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DJ Ricardo!

About Me

MyGen Profile GeneratorTo purchase Out.Anthems 3 on itunes Click Here
To purchase Out.Anthems 3 physical cd via Amazon: Click Here
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ULTRA For Bookings of DJ Ricardo! contact: VNL Productions: RELEASES SEQUEL OF THEIR TOP SELLING GAY-THEMED DANCE COMPILATION CD DJ Ricardo! Presents Out. Anthems 2
• The first volume of OUT. ANTHEMS remained on I-Tunes Top 5 dance charts for three consecutive months.
• Out. Anthems 2 is mixed by DJ Ricardo! and hosted by “Gay Pimp” Jonny McGovern, star of LOGO-TV’s The Big Gay Sketch Show.
• Comes Out May 22nd, in time for the 2007 Pride season.
The first Out. Anthems compilation was a phenomenon with both gay boys and girls, remaining on i-Tunes Top 5 dance chart for three consecutive months. This week, America’s biggest selling dance label, Ultra Records, announced the sequel to the smash compilation. Out. Anthems 2, releasing to stores and on i-Tunes in time for 2007’s pride season. Once again, the young and talented DJ Ricardo! is spinning the summer beats. As an added bonus, the album will feature hilarious drops by LOGO-TV’s Jonny McGovern, best known to GLBT audiences as The Gay Pimp.
“After the overwhelming success of the first Out. Anthems compilation, we knew we had to release a sequel,” said DJ Ricardo!, upon announcing the release of the new album. “We believe Out. Anthems could be another important branded series in the Ultra family, joining the Ultra Dance and Ultra Weekend series.”
Out. Anthems 2 is packed with 16 of Ultra’s hard-pounding records currently rocking gay clubs around the world, including Outwork feat. Mr. Gee’s ..1 dance radio single “Elektro”, a brand new track featuring Crystal Waters, an exclusive new single from Victor Calderone, and the anthem likely to dominate dance floors this summer, Bodyrox feat. Luiciana’s “Yeah Yeah”.
“The Bodyrox track always gets a huge response on the dance floor,” said Ricardo!. “With its rock and roll attitude, it is probably what best describes the new gay anthem.”
The definition of gay anthem has changed in the last year. “Many legendary big rooms have closed,” explained Ricardo!. “In New York, we lost Roxy, Spirit and Crobar. Gay parties are becoming smaller and more scene-specific.” Gay scenes have divided into electro, rock, circuit, house, and pop. “They’re all converging at smaller venues and hitting up different parties through the night rather than one big gay party.”
The gritty electro sound, heard in ‘Yeah Yeah’, emerged from Larry Tees’ Electroclash beats. It has greatly influenced the artists and songs that Ultra Records is currently signing. “I wouldn’t say Tribal is dead, but Electro is definitely taking over gay dance floors.”
Adding to the downtown grit of Out. Anthems 2 is East Village bad boy, Jonny McGovern, star of the LOGO-TV comedy sketch show, THE BIG GAY SKETCH SHOW, and widely known for his colorful, fun-loving character, The Gay Pimp.
“This is the first time a dance compilation cd includes a host,” continued DJ Ricardo!. “I was intrigued by the idea from the beginning but had no idea it would come out as unique as it did. Jonny is hilarious and fits in perfectly with the album. Out. Anthem and Gay Pimp fans are in for a real treat.”
In the end, however, fans know that it is the music that matters most to a dance compilation album. DJ Ricardo! has distinguished himself as an emerging force in dance music. He has headlined New York mega-houses Pacha, Crobar, Element, Splash and Spirit, and was a resident DJ at New York’s Stonewall, the historic bar that helped spark the gay rights movement. He was also the official DJ on WKTU-FM’s NYC gay pride float last year. Ricardo! excels in bringing the beats gay men and women want to hear to his dance floors.
“I learned a lot from the first album. The eclectic music on the original Out. Anthems appealed to many different groups of people. I believe that’s what made it stand out from the thousands of gay compilations in record stores. Other albums pigeonhole their track listing to one gay subculture. I wanted to create a potpourri of various gay subcultures and that is what I did once again, using Ultra’s vast catalogue of music. Though electro may be the predominant influence today, there really is something for everyone on Out. Anthems 2.”
From electro to techno, diva house to progressive and back again, DJ Ricardo! presents Out. Anthems 2 - a collection of Ultra’s best gay anthems for summer 2007.
For Bookings of DJ Ricardo! click here for: VNL Productions:
Photos taken by the talented Justin Hyte

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 4/21/2006
Band Website: vnlproductions.com
Band Members:DJ Ricardo!
Influences:I am Influenced by a ton of artists I will list my Djing influences by electronic DJ's, Producers, Bands & Artist (Non Rock) For rock check out my personal myspace page:DJ Influences: Danny Tenaglia, Victor Calderone, Paul Van Dyk, Eric Morillo, Chus & Ceballos, Murk, Peter Rauhofer, David Waxman, David Morales, Dylan Drazen, Tom Stephan, Tom Novy, Kings Of Tomorrow, Sasha, Hybrid, Lee Combs, Cedric Gervais, Sebastian Ingrosso, Nick Warren, Kaskade, Roger Sanchez, Steve Lawler, DJ Vibe, Carl Cox, Stephan Luke, Marco Carola, Richie Hawtin, Mistress Barbara, Tony Moran, Robbie Rivera, Jonny Dynell, Sven VathDJ Ricardo's Favorite DJ's:1. Victor Calderone 2. Paul Van Dyk 3. DJ Vibe 4. Eric Morillo 5. Danny Tenaglia 6. Tom Novy 7. Chus & Ceballos 8. Axwell 9. Nick Warren 10. Murk
Electronic Producers: Moby, Jacques Lu Cont, Oliver Lieb, Gabrielle & Dresden, G. Pal, Sasha, Danny Tenaglia, Junkie XL, Layo & Bushwacka, Cevin Fisher, John Creamer & Stephan K, Danny Buddah Morales, Deep Dish, Mylo, Felix the Housecat, Armand Van Helden, Humate, Joeski & Onionz, Joey Beltram, Josh Wink, Georgio Moroder, Kanye West, Louie Vega, Marco Corolla, Richie hawtin, Martin Sloveig, Miguel Migs, Miss Kitten, Moshic, Palash, Paul Harris, Paul Van Dyk, Rui Da Silva, Sandy Rivera, Crystal Method, The Hacker, Scumfrog, Timo Maas, Westbam, Vinyl Life, Fracois k, Kraftwerk, Lamb, Portishead, Schiller, Snap!, EnyaElectronic Artist & Groups: Depeche Mode, Depeche mode, Depeche Mode, Dee Lite, Dee Lite , Dee Lite, MADONNA, Pink Floyd, Bjork, Daft Punk, Dirty Vegas, Lolleeta Holliway, Blondie, Donna Summers, Ficherspooner, Massive Attack, Enigma, Groove Armada, NIN, Roysopp, Stereolab, The Orb, Tricky, Unkle, Phillip Glass, C & C Music Factory, Chicane, Dido, Eurythmics, Expose, King Tubby, Black Box,Mary J. Blige, India, Michael Jackson, Prince, Pet Shop Boys, etc etc
Sounds Like: Since the first Out.Anthems was released last year, I have done alot of traveling, experiencing different countries and diverse clubs. I’ve tried to represent a little piece of each place that moved me in Out.Anthems 2, that capture musical snippets that embody not only the individual essence of a once unfamiliar locale, but one that also exemplifies the collective vibe and music that can be found in any cities club.

My experiences both at home and abroad have shown me that most “gay” clubs encompass many of the same components - whether you are at Element in NYC, Heaven in London, Space in Barcelona, Eros in San Juan, Stereo in Canada, The Endup in San Francisco or Connection in Berlin - there is usually hot boys & girls, pumping beats and vocals, and most importantly, a theatrical host who sets the tone for the night... And speaking of spectacular hosts... for the ultimate club experience, Out.Anthems 2 is lucky to feature Jonny McGovern, NYC’s “Gay Pimp”. Not one just to be trusted with just hosting duties, Jonny will soon be on MTV’s LOGO network, so don’t say I didn’t warn you!

The night club has always been a sort of church in “Gay” culture, a sanctuary safe from the prejudices and rules of the outside world. But while gay life has found limited acceptance in the mainstream (marriage bans aside), our once reliable shelters have come under attack by locale government and bottle service - leaving many historic clubs closed or forever changed, including NYC’s legendary Roxy. Without clubland, we lose a vital component of our culture, the refuge where much of our lifestyle has developed and where many of us learned to express oursleves. Where do we now go to come and work it out?!?!

This album is dedicated to Matthew Shepard and all of those who have struggled against prejudice, hate, and discrimination over their sexual orientation - MatthewShepard.org

-Dj Ricardo!

Q&A with...

DJ Ricardo!

The remixer of Out. Anthems (the ..2 downloaded dance album on i-Tunes for three consecutive months in 2006) and Out. Anthems 2 sits down to discuss the Out. Anthems phenomenon.

Where did the original idea for OUT. ANTHEMS come from? Ultra Records is the biggest selling dance label in the United States. It is well known that one of the biggest supporters of dance music has always been the gay audience. With so many of our cds depicting pictures of half naked girls on the cover, it just made sense for Ultra Records to tailor fit an album to our gay audience. With our reputation for quality compilations and mass marketing combined with the gay audience’s thirst for dance music, it was a winning combination.

Were you surprised by the success of OUT. ANTHEMS? Considering the success of the individual tracks and the beautiful artwork, I knew there was potential for success. But with the current state of stagnant sales, I was pleasantly surprised when we surpassed our sales expectations.

What do you attribute to the first album’s success?Was it simply the music – or was it something more? An album can look beautiful and be marketed correctly but at the end of the day, the most essential facet of a cd is the music. OUT. ANTHEMS is not simply mixing a bunch of gay classics together with a half naked guy on the cover. I carefully and painstakingly comb through Ultra’s extensive catalog of dance tracks and piece together the best representation for the current season. I’m also aiming to create a potpourri of various gay subcultures. I believe that is what makes OUT. ANTHEMS stand out from the thousands of gay compilations out there. Other compilations pigeonhole their track listing to one gay subculture. We want to reach a broader audience. In fact, many straight people actually bought the first cd.

What was the standout single from OUT ANTHEMS? I would say David Morales with Lea Lorien’s “How Would U Feel” was the stand out track. Although it is an older track, it is a classic and pretty much defined the feel of the album. “How would U feel” ss one of Ultra’s biggest tracks and still remains timeless today. I never get tired of listening to it. I also received a lot of positive feedback on Chocolate Puma’s “Always and Forever”. Fans were living for it.

What will be the standout single in OUT. ANTHEMS 2? I would say the Bodyrox feat. Luiciana is the standout track on the compilation. It’s what I call the new sound of gay parties. It’s electro with a rock edge and it’s been all the rage at clubs lately - it can almost be considered pop music.

OUT ANTHEMS was Ultra’s first release targeted specifically to the GLBT community. What did you learn from the release? I thought that with the success of the cd, my bookings would rise exponentially. That wasn’t exactly the case. It’s frustrating how most gay parties usually consist of the same DJs, with the same old sound. Promoters are afraid to bring in up-and-coming DJs with different sounds. They fear they will lose their core audience. I disagree. Bringing in new music will prevent their parties from becoming stale and homogenized. I’m all about mixing it up. That’s why on this release I brought in Jonny Mcgovern to host the cd. No one has ever tried incorporating a host into a dance mix cd. Jonny throws the hottest parties in NY and is becoming a gay celebrity with his new show on LOGO-TV and his hilarious Gay Pimp music videos. I really think fans will love the addition of Jonny to the album.

How has the gay party scene changed from the release of OUT. ANTHEMS? Has the definition of anthem changed? Many legendary venues have been shutting down. In New York, we lost Roxy, Spirit and Crobar. Consequently gay parties are becoming smaller and more scene-specific. You have all your different gay scenes - electro, rock, circuit, house, pop – all converging at smaller venues and hitting up different parties through the night rather than one big gay party. So there is no genre-specific gay anthem. There are many.

How would you describe OUT. ANTHEMS 2? OUT. ANTHEMS 2 is an abstract journey through a typical night out. From the moment you are getting ready for a night at the club, to when you’re in the car on the way, to finally arriving to the club and then dancing the night away, OUT. ANTHEMS 2 captures all the exciting moments and then even leads you in to afterhours - all on a 78 minute mix!

To purchase Out.Anthems on itunes Click Here

Record Label: Ultra Records
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

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