As we remember those who have left us in the struggle of fight the stigma of living with HIV, we here at POZPLANET Magazine feel that we should also celebrate those of us who are still here. For each and every one of us who has died as well as those of us who have survived, we have helped change the world. Not everyone is out about their status but for those of us who are we are the ones on the frontlines sharing our life experiences and educating friends, family, the public and our doctors about what it means to be HIV+. It is the courage to stand in your truth that makes a difference and changes minds. We appreciate your sacrifice. And we encourage everyone living with this disease to come out and tell your story. That’s what we try to do with each issue of this magazine…tell our stories. Because you cannot end stigma or change disclosure laws in a closet.
Culture Re-View: How Freddie Mercury's death changed AIDS perceptions Part of POZPLANET Magazine’s “Know Your History” Find the original article here: https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/11/24/culture-re-view-how-freddie-mercurys-death-changed-aids-perceptions
24 November 1991: Freddie Mercury dies. On this day in 1991, Freddie Mercury died of bronchial pneumonia, a complication resulting from AIDS. At the time of his death, Mercury was the most famous person to succumb to the deadly disease. The impact of Mercury and his band Queen have been long discussed. Their influence on the glam-rock genre through cabaret-fuelled space-age albums and Mercury’s outsized on-stage persona is given. One of Mercury’s greatest legacies comes through the circumstances of his death. At a time when the media was punishingly cruel to gay men suffering
through the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Mercury’s death signified a shift in public perception of the disease. • •
Culture Re-View: The journey to make the first ever episode of Doctor Who Culture Re-View: The 60-year anniversary of JFK’s assassination and the musicians it inspired
Mercury first showed symptoms of HIV/AIDS in 1982 but wasn’t officially diagnosed until 1987. In the four years after his diagnosis, his health deteriorated until he had to step away from performing with Queen. His last public performance was at the 1990 Brit Awards and his final appearance in a music video was for the filming of ‘These Are the Days of Our Lives’ in May 1991. After June 1991, Mercury returned to his home in Kensington where he stayed until his death on 24 November. During his life, media speculation was common as to Mercury’s sexuality due to his larger-than-life camp persona. He never confirmed nor denied anything – a move that was in-keeping with his general interviewee reticence. As he began to appear weaker due to the disease, and thanks to invasive reporting, press rumours also grew of Mercury’s condition.
Freddy Mercury with Queen on stage at Live Aid on 13 July 1985 at Wembley Stadium, London.Mark Allan/AP1985
Throughout his life, Mercury never chose to publicly come out with either his sexuality or his diagnosis. That was until 22 November when he arranged to make a statement. “Following the enormous conjecture in the press over the last two weeks, I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private to date to protect the privacy of those around me. However, the time has come now for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope that everyone will join with me, my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease. My privacy has always been very special to me and I am famous for my lack of interviews. Please understand this policy will continue.” The statement was released on 23 November, just a day before he died. Despite the information only being officially known for the final day of his life, Mercury’s death was a watershed moment in how Britain saw the disease that was tearing apart the gay community to little sympathy from mainstream news or politics. Much like when Princess Diana opened the UK’s first specialist HIV/AIDS unit at London’s Middlesex Hospital in 1987, Mercury brought the topic into a context of the straight world. Following his death, the wall of his home at Garden Lodge in Logan Place, Kensington became a shrine to the rockstar. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was rereleased and went to #1 in the charts.
British singer George Michael, left, performs with "Queen" guitarist Brian May at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at London's Wembley Arena, United KingdomGill Allen/AP
On 20 April 1992, the remaining Queen members played The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness at London’s Wembley Stadium. An audience of 72,000 people came to see a jam-packed show with legends like Elton John, David Bowie, George Michael, Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, The Who’s Roger Daltrey, Annie Lennox, and many more. The concert was broadcast worldwide and coincided with the creation of the Mercury Phoenix Trust, a charity that fights HIV/AIDS worldwide. In a wild and wonderful life, his tragic final act still had the power to change the way the world saw people suffering – a deserving legacy of one of the greatest rockstars to have ever lived. Written By Jonny Walfisz
I’m going to depart from my usual discussions of care and support for women living with HIV and delve into testing for HIV, Hepatitis C and syphilis. Full disclosure: I sit on the advisory committee for the APPROACH Study: Pharmacy Point of Care Testing for HIV, Hepatitis C and syphilis in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Alberta. https://www.approachstudy.ca/ Have you ever had a friend ask you where they should go to get tested for HIV, Hepatitis C or syphilis? Or a family member who has had unprotected sex and you’re advising them on how to get tested? The APPROACH 2.0 study is looking at accessing testing for these three diseases at pharmacies to see if it would be a better way to get tested. Here in Alberta, syphilis is on the rise: 3,300 new cases reported in 2022. (https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/info/Page17087.aspx ) As a result, the number of babies born with syphilis is rising: “The province's new sexually transmitted infections report shows the number of Alberta babies born with syphilis is rising at what experts say is an unacceptable and alarming rate. In Alberta, the rate of babies born with syphilis has jumped dramatically, from 30.8 per 100,000 in 2018, to 169.1 last year.” https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-babies-syphilis-ameeta-singhstephanie-cooper-1.6894059 The need for easy to access testing has never been greater. Imagine being able to walk into your nearest pharmacy (in large cities, that is often at a grocery store) and ask to be tested for HIV, Hepatitis C or syphilis. You go to pick up some groceries and get your HIV (and/or Hepatitis C, syphilis) test at the same time. For many older people and women this is a much more convenient and low stigma environment. Many people who live in small, rural communities do not feel comfortable being tested by their doctor. Their doctor may be their neighbour, family member or friend. They worry about confidentiality. Pharmacies may be a different story. If someone is concerned about confidentiality at their local pharmacy, maybe they could go one town over to a different pharmacy where no one knows them. Pharmacy based testing has the potential to change how people view testing. Since COVID-19, many people go to their pharmacy to be vaccinated. They have learned that pharmacies are a resource that can be used for things other than their monthly medications and vitamins.
The initial study done by APPROACH found “The high degree of client acceptability [in APPROACH 1] suggests that a pharmacist-provided HIV POCT program can overcome many barriers associated with HIV testing. Clients liked the privacy and discretion provided in the pharmacy, and the pharmacy venue was felt to normalize the testing experience. Many participants indicated they preferred going to the pharmacy over a sexual health clinic or requesting testing from their family doctor, attesting to the need for a variety of testing options that appeal to different people since barriers are different for everyone.” (https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-020-08719-0 ) A similar pharmacy point of care testing study in Ontario found “The program was able to reach first-time testers, the greatest number of whom were women, indicating that this may be an effective approach to engaging this population in the HIV cascade.” https://www.catie.ca/programming-connection/pharmacy-based-hiv-pointof-care-testing World AIDS Day is December 1st. I can’t think of a better way to mark the day than to encourage all of your friends and family to go get tested. If they are having unprotected sex or share needles, they must get tested. Yes, even if they are in a “monogamous” relationship. I was in what I thought was a monogamous relationship and I ended up living with HIV because my partner did not know about the risks for heterosexual people. Those risks have not changed and in some parts of Canada have increased. If you are having unprotected sex and do not know your status, find a way to get tested. And you might just be able to do that when you pick up groceries this weekend.
Be sure to join us for our ninth Poz-TO Awards coming up on December 12th. We have our honorees, presenters, hostesses and performers lined up. The only thing left is "Who will be the PERSON OF THE YEAR?" I guess...you'll just have to show up to the 2023 POZ-TO Awards at The El Mocambo to find out. All proceeds raised go to FIFE House (the organization that finds housing for those living with HIV). #GivingBackToTheCommunity Get your tickets here: h#ps://www.*cketweb.ca/event/the-2023-poz-to-awards-the-starlight-room-at-the*ckets/13848468?Dclid=IwAR0qjoZ9XnCRkajdS5Mz0S_qkCuC4Z08TYIP82rRgmnIKNVwWo5mJ MX-rWE
It is always hard to find out a friend has recently gotten diagnosed as being HIV+. I've been positive since 1989 and I have many friends who have left us. But I have also watched many survive and even thrive by using the experience to push them to do what they have always wanted to do...to be the person that they always wanted to be. Today I am sitting and talking with a friend who I met a decade ago when I moved to Toronto. He is a good friend of my husband. I met him as Akim but today he is known as ADÉX LAVA. AK: Akim...I have to apologize. I guess because I met you under that name you will always be Akim to me. I will try to adapt to your name change...please forgive me if I slip up. Adéx...thank you for taking time out of your schedule to do this interview. How are you today? AL: No problem at all and no apologies mentioning my previous name. So how am I today? I am doing great! I had a beautiful day in Montréal, I met up with a friend for a coffee and some food. Right now, I’m having some red wine and having a conversation with you. I’m sensational AK: My husband, John has shared some of his experiences with you when you two were roommates. I remember seeing you out socially and even asking you one time to manage Jade Elektra, but I don't know that much about you. You've had a few positions in the community. Would you mind sharing a little of your history with me and our readers? AL: Wow, this brings back some memories of the past. John and I were roommates and our experiences together could form the long version of a docuseries on Netflix. But I’ll leave that for another interview. Yes, I had the pleasure of meeting you through John in Toronto, back in the day. I do recall at some point we had a conversation about artist management for you and I don’t think I was ready professionally for such responsibility. That being said, congrats on your success and dedication to your craft and art as an artist over these years. While I lived in Toronto between the years of 1999 until 2014, I assumed a host of different positions in the community. For me community means the issues, the
sectors and people who are in my immediate networks and concern. And in that sense, I’ve been forming community and kinship in Canada with my first job as a Travel consultant at Sun Holidays in 1999, then I moved to American Express as a VIP Travel Consultant for the CIBC Conceirge Desk in 2000. I then left Canada to pursue my studies and formed community there at the Universoty of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdon from 2003 until 2005. I guess that takes me to 2006 until 2009, when our paths crossed and I was the Director of Policy & Research & EGALE CANADA. https://macleans.ca/general/mps-gay-rights-and-underwear-models/, https://sencanada.ca/en/Content/SEN/Committee/402/huma/08mn-e https://xtramagazine.com/power/itunes-canada-pulls-anti-gay-dancehall-songs38401 During my tenture there, I was at the center of a national media debate about homosexuality, dancehall and popular culture in Canada. At that time was the founder and face of the Stop Murder Music (Canada) campaign. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Murder_Music
It’s overwhelming reflecting on my past roles, as we in community sometimes forget to reflect and slow down. So anyway, after my time at Egale Canada, I
entered the realm of private consultancy, focusing on organizational governance policy development, and human rights law. Then in 2011, I assumed the role as the Executive Director of the Canadian Treatment Action Council (CTAC) - which was a non-governmental organization focusing on access to treatment for people living with HIV and HIV/hepatitis C co-infection in Canada. Its no shock to you then, to hear, with all this, I got burnt out and took a year off to find myself and purpose. So in 2014, I moved back to my country of birth Saint Lucia. During the six years of my time in Saint Lucia, I was the Moët & Hennessy Brand Manager, a nightclub manager and then managed an events management company with my brother. As an event curator, I was managing events from as small as 2 people to as many as 10,000 people. Fast forward to today I moved to Montreal in 2020 and now as a writer and visual artist - well actually as a shit disturber, someone just disrupts the status quo. https://stluciastar.com/49017-2/ https://www.thevoiceslu.com/2020/01/junior-achievement-st-lucia-garnerssupport-of-dash-colour-run-inc/ AK: So, how did you come to Canada? What brought you here? AL: What brought me to Canada is safety, hope and opportunity as a gay man. I have dual citizenship as a Canadian and Saint Lucian, as a result of my parents. So its no secret that the vast part of the Caribbean is homophobic and Saint Lucia is one of those places there. So in 1999, my partner and I we’re facing growing physical threats in St. Lucia and it became extremely difficult to consider a life there as a couple. So 1999, after a violent attack at the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival involving myself, we fled to Canada. AK: John and I have been very out about being positive. Right after we got married, we came out in FAB magazine. I figured since I was just arriving in Toronto that I should disclose. I think I remember you sharing your diagnosis with John in a private message. How long have you been positive and what was it like when you found out that you were? AL: Thank you for that question and coming to think of it. John is probably the first person I met who was HIV positive because outside of John, my only awareness and crush at the time was Pedro Zamora from the MTV's reality television series, The Real World: San Francisco. So I have the utmost respect,
admiration, and connection with John and you as his husband. But, I found out I was HIV positive actually less than a couple years ago. So I got diagnosed just after COVID. It seems I got everything but COVID after 2020. Sorry for the wise crack, but John knows my twisted sense of humor. As it relates to finding out about my HIV status, thankfully, I journal. So, this HIV journey has made me realize the importance of journaling. By having the ability to look back in time is important to me. Because when I look back, I can examine what my thoughts were, read the experiences I went through, or the dreams, or even the photos I took that time in my life. It gives me perspective of time and space. So, for example, when I found out about my HIV status. If I truly look back, when I started to explore my own artistry as an artist- it didn’t coincide with my HIV status. After I found out about my HIV status, it wasn’t until another 6 months until I started trying to capture in time and space that HIV journey. I mean I started immediately taking my meds. But, I think the highlights for me on my HIV journey was recognizing that at any given moment, I must keep capturing my lived experiences. Because when faced with this situation, I don't think I knew where to go for help except in my creative mind. I relied on my art and in my art, I found a way to accept my HIV status, to find a way to find myself again, and then through my art and this process, find a way to understand how I got here in the first place. Once I found my day back to self, it was at that moment, I started using semen in my art. I'm still using semen today as this body of work is a living mosaic. I guess, I’m trying to understand at what point was I infected or what was I doing even before infection, and understand my states of mind after infection. So for me, I think outside of my HIV status, this experince has made me realize the importance of, archiving and daily recording the signs, the symbols, and the sort of cues in my life I need to form and build community. The highlight is that despite any turbulent time, I could be drowning in pain or suffering I can reflect and find beauty in the darkness through by art. AK: I'm curious...did your name change have anything to do with your diagnosis? AL: I come from a privileged family on the small Caribbean island of Saint Lucia and I am eternally grateful for the privilege that was afforded to me. I am quite aware of what that privilege has afforded me and my parents worked extremely hard to ensure I would have a better life than them. However, at the moment of my father‘s death in 2020, alot changed in the family dynamic. My perception of what family as an institution means to me changed, the meaning of what having a place to call home changed, my perception of nationality or citizenship changed
and as an artist I believe it was important that I cut any legacy or relationship with that type of colonial mindset and privilege. So a couple years ago, I legally changed my name to ADÉX LAVA. ADÉ is actully my middle name and I added X for the unknown and I added the X as an homage to Malcom X someone I look up to as an ancestor. LAVA as my last name represents a cultural way of expressing the fire, advocacy, and vigor I bring to disrupting and setting fire to institutional structures that oppress and degrade people. AK: So, ADÉX LAVA is now your artist name. Tell us about your art and what is your process to create your art? AL: I am a multihyphenate artist - I am a writer, visual artist, cultural ragamuffin, installation artist, performance artist, photographer, events curator, and a political activist. I basically draw on my interest and training in law to express myself in the arts. I have a philosophy called “THE LAW OF ARTISTRY” and that is a fusion of exposing the visceral experiences of injustice, trauma, and trying to find the beauty in the darkness through art.
In my most recent body of work, I am creating a living mosaic of my HIV journey. In that series, I use seminal fluid in my art. I am trying to disrupt our preconceived notions about semen, life, procreation, beauty, sensuality, deviant expression, and going viral. So my use of seamen is a way to on the one hand look at the dark and legal side of using a biohazard substance but also explore the beautiful themes of Blackness, Indigeneity, memory, and love. I’ve also just started my next series called BODILY FLUIDS: ฿ⱠØØĐ(Ⱡł₦Ɇ₴ . In that series, I will be exploring the historical, ancestral, and storytelling of the Caribbean from 1600s until now through a mapping project. As the name does identify, I will look at a way of layering blood into the visual work. Another biohazard and source of life. AK: What was your motivation behind this process? AL: Oh, that’s an interesting question and as somebody who plays with the words on a daily basis. I think words are very imprecise ways of us trying to explain our human experiences. So, I would probably re-ask the question to myself, and ask if this is a calling. I’m not motivated per se to do this I think it’s a calling for me. A form of survival - if I can’t write or do art - I will not be able to survive this human experience. So if society, doesn’t wish to have an early death on their hands, I am gonna need to continue doing art to stay alive.
AK: Is there a market for this style of art? And where can a person find your art? AL: Now, thats another interesting question. I’ve sold my art before and I’ve been commissioned individual semen pieces. So yes, I guess that could be called a market. However, whether it sells or there isn’t a market for my art I wilI still wake up each day and create art to express myself and heal from this human experience. You can find me online Twitter, Instagram, Facebook as @adexlava or you can reach me also via my website www.adexlava.com AK: Before I let you go, I have two more questions. First...where do you see yourself ten years from now? And if you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be? AL: In 10 years it would be amazing to be living on the continent of Africa in the sub-tropical parts because I like seasons, except Winter. But it would be amazing to be living in a subtropical country even like Bermuda or somewhere in South America or maybe lets say South Africa. I would be living around a network of mi bredren (friends/family) in our LAVA colony and doing art. It would be a refuge for young artist who want to explore their creative curiosity and a place to find their voice away from institutions of the Family, the State, the Chruch, and societal expectations. Its a home for artists, as that’s what I would like for others because that’s what was not given to me when I was ready to explore my curiosity as a child back in Saint Lucia. Thank you for that last question. I think the best analogy would be I would tell my younger self, thank you for allowing me to see that through pain and trauma. In my curiosity as a child I was always able to find beauty in darkness. Because as a child around the age of like 9, I remember trying to cross Vigie airport in Saint Lucia. Back then, the airport runway was accessible via a manual gate, yup! Simply pull and open to cross over to get to the beach. Times have changed and you aren’t allowed to run across the runway but its highly regulated now. As is every aspect of our daily lives. Sorry for digressing, but I always remember that I had to jump over a large gutter to get to the other side. I mean it was a huge gutter to me back then and I always feared falling into the gutter. Falling into the unknown and the dark depths. I was
always fearful of that, but in the moment at every jump - there was always a dragon fly buzzing around. And I would stand and watch and enjoy the beauty of its color and reflections in the water. So I was always curious in the face of danger. So I would thank my younger self, for the curiosity I’ve carried despite my adversities. It has been my curiosity in my fears that has lead me thorugh the pain and alone time. Makes so much sense now, because as a teenager and to this day, one of my favorite phrases comes from a Shakespeare’s quote, so I’ll end with that one and its from his famous play called “As You Like It”, and it reads: “Sweet are the uses of adversity, which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head; and this our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in every thing.” (II. 1.12–17). Thank you Alphonso - this was amazing.
ArT iS LifE & LifE iS ArT
Listen to the mix here: https://www.mixcloud.com/djrelentlessny/ear-candy-december-2023 Download your free video of this mix here: h"ps://krakenfiles.com/view/Ow7UBBG0jP/file.html Check out DJ Relentless’ Mixcloud page: https://www.mixcloud.com/djrelentlessny Check out DJ Relentless’ HearThis page: https://hearthis.at/djrelentlesstoronto Another year has come and gone. I guess as you get older you pay closer a5en6on to what’s going on in the world. And you start to see how one event leads to another. I don’t think I have ever seen the world so divided before. I also guess that’s why I believe that music can calm the savage beast. And this is why I believe that my EAR CANDY mixes and column is a place where we can all come together and find common ground and share the same dance floor. I love all genre(s) of music and I love programming for a diverse audience. I don’t love every song but I try to entertain and educate you through my playlist. We’ve got twenty-four tracks to talk about to close out 2023. From Pop to Hip Hop to Afrobeat to Country to Club to House and of course one Christmas song. So, let’s get started…shall we? I opened the mix with one of my crushes…Yung Gravy. I have a thing for white male rappers who own their whiteness and don’t try to be black. And I par6cularly find the music video for “No Way Jose” interes6ng since his collabora6on with bbno$ has a couple of shots of these two playing “big spoon / li5le spoon” like in Brokeback Mountain while rapping about fucking girls. There’s a lot gin’ on in this Western themed video. I don’t know if this was inten6on to catch the “gay eye” or these two are just that comfortable with their sexuality that they don’t give a shit. But in any case the song is hot and Mr. Gravy could spoon me any day! I kept hearing about this mashup of Kylie Minogue’s “Slow” with Donna Summer’s “Love To Love You Baby” that Kylie had been doing in concert. Well, Stevie Psyclone finally captured
it and did a video for it. And I love it! No disrespect to “Padam Padam” & “Tension”. And for our third selec6on I couldn’t resist sneaking in this other mashup of Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red” and Beyoncé’s “Naughty Girl”. I know that I reviewed the House mix of Doja’s track but Beyoncé’s movie debuts on December 1st. And I wanted to show some love. I can’t wait to see the box office returns a_er the first weekend! And another white male rapper that can get it is Jack Harlow! I’m lovin’ on him for his latest single “Lovin’ On Me”. It’s got that nice bounce and his flow is unique and 6ght. I think my crush on Jack and Yung Gravy has to do with their hair. Unapologe6cally white boy curls…nice. It seems like Jung Kook is trying to dominate the Pop charts. He has two singles and music videos out right now, but I chose to use only one…“Standing Next To You”. It’s funny but when I watch his videos or performances all I see is Michael Jackson. It’s like he’s studied Michael at his peak and ran with his look and moves. Of course, because the King Of Pop is no longer with us, these kids today think this is new and inven6ve.
Our sixth track is “Puff & Pass” by Zerry DL. I am really lovin’ that this Afrobeat vibe is catching on. Black Music in North America needs to expand and embrace its roots of Africa. Now…I’m gonna be honest. I’m not clear on his name. Not sure if he’s trying to tell us something or not. But the song is good and I hope there will be some remixes soon. I know that Kane Brown has released a lot of songs since the last 6me I talked about him. Perhaps those single were not remixed and stayed in the Country lane. But his latest caught my
a5en6on because of the Phil Collins reference to “In The Air Tonight” and the UlUmix version of “I Can Feel It” which I received in one of my VJ groups. As Country is bleeding into the Pop charts it reminds me of back when ar6sts like Dolly Parton, Eddie Rabbit & Barbara Mandrell crossed over back in the 80s. And speaking of the 80s… Mackenzie Carpenter’s rewrite and nod to Cyndi Lauper on “Country Girls (Just Wanna Have Fun)” is nice Country version of this Retro Dance hit. And another crossover that is happening a li5le more o_en is that of LGBT ar6sts collabora6ng with Hip Hop ar6sts. I was a li5le surprised to discover “Flashy” by City Girls featuring Kim Petras. I’m hoping that this is a sign of the future and acceptance instead of a P.R. stunt to grab an LGBT audience. It’s a hot li5le Pop track. Perhaps some remixes might even get it up to Club speed.
Every few months a new Pop chanteuse pops up for chart domina6on. They are usually hybrids of Madonna, Lady GaGa, Beyoncé’, Rihanna or all of the above. Our tenth selec6on is “Feather” by actress Sabrina Carpenter (no rela6ons to Mackenzie). She’s cute and marketable. I am sure remixes are coming down the pike. Hopefully she gets a second single that is chart worthy. So, if you haven’t no6ced TikTok has taken over the Pop charts. New releases are geing shorter and shorter. The average song today is about two minutes and some change. So, when I heard “Lil Boo Thing” by Paul Russell I got excited because of the “Best Of My Love” sample by The EmoUons. But when I saw how short it was, I shook my head and said what the hell am I supposed to do with this. Thank goodness there came along the MarUal Simon Remix that bumped it up to 123 BPMs and made it over four minutes and DJ friendly. Our twel_h selec6on is by a new ar6st that is flooding the market with singles and music videos. Baby Tate is the daughter of Dionne Farris (90s Pop ar6st and former member of Hip
Hop group, Arrested Development). “Lollipop” and “Jersey” are a couple of her singles but the one that caught my a5en6on was “Grip” with its rewrite and nod to “Wait (Whisper Song)” by The Ying Yang Twins. Imagine if this 2000s Hip Hop classic was sped up to House speed and was from a female’s point of view. And speaking of The Ying Yang Twins…the Mister Gray & Ruen Remix revisits and reinvents their collabora6on with Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz, “Salt Shaker”. You know I love when they take a Hip Hop song and give it a House or Club remix.
And to finish up our remixed Hip Hop sec6on, here’s the MarUal Simon Remix of “Creep” by TLC. Love it, love it, love it! If only they had done a House remix when this was originally out. I probably could have go5en away with it when I worked at the white owned gay bars and clubs back in the late 90s and early 2000s since it doesn’t really have a rap in it. Okay…I felt bad for Britney Spears when I started seeing the videos popping up of her dancing in her kitchen slash dining area of her house with knives. Obviously, there’s some mental health issues going on. But this is what happens when kids are thrusted into the fame. But now that her book is out it really sheds some light on what really happened to her. And I am really enjoying the fallout that is shuing down JusUn Timberlake’s dreams of a comeback. So, I couldn’t resist digging up the Wookie Remix of “What Goes Around…Comes Around”. He definitely deserves to be knocked down a peg or two. From his mistreatment of Britney and their breakup to demanding she abort their child to the Janet Jackson Super Bowl incident to Black Twi]er geHn’ him together over his chiming in on Jessie Williams’ BET speech to releasing “Say Something” as a clapback…he can go have several seats in my opinion.
I have to say that Dua Lipa is s6ll killin’ it! Her latest single “Houdini” is climbing up on my playlist. And the ReGroove Enrico Toffa Mix is working for my floor. For me, she is the UK’s answer to a Pop Dance Diva. She dances. She can sing. And she’s got style. Keep it goin’ girl! Our seventeenth track is the Deux Twins Remix of “Water” by Tyla. I went checking into the original version and it is another Afrobeat hit but this remix transforms the song into a great House mix. And I’m always gonna be a House Head first. So, Katy Perry is back with a new single called “Harleys In Hawaii”. I checked out the original version and it was okay. I prefer the KANDY Extended ReDrum version. As A DJ trying to keep a floor and energy about is sets, this one works best for me. Our nineteenth track is the Jason Parker Remix of “Woman In Love” by Barbra Streisand. Not sure if you caught her interviews with Stephen Colbert or Gayle King but I learned a few things about her and I also confirmed a few things. I liked her stance on what is going on in the IsraelHamas War but could not understand why she has a mini mall in her basement where she is selling collectable dolls. She is a legend and undisputed talent. But she’s also a li5le controlling and ego6s6cal. I guess that’s what makes her who she is. But this is a brilliant remix and will make a great addi6on to my SUNDAY TEA DANCE playlist. You know… Beyoncé’’s Renaissance Tour may be a love le5er to the LGBT Community but Madonna has incorporated a tribute to those we have lost to AIDS over the past 40 years with her produc6on of “Live To Tell” on her CelebraNon Tour. This is a reminder that she was one of
first Pop stars to speak up for those of us living with the disease. She lost friends like Keith Haring in the early days. So, I was so impressed that she used this song with photos of people we have lost in this slice of her history in Pop Culture. Thank you. I wish that I had footage of the en6re performance so I could have edited it to the Jasmin Club Mix but there was a video edit that u6lized older concert footage. So, I used that for the mix.
And given all that is happening in the world today, I felt like Tiësto’s reinven6on of Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” was very appropriate in this set. He teamed up with NIIKO x SWAE & GUDFELLA and gave this 80s classic a true Club produc6on. I really need to find the 6me to learn Spanish. I loves me some Bad Bunny but have no idea what he is singing on his tracks. All I know is he comes across so sexy in the video for “Monaco”. And the Sandunga House Mix worked so well in this set that I had to use it. Our twenty-third selec6on is the VIP Mixshow Edit of “Diamond Therapy” by Diplo x Walker & Royce featuring Channel Tres. We all need one of those Club Bangaz that will get the energy up and inspire more folks to get to the floor. In my opinion…this is the perfect track for your floor. And to close out this year’s EAR CANDY mix I had to throw in at least one Christmas track. And that track is the Colin Balmer NRG Mix of “DJ Play A Christmas Song” by Cher. Ever since Mariah came along with her “All I Want For Christmas (Is You)”, every year Pop Divas try to create a new Christmas Anthem. It’s a tall order but unfortunately, I don’t think Cher has done it. The song is cute, but I don’t think it’s going to be the anthem she hopes for. Have a safe and great holiday season. Be kind to each other and stay open to new music.