyone in this book! --Tamara Letter, MEd, instructional coach, technology integrator, and author of A Passion for Kindness It's been said that we never know the struggles that someone is going through, so we should treat them kindly always. In If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song, Joe Clark embraces his own vulnerability to share how he reclaimed his story after a traumatic childhood and used his life experiences--and his time as a DJ and camp director--to guide his work as a school leader. This book is an often humorous, sometimes melancholy look into what teaching and school leadership are all about. It's a tremendous read that I know you'll enjoy. --Thomas C. Murray, director of innovation at Future Ready Schools and author of Personal & Authentic

In the Spring of 1997, the promotion of the HIStory album seemed as if it would continue for quite a while, especially since Michael Jackson's eponymous European tour was imminent. And yet, contrary to fans' expectations, a new album entitled Blood On The Dance Floor was announced. More than two decades later, Brice Najar decided to explore the history of this unusual and very special collection of music in the King of Pop's discography. As in Najar's previous book, Let's Make HIStory, he reached out to Michael Jackson's collaborative partners. Through their stories, he was able to fully examine this era, and to understand the context of Jackson's creative process during this time. Ultimately, Book On The Dance Floor serves as a complement to Najar's previous work, and adds to fans' insights into Jackson's life and legacy.