On My Turntables for LGBT Pride 2015

It's Pride Month with NYC's Pride Day coming up a week from Sunday. Here are the latest promo remixes to come across my desk:

Ricky Martin's back, but with Pitbull. I think I could do without the rapper but I think that's the market the song is geared toward. I have to say this is a huge disappointment after 2011's "Freak of Nature (Mas)." In fact, I found this whole thing a cacophony and very annoying.

Carlos Gallardo's remix does rise above the deep-house murkiness of most of the efforts I listened to; something more on the hi-nrg side. I don't think most gay dance-music fans will embrace this mess, though.

Britney Spears and Iggy Izalea's "Pretty Girls" is another hot mess and remixers can only do so much for it. I actually cringed. No re-working can make these pretty girls perky. Pity since Britney has been a roll lately. This song was like listening to a car crash.

Ralphi Rosario's "Forever" is more to my taste out of this bum --not bumper -- crop of club music. His original mix is definitely geared toward big-rooms, and femme vocalist Frankie's voice soars in true diva fashion. Those vocals are upfront in the Majik Boys mix before it crescendos into a well-done nu-NRG mix. Best for money, however, is the upbeat Twisted Dee remix bound to motivate you to join the dance floor and move your money-maker.

Holly Johnson, of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, returns in top voice with remixes from the UK album. Europa. Phil Harding gives the beautiful "In and Out of Love" a classic, hands-in-the air flare that is perfect for Pride, as is Richard Cutmore's remix of Holly's "Heaven's Eyes."

See you at the march and at the clubs!

The Five Most Fabulous Men Under My Christmas Tree

The Rockerfeller Center tree is up and New York City is aglow with more lights than usual because it's holiday season. Such a happy time of year but equally tragic when all the lights and decorations are taken down shortly after the new year.  I am currently reminded, however, that as tomorrow is December 1st, it's time to compose my Christmas list for that hunky Mr Santa Claus, envisioned by moi as seen above. Love the sparklers, and I hear he's got a big roman candle to boot!

As for presenting dear Santa with my Christmas list, I so so so want the Joan Crawford and Mommie Dearest wallets from Rainbows & Triangles in Chelsea (pictured amongst the collection at right). But, modestly priced, I could easily purchase them myself; no need to bother Mr Claus.

There's the pricey little leopard-skin print Christopher Radko-designed Cyndi Lauper Christmas ball at Bloomingdale's that would be perfect for my tree. And there's the sexy John Varvados scarf for $248 plus tax that I'm qvelling over. Of course, Santa, since you won't be staying after you've tasted my cookies and milk (busy guy that you are, going up and down my chimney), you could always leave me one of my five currently most fabulous men, tied up with a big bow on top.

Well, there's the tall, Irish-looking, redhead personal trainer (I imagine, since he's always wearing spiffy athletic gear to work with no apparent change of outfit) with the humungous sneakers. And there's the Slavic guy with chiseled features, stubble and sexy dark eyes who always wears fatigues and a trendy scarf this time of year. I usually see at least one of these hotties on my morning commute. Unfortunately, I can't Google their images for the prurient interest of my gentle readers. But, Santa, you know who I mean and should add them as Fabulous Men numbers 6 and 7, thank you.

But now, I turn to more well-known men to comprise the Top 5 on my Christmas List:

#1: Channing Tatum.

'Nuff said.

#2: Zeb Atlas. I may have spoken ill about his ability as a disco divo http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2011/09/zeb-atlas-in-discoworld.html
but that doesn't mean I'd kick the big lug out of bed, Santa!

#3: Daniel Craig. 007? Yes. Stirred, not shaken. Is that a pistol in his pocket or is he just happy it's Christmas? He could make the earth move under my sheet... and the sky fall! Good to see him back in action (on the big screen, I mean) with buns as hard as steel. Surly, scruffy British guys are my weakness. Well, one of my weaknesses!

#4: Cheyenne Jackson.

I really don't have to explain him, do I?

#5: Ricky Martin. He looks better with age and even sexier since coming out.

Hot stuff for cold weather.

So, if anyone reading this wants to be my secret Santa and send me one (or more) of these five Fabulous Men, please feel free in the crazy spirit of the season. Any of the above would be the gift that keeps on giving. Hopefully! Please include a magnum of quality champagne and flutes (glass, not plastic). Otherwise, the John Varvados scarf and Radko Christmas ornament will do nicely.

Merry Christmas. I love you, Santa!

In conclusion, I'll turn things over to The Weather Girls in their 1983 video:

Ricky Martin Made It Cool to Come Out

Peek-a-boo!

Suddenly, the idea that coming out of the closet means death to a celebrity's career has been challenged. Do you hear that, Travolta and Cruise?

Anderson Cooper just came out. His show on CNN, 360, might even get a bounce from it. Not to be upstaged, Frank Ocean came out. That hip-hop homo may see a career boost, as I'm sure his manager already counted on. The old stigma against being gay -- or, at least, openly so -- just doesn't seem to hold in our modern age.

Martin, who had been dogged by gay rumors before coming out in 2010, pretty much appears to be the trendsetter. Of course, perhaps the person we really have to thank is Barbara Walters, whose infamous 2000 interview with Ricky turned awkward once the anything-for-a-good-cry-and-a-scoop Missy W tried to out the singing superstar.

In 2010, prior to Martin's coming out, yenta-for-pay Barbara told The Toronto Star, "I pushed him very hard to admit if he was gay or not, and the way he refused to do it made everyone decide that he was. A lot of people say that destroyed his career, and when I think back on it now I feel it was an inappropriate question."

The out-&-proud Ricky went on The View in 2010 to assure Walters he harbored no resentment. But, hell, her interview single-handedly sent his then-meteoric career into the toilet bowl for a time! He even got blowsy looking and (gasp!) put on weight! And then he came out -- and came back -- with a vengeance!

Gay daddy

Martin -- or, at least, his agent -- made gay pay. And this is the blueprint that people like Anderson Cooper had to work with. Anderson should send Ricky a "thank you" note, as far as I'm concerned.

Ricky was on the cover of The Advocate, interviewed with his family in Vanity Fair (appearing on the cover of the magazine's Spanish version), and saw his autobiography, Me, become a New York Times best-seller (debuting at number five on the Hardcover Nonfiction list). A Spanish-language edition entitled Yo was published simultaneously, also a huge hit.

Martin premiered his "Ricky's Lip Conditioner" lip balm in April 2012 as part of the M.A.C Cosmetics "Ricky and Nicki for Viva Glam" campaign. The advertisements paired him with rapper Minaj. A gigantic ad prominently went up in Times Square. Mmm, Ricky's Lip Conditioner. Now that's a beautiful thought! Ricky also hit Broadway in a broad way when he assayed the role of Che Quevera in the revival of the musical, Evita!

Ricky's 2011 album soared to #3 on the US Billboard chart (#1 US Billboard Latin chart). "Freak of Nature" was a huge hit at clubs last summer and Ricky's gay fans -- old and newly found -- were on board with that one.

So Senor Martin is a trailblazer. Closeted celebs take note. You, too, can become a beloved gay icon! Of his deer-in-the-headlights response to the Barbara Walters interview, Ricky now says:

They would say to me, ‘If you have a girlfriend, don’t say so, because your fans are going to be disappointed.’ Imagine if it had been a boyfriend! This is the mentality I grew up with. I was onstage with Menudo since I was 12 years old. To us, the most successful one was the guy with the most fans. If you moved your hips and the girls screamed, you were getting it right. Who wouldn’t want to be like Elvis or Jim Morrison!

Like Garland or, better yet, Mr. Jackson, Ricky Martin was a child star. Unlike Michael, Martin has always stayed very grounded. But, Ricky, I have a feeling we're not in Menudo any more! Just keep those hips shakin' till they need to be replaced, bebe! You're so over that rainbow!

Check out Ralphi Rosario's remix of "Freak of Nature" and take a dance on the wild side:

Buddy B's Best Club Songs of 2011

2011 was a good year for dance music, showcasing some fine vocal talent and a slate of equally impressive remixers attached to their songs. The UK ruled with the 4-to-the-floor sound freshly reloaded by Bimbo Jones, Moto Blanco, Almighty, 7th Heaven and Digital Dog, to name a few. All are actually indebted, to one degree or another, to the classic Almighty style, while Almighty has stayed relevant by refreshing its formula and bringing in new remixer talent. This sound has enjoyed a true worldwide renaissance over the past few years, originating as the beat of classic disco and continuing as Europe's hiNRG sound. It's subversively re-uniting the world.

England's classic HiNRG producer/remixer Pete Hammond came back prominently this year, and American stalwarts like Tony Moran, Ralphi Rosario, Eddie Baez and Jonathan Peters held their ground in the brave new disco world before them.

Note my opinions are just that and, as such, highly subjective, but these are the songs that I enjoyed playing the most, and that inspired me to get up and dance and to party on down. Now, let's get to that list! Shall we?

My top-15 artists are in alphabetical order, starting with the ubiquitous Adele, who was felled only recently by throat surgery (from which I understand she's recovering quite nicely). Adele has had a few of her pop songs translated for the dance floor, both legitimately and not. Dance remixers did quite well by this talent regarding "Set Fire to the Rain," "Rolling in the Deep," and "Someone Like You" (my personal favorite, even if it didn't fare as well as the previous two).

Pattie Brooks is disco-diva royalty best known for her 1978 sensation, "After Dark." She garnered positive notice this year with "All About the Music." Pattie started her professional career in the chorus on The Smother Brothers Comedy Hour, and toured with people like Bobby Darin and Ann-Margret before signing as a solo artist for the Casablanca record label. "All About the Music" was mixed by a slew of remixers domestically, in England, and in Australia. It was originally produced by legend Paul Gianatos. An energetic tune that'll rouse you to the floor, it's nice to have Pattie back to dance to after dark. And nice to have Charo on the scene again, too, with the latter's "Sexy, Sexy."

"Sexy Sexy" showcases the Cuchi-Cuchi Queen in fine form, still with the laughable broken English (a put-on, surely, considering how long she's been speaking English) and camp lyrics. "Feel on me, dance on me, touch on me, creep on me," Charo emplores to a disco beat. Below, she performs the song (after her bawdy, knowingly self-depracating, drag queen-like patter, dubbing herself, "The Spanish Puta". "Viva La Puta!" one of the boys shouts back from the crowd). The show was filmed earlier this year at Splash, NYC. Charo is one hot mess, but an intentional one (I think)! And she's looking simply stunning, sweeties! Here's the video for your enjoyment (and wait till the posse of go-go boys arrives):


Two women who are always a pleasure to have back on the disco scene returned this year with top-notch numbers to showcase their voices: Deborah Cox, at the end of the calendar year with the Janice Robinson-penned, "If It Wasn't for Love," and Taylor Dayne, this past summer with "Floor on Fire." Two strong, solidly written and produced tracks for two great, distinctive deliveries.

The divas known as Erasure (Vince Clark and Andy Bell) made a wonderful and welcome comeback with "When I Start to Break It All Down" in the fall while Lady Gaga ruled dance floors with a new anthem. "Born This Way" had a great beat, positive and empowering lyrics you can dance to, and melodic structure that reminded many of Madonna's "Express Yourself." But that's not such a bad thing, is it? I mean, she could do worse in terms of a model to clone from. Call it an homage and it isn't a problem any more; call it plagiarism only if you care to be ugly about it. Recent remixes of "Marry the Night" (my favorite song off the album) also score big on this year-end tally.

Jennifer Holliday has been away from dance music for too long, so it's a warm welcome back to that belting voice as she re-emerges for the club crowd with "Magic." The Tony Moran-produced track from his album, Mix Magic Music is truly a stunner worthy of this great diva. Remixes have started to emerge in just the past month or so. It is a powerhouse club threat, and I am telling you I'm not going to have this off my turntables for some time!

While Laura LaRue has a current Billboard dance charter with "Un Deux Trois," her Gay Pride-timed hit, "San Francisco Is My Disco," made me smile... and dance, and won a place in my heart, and is consequently on this list as a dance fave of the year. Here's the original, non-remixed version, already designed for the clubs.

Two Martins make my chart for the year: Billie Ray and Ricky. Ms Martin (by which I mean Billie Ray) started as vocalist for the '90s electropop group, Electribe, then had her first international solo hit with "Lovin' Arms," famously remixed by Junior Vasquez in 1995. This German diva is freely inventive with a style I can only call "disco avant-garde," and when she gets it right, the results are amazing as in this year's "Sweet Suburban Disco."

"Deep grooves are overlaid with layers of sparse, cold, synths which are expertly counterpointed by Billie’s huge warm vocals and the best lyrical content we’ve heard in dance music for a while," raved electronicrumors.com. Just keep 'em comin', honey! Love ya!

Martin, Ricky, on the other hand, had a hit on the Billboard Dance chart with "Freak of Nature" (originally entitled "Mas"), going all the way to #7, propelled by the brilliant Ralphi Rosario remix. This really was one of the very best dance songs of the year, and I was championing it since back in the spring (check my blog archive for evidence). (It shoulda gone to #1, I tell ya!) Try not to dance when you put this on. Muy caliente!

Michele McCain, whose dynamic vocals are like a cross between Loleatta Holloway and Izora Whitehead, has never gone beyond cult status, unfortunately, despite a history of well-produced but definitely diva-driven club numbers. This year's "Make a Friend" made a friend of me and was easily one of my faves.

Kylie Minogue's "Put Your Hands Up" charted on Billboard's 2011 top-50 dance listing, ascending to #1, and certainly was adored by moi! Viva La Minogue! And Viva La Ono, as Yoko, at 88 years of age, scored not one, but two Billboard dance charters for the year: the brilliant "Move on Fast" and the even better "Talking to the Universe." She's the new Betty White, people, so look out! (Betty's duet with Luciana, "I'm Still Hot" was a fun dance track, even if it fell short of my fave list.)

And, rounding out my list is Kristine W. This girl has really lasted, thank God, and what a shame it is her name isn't a household word.

She's been a beacon in the world of dance music since the 1990s; one of the most reliably stalwart vocalists, and a great lyricist to boot, frequently taking dance music to a level of human emotion and thoughtfulness consistently paralleled only, perhaps, by the Pet Shop Boys.

So, there you have it, my favorite club songs of the year and the 15 artists who lifted me to new levels of pure joy throughout the four seasons. Wishing everyone a happy New Year, and even bigger and brighter diva-fueled hits for the 2012 dance floor.

Eye Candy

"What book is Dj Buddy B reading now?" If this, possibly, is a question on your minds that you've been afraid to ask, fortuitously it's one I'm prepared to answer.

As my friends know, I love trashy celeb bios. The more salacious and scandal-infested, the better. Gone, virtually, is the high-minded literature of my days as an English major as I make my way through a morass of purple prose. It was my doctor (Frank Spinelli, author of the very well-received The Advocate Guide to Gay Men's Health and Wellness) who recommended Not the Girl Next Door by Charlotte Chandler, catering to my rather unhealthy and not-quite-well, I'm certain, pre-occupation with all things Joan Crawford. (I recently purchased a "Joan Crawford: America's Sweetheart" button off ebay if that clues you in to my obsession!)

While a breezy, well-written recount of the star's life, NtGND unfortunately comes a cropper (as Judith Crist used to say) when it comes to airing dirty laundry, something I steadfastly demand. (I have standards after all!) In fact, the bio is gushingly protective of JC, quoting from Ms Chandler's first-hand interviews with Crawford and taking Joan's often phoney, image-perpetuating spins on her life unquestioningly at face value. It's a virtual sin, as far as I'm concerned, for which there is no penance. According to this account, Joan arrived in Hollywood as a pillar of moral virtue without a silent blue movie or casting couch in sight!

The book, still being read, languishes on my night stand near my bed while, on the little, goldfish-patterned table, sits the magnificently large, "coffee table"-formatted DISCO: The Music/ The Times/ The Era by Johnny Morgan, published by Sterling (NY/London/Canada). The book is lavishly illustrated with amazing, drop-dead-gorgeous photos of legendary disco divas like Labelle (Patti, Nona & Sarah), Gloria Gaynor (who wrote the foreward) and Donna Summer (posing with the author in '78). This book was recommended to me by my friend, Steven Spiro, owner of Rainbows & Triangles on 8th Avenue in NYC (19th/20th Sts.), which is where fellow New Yorkers can snap it up. Otherwise, check out Amazon or order through your bookstore. (R&T has a large book section catering to the gay community; so, if visiting New York, stop in and peruse it along with the dance-music cd section.)

The book is a true treasure and Mr Morgan is a genius on the subject of disco music; his knowledge is encyclopedic. DISCO is nothing less than an absolutely definitive story of the rise and fall of an era beginning with its start in the go-go clubs of the 1960s (London's Ad Lib Club, New York's Peppermint Lounge) from the music's Soul and Girl Group origins. This isn't the kind of book you can Kindle. Largely because of the photos and design, you really have to experience it in book form.

From the marketing notes on the back of its jacket: "These are the stories of excess, success and duress; myths are exploded and dance steps decoded. Every night was a party. And you can relive it here." In this instance, believe the hype. Brilliant! I love this book and highly recommend it!

Gloria Gaynor writes beautifully, in her foreward, of the infamous 1979 Disco Demolition Night in Comiskey Park: "[I]f these people hated disco, why did they have disco records to begin with?" Good point! Go, Glo! And she does goes on: "I happen to know that disco has never died though;... It has simply changed to protect the innocent."

ps: On the current dance music front, as I predicted back in May, Ricky Martin's "Freak of Nature" is on the rise to number 13 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, after 4 weeks, up from #21 last week. It is included on my Gay Pride 2011 promo. Kylie Minogue's "Put Your Hands Up" is at #16, strongly after only 3 weeks. It can be found on my "Fagtastic" cd, still popular since distributed for dj-promo-purposes-only in April. Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" holds on at #48 after 16 weeks with Lady Gaga's "Judas" at #30 after 11 (both on the Pride '11 promo). Beth Ditto's "I Wrote the Book" (on my recent "Fire Island House Party" promo) is now at #26 with Gaga's "Edge of Glory" up at 8 (on same promo). And Yoko Ono bursts onto the scene once more with her current "Talking to the Universe". And she was actually at Peppermint Lounge!

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has viewed my blog thus far, I hope you enjoy my posts or promos, and a special thanks to viewers in Thailand, the Ukraine, India and Iran. (I do check my stats, you know!) Dance music pulls us together. Make love, not war or, as I always say: Why fight? Dance! Fuck Disco Demolition Night and all the haters of the world!

Love, peace, happiness and disco! :)