Recording Studio News: Slang Records and Mixes New CD To Honor Military at Christmastime

Proceeds to Benefit Wounded Warrior Project
online at www.SoldiersChristmasProject.com

For Immediate Release

Slang Music Group is proud to have been the chosen studios for the production of the recently released “Soldiers Christmas Project,” (SCP) an 11-cut collection that honors our military through readings of poems, traditional songs and original instrumentals. SCP is a proud supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project. The video supporting the reading of "The Night Before Christmas" is being released today in concert with the CD and is posted on the CD's Web site,www.SoldiersChristmasProject.com.

"I think that the project is a noble effort performed by two individuals who are truly giving,” said Slang founder Vince Lawrence. “SCP Producer Joe Cantafio's continued dedication, along with Executive Producer Paul Brian's, to this cause is inspiring to all of us here at Slang Music Group."

While, Vince and the team a destination for electronic music makers of every genre, but lately, holiday music has been no stranger to the Slang studios as they originated and produced the main theme for “A Christmas at the White House”, Oprah Winfrey’s holiday special. The Harpo Studios broadcast recieved some of the highest ratings this decade. .

“I think that when we stepped up to become a part of the Soldier’s Christmas Project, we showed yet another facet of our broad capabilities,” continued Lawrence. “I encourage all of the fans of our group to check out this new CD. It’s not only great for the holidays, but it benefits military that have been wounded in battle. Nothing could be more honorable—and nothing could be better than to help them out. That’s why Slang got involved. It’s just great to give to others in need.

With Christmas immediately around the corner, the work of Chicago-based Paul Brian and Joe Cantafio and their Soldiers Christmas Project CD, will benefit the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), a non-profit organization offering programs and services to assist injured veterans during their recovery and rehabilitation.

Chicago radio and voice acting legend Paul Brian envisioned the project while hospitalized with the flu in early November. Taking on the role of Executive Producer, Brian has moved forward at breakneck speed to the point where it can now be either downloaded on the Internet atwww.SoldiersChristmasProject.com or ordered online at the same Web site. Cost is $9.99 for the entire album of 11 selections or $1.29 for each individual cut. The collection is also available on eBay as an album only.

“Anyone else would have thought us crazy to pursue a project like this, but most of us have a military background, so doing the impossible on a crazy timetable isn’t an unfamiliar concept,” said Brian. “If it wasn’t for the quick cooperation and professionalism of Vince Lawrence and the Slang Music Group we would have never been able to pull this off. That the CD was going to help benefit the Wounded Warrior Project made it extra special for us—and for everyone at Slang. They were awesome.”

Cantafio, leader of the 101st Rock Division Band that has entertained troops from Iraq to northern Africa and “anywhere else they’ll have us” brought his amazing guitar talents to the mix and the rest, as they say, was magic.

“Paul’s readings of poems that many of us have read on the Internet took on a very special meaning to me as I played guitar,” said Cantafio. “We knew that supporting the Wounded Warrior Project would be a wonderful way to honor America ’s bravest and those who have sacrificed so much.”

Brian serves on the Board of Directors for Operation Homefront Illinois and also the Grassroots Civilian Advisory Board for the Chicago Battalion of the United States Army Recruiting Command (USAREC). Cantafio is a Gold Star family member, is constantly active in military and veteran affairs and is the Executive Director of the National Veterans Museum .

-end-

Letters: Holiday letter from JQ

Happy Holidays! To Vince Lawrence and Slang Music Group.

A year and a half ago, I was an artist sitting at home typing out my rhymes on my laptop. Now I'm proud to say I've had a single play on major radio stations across the country, a mixtape (The Official Burbetto Mixtape) hosted by DJ Khaled and DJ Drama with over 10,000 web pages on Google Search, and 10 other records I feel could propel my career to the next level. None of this would have happened without Slang Music Group!

The time and effort Slang Music Group puts forth to its clients and their music is respectable. Each record is treated as its own life and expected to live up to its fullest potential once in the Slang system.

I have been to many other studios, including some of Slang's biggest competitors in the Chicagoland area, and not seen the care for clients or the expertise that I see present in Slang's staff - most specifically top engineer Brian Gaynor. Vince Lawrence has 25 years of mixing experience and IT SHOWS. I feel blessed to work with such an accomplished and talented team. I hope I get the opportunity to do more work with them as we bring in the new year!

Vince, thank you for serving not only as a mentor to me for building timeless music, but for taking me under your wing in the industry. I really appreciate you going out of your way to introduce me to some of your contacts and being a constant supporter of my music career.

>>See No Limits. Hear No Limits.<<

-JQ

In The Studio: Local Artist Ruby Yo! Teams Up with Veteran Chicago Music Producer

Hailing from Chicago’s southside, Marilyn Camacho p.k.a Ruby Yo! , is no stranger to entertainment. Influential in her music is her theatrical background, as she is one of the founding members of Urban Theater Company, a Chicago based multi-cultural theater group rooted in the Latino community, currently receiving rave reviews for they’re show, “Cuba and His Teddy Bear” directed by Ms. Camacho herself. The show is the company’s 6th production and astoundingly Ruby’s highly impressive official directorial debut, given the fact that the show is currently Jefferson Award’s recommended. In addition, she has been on stage in numerous theatrical productions, featured in multiple national commercials, and voice-over work. Aside from theater, Ruby has been a veteran of the Chicago hip-hop scene for many years and has been seen performing at various venues across the city.

Ruby Yo! and Vince Lawrence, founder of Slang Music Group, have combined theatrics, Vince’s eclectic production, and Ruby’s seasoned rapping style and singing to form a cultural revolution of Chicago style hip-hop. This single release with a video along with a future album release will clearly move Ruby Yo! to the forefront of Chicago entertainment as she forges her way to become a triple threat. Be on the lookout for this Puerto Rican dame, she will be invading the radio airwaves sooner than later.

Hear and Add Ruby Yo! at www.myspace.com/therubyyo

Tweet her at www.twitter.com/therubyyo

Friend her at www.facebook.com/rubyyo

Music Licensing: Slang track main theme song for Oprahs upcoming primetime special, “A Christmas at the White House”

Slang Music group was recently selected by Harpo Productions to create themes for Oprah's Holiday Special As regular musical contributors for the daytime show, Slang was initially asked to submit original music for a "tenative holiday Oprah special" months ago. Our team submitted several pieces of music presumably along with countless other submissions from competing music venders.

On Friday December 4th we received word from Harpo that our track had been singled out, and would be used as the main theme song for Oprahs upcoming primetime special, “A Christmas at the White House” which will air at 9pm central time on ABC on Sunday December 13th.

After an extremely productive weekend, we have provided the Oprah team with twenty six different interpretations of the main theme that will be used through out the program. Our staff worked all day and all night to provide the quick, high quality customized music, at the direction of Oprah's Music Director. The interpretations are varied and include classical film scoring styles with full orchestra, solo acoustic & classical guitar, operatic/choral performance, patriotic, R&B and dance.

the Oprah Team was very pleased with the end result, stating that we will most definitely be more involved than ever with Harpo. He also said, “Nobody can say Slang MusicGroup is only about dance music after this! You guys did an incredible job, and this makes you look really, really good.”

We are so excited, honored, and proud to have such a major role with this historic broadcast. This is Oprahs first interview with our nations first African American President since his election in November of 2008.

We hope you’ll join us this Sunday night, along with millions of other viewers undoubtly, on ABC at 9pm.

Solange Knowles Remix (Intern’s Perspective)

Slang MusicGroup takes a simple song from any genre and changes up the tempo, beat, and rhythm to make hot dance music. This makes the artist more popular in today’s culture. Brian Gaynor, Head engineer, said that these remixes are “for marketing the single.” They can be played at clubs and other places where the regular single doesn’t fit.. Remixes of songs are very popular and help the artist reach different types of people and make more money with downloads.

I learned The Slang MusicGroup doesn’t just create remixes of popular music. They are there to help musical artists in any way they can.. If an artist needs help in advertising their music, Slang is there. Connections with radio, iTunes, street teams, videos, whatever. Sometimes the artist wants to just come in and record a new original track. Slang does that as well.

One example of this is with an artist wanting to do a music video of their song. Slang either helps the artist find the right people to produce and direct it or just does it their self.

Artists have come in wanting to create a sound that they are thinking about such as an R&B/Hip-Hop artist wanting to remix their song into a more dance club kind of song. An example of one of these artists is Solange Knowles, Beyonce’s sister.

Under the direction of noted producer and legendary house music originator, Vince Lawrence, the Slang MusicGroup team has been creating remixes for Solange. One of these remixes, I got to sit in on. Slang was remixing Solange’s song “Would’ve Been The One” off her studio album, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams. Slang made the song more up-tempo and added a powerful drumbeat to make it more of a dance club song. This remix will hopefully make the song more popular among people that don’t like the original song hence giving Solange a wider audience.

While Vince is the head producer/remixer, he has several producers working with & helping him. These producers include Jere McAllister, Brett Owsley, Angel Alanis, and the Milk Bros. Each of them has helped create remixes of Solange for their particular audience.

Eric Ley from Milk Brothers has done two remixes for Solange and says that they are “fresh as hell.” He is all about the energy of the music and has put that energy into the remixes. He explained that he does the drums on some of the tracks and then uses the a cappella to add more to the track. Once a remix is done, he sends the demo to Vince and then Vince selects the best ideas to be submitted to the artist. These are finished in Slangs studio, adding the latest bells and whistles. In the words of Eric Ley, “Vince is my Ari Gold.” “ He really makes it happen for us, bringing our ideas to fruition.”

Angel Alanis, one of the three members from Noise Floor Crew, ran the controls for one of the remixes: “Would’ve Been The One.” He described the kind of sound as “electro house” and that “everything was changed but the vocals. The tempo, feel, and arrangement have changed.” He described the original song as “amazing” and that “we had fun with it.” The process seems to be working out great and in my opinion, the remixes sound amazing.

Julian Seidel
intern

NEW LE CONCORDE SINGLE REMIXED BY SLANG MUSIC GROUP

Chicago indie-pop juggernaut, Le Concorde, has enlisted Slang Music Group to remix the band’s forthcoming single, “The Movement of Cherry Blossom Shadows”. The “Night Shadows” version will be featured on the band’s upcoming full-length album (late-fall release anticipated). A vinyl release (12” single) is anticipated this summer. Relating the story of a fleeting springtime love set in a Chicago park, the remix of the track prominently features Sharay Reed on electric bass.

No stranger to adventurous collaborations, Le Concorde bandleader/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, Dr. Stephen Becker, sought out noted producer and legendary house music originator, Vince Lawrence. The two clicked immediately over their passion for perfectly crafted synth-pop and vintage electronic instrumentation. “It is a huge privilege for me to work with Vince and his team at Slang,” says Becker. “The songs on the new Le Concorde album aim to not only express a mood but also to extend an invitation to dance. When it comes to crafting that invitation with unique perfection, Vince Lawrence and his team are master scientists and master magicians.”

Further collaboration and additional tracks on the forthcoming Le Concorde album are anticipated. Le Concorde recently returned from Los Angeles where additional new tracks are underway with grammy-nominated producer, David Gamson (Scritti Politti, Ke$ha, Me’Shell Ndegéocello, Maxwell, Chaka Khan, Roger Troutman) and in Chicago with engineer, Ed Tinley (Liz Phair, Ike Reilly Assassination). Previous releases have included the critically acclaimed “Universe and Villa” (March Records, 2005) and “Suite EP” (Le Grand Magistery, 2007).

For more information on Le Concorde or Stephen Becker please visit www.myspace.com/leconcorde or email leconcorde@comcast.net

DANCE MUSIC PIONEERS JERRY MCALLISTER AND SLANG MUSICGROUP REMIX “EGO” BY BEYONCE

CHICAGO – Jerry McAllister and Slang MusicGroup are proud to bring you the ultra-hot dance remix of “Ego” by pop superstar Beyoncé Knowles. “New school” meets “old school” in this remix of the new single from her album I am…Sasha Fierce – a sure bet to keep the bodies moving on the dance floor.

As a pioneer of the house music genre and a seasoned veteran of the music industry, Jere has been an integral player in the dance music scene for over 20 years. By beginning his career with the world famous DJ International Records, McAllister has perpetually been the forefront of the cutting-edge dance music scene, working with the best the house music scene offers. Jerry finds a home for his talents at Slang MusicGroup, producing an all-star remixes for the world's biggest stars.. in past months Jere has created remix magic for both Beyonce and her sister Solange as well.

Sound & Music Production:SLANG MUSICGROUP FAMILY TO ENTER “HOUSE OF DIDDY”

SINGER MORGAN MALLORY AND PRODUCER RICK ROBINSON JOIN THE CAST OF "MAKING HIS BAND"

CHICAGO – Entertainment mogul Sean “P. Diddy” Combs is at it again with another reality television series called “Making His Band,” which is currently in production. Auditions were recently held in New York, Detroit, Chicago, and Los Angeles to select contestants for the upcoming installment of Diddy’s established “Making the Band” program on MTV networks. This season, however, is slightly different than its predecessors and is more intimately attached to Combs himself. While seasons past revolved around creating a superstar band under his Bad Boy Entertainment record label, the upcoming season focuses on potential candidates vying to back Diddy himself, in Comb’s live touring band.

Amongst thousands of entrants auditioning for the chance to be on the new reality show was singer Morgan Mallory, a young artist produced by Slang MusicGroup. Morgan Mallory is a 21 year old native of Chicago, who is currently attending the world-renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, pursuing a degree in Music Business. Morgan, a rising Hip Hop/ R&B vocalist and songwriter is currently a member of the following ensembles at Berklee: The Neo-Soul Ensemble, The Latin Jazz, Rock, Funk, and R&B Ensemble; The Gospel Ensemble; and The A-Capella Ensemble.

Producer-songwriter-keyboardist Rick Robinson has been working with Slang MusicGroup for years, and has won many awards during his tenure. A Chicago native, Rick has helped progress and develop new trends within the music industry over the last decade and is most noted for his work in soul/gospel music. As a songwriter, Rick has written for many artists which include- Bishop T.D Jakes, Syleena Johnson, Bishop Larry Trotter, Byron Cage, Beverly Crawford, Bishop Eddie L. Long, Marvin Sapp, and New Direction among many others.

Several other independent recording artists at Slang MusicGroup are moving up to the front lines of today’s contemporary music. Rapper/pop artist JQ, singer/songwriter Jana G., R&B hip-hopster Nikki Lynette, and funky house DJ Max Toymaster have been pushing the Chicago underground scene to new heights with help from Slang MusicGroup.

Toymaster to compete @ WMC DJ Spin-Off 2009

You can download the WMC 09 mix HERE!

Connect With Max

Official Website
http://www.djtoymaster.com

Official Myspace Page
http://www.myspace.com/djtoymaster

Official Facebook Page
Fb

Slang Musicgroup Remix March 2009

Max Toymaster rocks the Zentra VIP room

Zentra Night Club - February 27th

Max Toymaster rocked the VIP room at Chicago's Zentra Night Club from 2am to Close last Friday, Feb. 27th. The club was packed with a steady stream of people flowing in and out of Zentra's multiple levels. The VIP guests were in for a special treat when Jamil DeMontmorency of Slang MusicGroup and Max Toymaster distributed free Toymaster CDs, which were popular among the DJs, bartenders and patrons alike.

DJ Toymaster takes over Debonair Social Club

Friday January 23rd was an explosive night at Wicker Park's Debonair Social Club. DJ Max Toymaster brought the rhythm to a large crowd of house music enthusiasts. In the Debonair basement, the ominous red lights outlining the room gave the venue the vibe of an underground house party. the eclectic crowd, which seemed to include everyone from college-aged hipsters to working professionals, was immersed in the aura of electro-house beats which didn't die until after last call. gorgeous women, great music and tasty drinks made this a night to remember.