Susan von Seggern

Stephanie Carlin’s “Reclamation” EP Release Event set for January 25, 2019, at Jivamukti Yoga Center New York

01/14/2019 by Susan von Seggern

Stephanie will perform during Jessica Stickler’s popular Friday 6:30 pm live music yoga class, followed by a full band concert at 8 pm

New York City – December 17, 2018 – Noted New York City-based soulful rock Kirtan artist Stephanie Carlin will celebrate the release of her new EP “Reclamation” with a live music yoga class plus ecstatic trance dance concert at internationally acclaimed Jivamukti Yoga Center New York on January 25, 2019.

The event begins with Stephanie headlining an acoustic show during popular yogi Jessica Stickler’s weekly live music yoga class at 6:30 pm. Then, Stephanie and her band Transmorpheous celebrate that day’s EP release with an ecstatic trance dance concert at 8 pm. Presale tickets for the class/concert bundle are $35, and for the concert only it’s $25 ($40/$30 day of and at the door). A digital copy of Stephanie Carlin’s new EP “Reclamation: A Collection Of Mantras” is included in the price of entry.

“We have forgotten our power. And there’s nothing more important to me than people getting how powerful they are,” shares Stephanie. The musical sage presides over a multi-dimensional platform as a speaker and singer-songwriter, kids record label founder, and life coach for artists. She’s on a mission to empower people to shed self-doubt and discover their truth. And she happens to be an expert at it.

Noting, “I’m reclaiming my voice, my art and myself.” Stephanie is championing her message with a bold new EP titled “Reclamation.” The album is a stylistic mosaic infusing classic Kirtans with rock, jazz, and soul.

“Reclamation” fearlessly mixes ancient Sanskrit mantras with Stephanie’s rebellious nature that defies the typical new-age genres. “I am asking the questions ‘what does it take to be happy and truly free?’” she says. The 4-song EP with the full title: “Reclamation – A Collection of Mantras” boasts an in-the-moment electricity seldom experienced with devotional music. The single out now “Lokah Samastah” simmers with touches of Afro-beat, chiming guitars, dreamy harmony, and slow-burn soulful vocals. Here, set against traditional texts, Stephanie challenges what it takes to be an enlightened spirit.

Her rendition of “Hare Krishna” is like no other. Stephanie brings the otherworldly composition to street level with brawny rock guitars, and surging and passionate singing. Other tracks favor ambitious arrangements with mesmerizing ethereal touches, sweetly soulful vocals, and forays into majestic rock epic territory.

Stephanie’s vocals are richly dynamic, spanning woozy sensuality to soaring emotionality. Lyrically, Stephanie is unafraid to make traditional texts resonant in today’s world with her own insights and commentary. “I hear all these yogis and gurus and spiritual teachers saying, ‘Just be free! Just take a deep breath and let the day go, RIGHT NOW!’ What does that even mean?” She continues, “I’m really looking at our triggers, our resignation, our cynicism, to actually release what stops us from being free. That’s what I write about. The scary work of looking, acknowledging, and if we have the courage, transforming it all.”

Since 2012, Stephanie has fueled her music career as the founder of Free Spirits Music, an international songwriting school with thousands of students across 9 countries. Based in Brooklyn, Free Spirits Music trains artists to be leaders and emphasizes breakthroughs in self-expression and self-doubt through music. The school has blossomed to boasting sold-out semesters, presenting annual rock shows, and, in 2018, becoming a kids’ record label.

As a result of her flourishing program, Stephanie was commissioned to create the curriculum for the John Lennon Real Love Project, a songwriting program for children afflicted with cancer. The program has been endorsed by Yoko Ono since 2015. Stephanie was the Associate Producer of the Annual John Lennon Tribute for 8 years, and it is the only Lennon tribute in North America endorsed by Yoko Ono.

Given her valiant vulnerability, it may come as no surprise that Stephanie came up something like a punk with a mystical goth streak. She led a 10-piece band called Oliver Lankard at just 16 years old. By her senior year of high school, she had convinced her principal to give her a half-day schedule so she could catch an afternoon train from her hometown of Hampton Bays to New York City. She was commuting to record her debut EP, the Agony and Ecstasy of (2008). This is where her career truly began.

Stephanie went on to release her debut LP Tree Of Series (2012) under the band name Avidya And The Kleshas. She’s garnered accolades in such venerated press outlets as MTV, The Deli Magazine, and The Southampton Press, among others. Stephanie honed her craft at Long Island University in Brooklyn where she graduated with a degree in vocal jazz performance. “Even though my shows were packed, it felt like nobody was listening. I needed so much courage to wake up every day and keep writing music,” Stephanie explains.

In 2015, Stephanie had the honor of performing at an international United Nations Conference in South Korea with thousands of delegates in attendance, including the UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon. There she saw firsthand the power of music to transform lives at a global scale. She adds: “And while all these delegates wanted to change the world, they were struggling with changing themselves.”

Now, Stephanie performs exclusively in yoga studios and at yoga festivals. “It’s a whole ethereal experience. The listeners, the yogis, are in sync with the pulse I set. People are breathing with the music. It’s a shared experience in this whole other way than a conventional show.”

Stephanie Carlin is guiding a new generation of artists to deal with the conditions of their lives to self-actualize dreams — or at very least, start to discover them. “Reclamation” is a statement of rebirth. “It’s liberating and terrifying,” she acknowledges, “but it’s so much better than being chained down by fear.”

BlockChain Innovations Corp. Acquires The Games Company

01/14/2019 by Susan von Seggern

TORONTO, CANADA – December 19, 2018 – BlockChain Innovations Corp. (“BCI” or the “Company”), an international blockchain technology supplier serving the regulated gaming industry, is pleased to announce that it has acquired The Games Company (“TGC”), a popular provider of online casino games that is licensed by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission and Alderney Gambling Control Commission.

TGC’s games are available across Tier 1 online casino operators and government lotteries, including William Hill, Bet Victor, and Loto Quebec. TGC’s products, including Hippie Chicks, Cash Cowboy, and Lucky 8 Keno, are available in 30+ languages, feature a freespin promotion engine and, most importantly, offer multi-currency wagering including cryptocurrencies.

TGC’s games are available in Canada, the UK, and markets served from Gibraltar with several 1H 2019 launches out of Malta also scheduled. Leveraging BCI’s blockchain technology, TGC products will become provably fair enabled, allowing players to independently ensure and verify game fairness.

BCI’s CEO Matt Stafford, said, “We are excited to acquire The Games Company. In addition to their proven success in the market, strong product roadmap, talented management and staff, and cryptocurrency friendliness; integrating BCI’s technology with TGC’s casino content will allow us to showcase other examples of blockchain applications in the casino content vertical. By adding TGC’s suite of casino content to BCI’s sportsbook, platform, and payments solution, it further establishes BCI as a full-product suite B2B gaming platform supplier with all the advantages of running on blockchain technology.”

The Games Company founder Hans Winkelmann, said: “Joining the BCI family expands BCI’s product portfolio, delivers TGC’s games into new markets and on revolutionary technology. By supplying our game content and other product features via BCI’s technology we can then address cryptocurrency players and the nascent Bitcoin market that has over 22 million wallets and a market cap exceeding $60 billion USD.”
ENDS

Notes for editors:
About BlockChain Innovations Corp:
BlockChain Innovations is headquartered in Las Vegas and Toronto. The company designs and develops market ready blockchain technology for public and private real-money wagering and peer-to-peer gaming companies across the globe. The company offers platform, payments, and sportsbook solutions along with leading casino content run on its proprietary blockchain technology for a provably fair gaming and a frictionless wagering environment with deposit-less wagering, instant confirmations and instant deposits for winning bets.

About The Games Company:
The Games Company is an independent casino games development house founded by Hans Winkelmann and Ian Matthews, with a mission to deliver high quality gaming content. TGC is a UK company with a development team based in Portugal, creating HTML5 casino games for desktop and mobile. TGC supplies content to global casino operators and distributes via an RGS allowing for simple integrations and deployment of games.

The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists Announces Its Art-Business Conference in the Washington DC Metro Area, March 23-24, 2019

11/13/2018 by Susan von Seggern

Washington, DC – The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists (CHF) is excited to announce its Art-Business Conference in the Washington DC metro area, an event that seeks to inspire visual artists to “Conquer the Changing Marketplace.” This weekend-long business- development workshop will give professional working artists the chance to take a deep dive into the business side of their art careers. Scheduled for March 23 and 24, 2019, the two-day conference is co-sponsored by Artists & Makers Studios, an art center complex dedicated to providing a supportive and vibrant environment for artists to realize their creative goals.

The event manifests CHF’s assertion that “Art is a business and artists should run it.” With the art market undergoing rapid and significant change—not only with regard to technology but also HOW art is marketed, bought, and sold—artists need to reclaim their rightful position at the center of the industry. The Art-Business Conference will help them to take charge of their careers, captivate their audience, maximize the extraordinary professional advantages they already possess and sell their art effectively and profitably.

Topics will include building an action plan, creating a brand story, rocking their portfolio, multiplying revenue streams, pricing for profit, selling art online effectively, building a strong support team, squashing resistance, sales strategies, and much more. All sessions are interactive, allowing artists to work together and engage conference leaders with their specific business questions.

The program will be led by Elizabeth Hulings, CHF director and co-founder; Carolyn Edlund, CHF sales director, and events manager; and Daniel DiGriz, CHF education director. “With a vibrant gallery scene, museums attracting visitors from around the globe, and unparalleled public art, we are thrilled to deliver tangible business skills and training in this exciting market, and to partner with Artists & Makers Studios.” says Hulings.

The event fee is $395, but CHF is offering an extra early-bird price of $295 until January 15, and an early-bird price of $345 until March 1, 2019, when the regular price of $395 starts. Tickets are available here. In addition to conference admission, ticket holders will receive one year of “Colleague”-level access to CHF’s Business Accelerator Portal, a comprehensive online learning and community resource for working artists.

About The Clark Hulings Fund
The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists (CHF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that champions economic sustainability for working artists. We do this by delivering business education and entrepreneurial learning through a rigorous Business Accelerator, a Digital Learning Portal, in-person education events in local communities, and a federation of artist-formed and artist-led networks of opportunity. All of this work achieves one aim: equip visual artists to thrive as self-sustaining entrepreneurs.

The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists Announces Its Art-Business Conference in Fort Lauderdale, February 1-2, 2019

11/12/2018 by Susan von Seggern

October 25, 2018, Fort Lauderdale, Florida – The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists (CHF) is excited to announce its Art-Business Conference in Fort Lauderdale, an event that seeks to inspire visual artists to “Conquer the Changing Marketplace.” This weekend-long business- development workshop will give professional working artists the chance to take a deep dive into the business side of their art careers. Scheduled for February 1 and 2, 2019, the event is funded in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners through the Broward Cultural Council. The two-day conference is co-sponsored by ArtServe, an active incubator for Broward County’s growing art community.

The program will be led by Elizabeth Hulings, CHF director and co-founder; Carolyn Edlund, CHF sales director, and events manager; and Daniel DiGriz, CHF education director. “South Florida has emerged as an important art hub,” says Hulings. “We are thrilled to be delivering tangible business skills and training in this exciting market.”

The event fee is $395, but CHF is offering an extra early-bird price of $295, until November 15, and an early-bird price of $345 until January 1, 2019, when the regular price of $395 starts. Tickets are available here. In addition to conference admission, ticket holders will receive one year of “Colleague”-level access to CHF’s Business Accelerator Portal, a comprehensive online learning resource for working artists.

Mark Pesce’s New PodcastOne series, THE NEXT BILLION SECONDS – CRYPTONOMICS Hosts Live with Audience Interview with Ethereum Founder Joe Lubin

11/12/2018 by Susan von Seggern

Sydney, Australia/Beverly Hills, CA – October 29, 2018 – While Bitcoin’s bubble has burst, the world of cryptocurrencies – and the ‘blockchain’ technology that powers them – is here to stay. That world has been shrouded in deep-tech speak by experts holding the secrets to this new economy.

But now crypto and blockchain “noobs” and experts alike can listen to futurist, inventor and award-winning podcaster Mark Pesce, as he brings a refreshing clarity into this new world of CYRPTONOMICS – where everything involving money is changing.

The latest episode of the first season of Cryptonomics features one of the most influential thinkers in the space, Ethereum co-creator Joe Lubin. Pesce recorded the show with him during a live interview at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) last week. The show can be heard at https://cryptonomics.show/2018/10/25/episode-1-09-joe-lubin-ethereum-consensys/ and on all major podcast services.

In the interview, Lubin, the co-creator of Ethereum, and ‘godfather’ of the smart contract, traces his arc from his college days at Princeton to founding ‘blockchain venture studio’ ConsenSys. As Joe makes clear in the conversation, Ethereum is a process – not yet a product, and described the roadmap toward Ethereum 2.0 – taking a lot of what’s been learned since the network went live in 2016 — and fixing its shortcomings.

“The “live” version of the Ethereum white paper, maintained on the Ethereum website, is an interesting read. Particularly when you remember that it was drafted by someone who was only eighteen years old at the time” says Pesce.

Across the first five episodes CRYPTONOMICS listeners learn the basics of the blockchain, the bonanza of Bitcoin and what it says about how money works in the 21st century. In episodes 6 to 9 (and coming Friday 2 November, episode 10) the audience is treated to discussions of some of the most important current topics in the space: fedcoins & stablecoins, evaluating ICOs for environmental impacts, the fervor surrounding the crypto/blockchain space, and now the future of Ethereum.

The business of blockchain is already transforming agriculture, energy, gaming, and more – finding its way into every part of our daily lives, while from the cutting edge we’re seeing “smart contracts’, computer code blending with cryptocurrencies to create ‘smart money’ – money that thinks for itself!

Pesce is joined on CRYPTONOMICS by experts including serial entrepreneur and author Mark Jeffrey, BitTrade founder Ron Tucker, Agridigital’s Emma Weston, PowerLedger’s Dr. Gemma Green, CryptoFlip’s Max Kenny, Havven’s Kain Warwick, P2P Foundation’s Michael Bauwens, and more. The guests’ insights give listeners a window onto a world where every part of our lives has been touched by blockchain technologies.

“People believe in cryptocurrencies”, Pesce says, “But belief is a lousy investment strategy. CRYPTONOMICS listeners learn the questions they need to ask before they make a risky investment. They’ll learn how to make the world of blockchain work for them — and their children. Money is changing – let’s get ready for that new world!”

Currently available on PodcastOne.com – via the PodcastOne App – or search THE NEXT BILLION SECONDS CRYPTONOMICS on Apple podcasts.

About Mark Pesce:
Mark Pesce is a futurist, inventor, writer, entrepreneur, educator and podcaster. In 1994 Pesce co-invented VRML, a 3D interface to the Web. Pesce was a judge on Australian Broadcasting Company’s series The New Inventors, celebrating Australia’s newest inventions, and writes an award-winning column for global tech publication The Register.

Pesce hosts several podcasts, including This Week in Startups Australia; and The Next Billion Seconds – winner of the Best Technical and Scientific Podcast of 2018 at the Australian Podcast Awards – offering a window into the world of tomorrow. Pesce has written six books, including The Playful World, VRML: Browsing and Building Cyberspace, and Hyperpolitics, and founded postgraduate programs at both the University of Southern California and the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, holding appointments as Honorary Associate at the University of Sydney, and Honorary Adjunct at the University of Technology, Sydney.

Steve Weisberg & his Orchestra Perform at Santa Monica’s Magicopolis November 14 with Special Guests Including Gaby Moreno, NRBQ’s Terry Adams and more

11/12/2018 by Susan von Seggern

October 17, 2018, Santa Monica, CA – Noted for his long and busy career as a producer and music director Steve Weisberg is bringing his orchestra, with a who’s who of LA’s top session musicians, together again for a variety show style concert at Magicopolis, 1418 4th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401, Wednesday November 14 at 8pm. Tickets are $30 and are available here.

Joining Weisberg’s amazing 17-piece orchestra will be NRBQ founder Terry Adams, noted indie Latina singer/songwriter Gaby Moreno, Billboard Jazz Charting Ghanian-American singer Abiah, noted father/son act The Cages, Suzy Williams – long known and loved as the songbird of Venice, and up and coming singer Clara Zimm, with more special guests to be announced.

Weisberg has extensive experience as an arranger and musical director on recordings and live events often for famed producer Hal Willner with artists including Sting, Elvis Costello, Marianne Faithful, K.D. Lang, Macy Gray, BØRNS, David Byrne, Lou Reed, Carla Bley, Michael McDonald, Kesha, Tony Clifton, Howard Tate, Shane McGowan, Jill Sobule, Jackson Browne, Bill Frisell. and many, many more.
Weisberg describes his orchestral aspirations to be “Lawrence Welk meets Spike Jones meets Frank Zappa.” Adding, “come on down and get ready to be amazed, surprised and thoroughly entertained!”

Past SWO shows included performances by BØRNS, Victoria Williams, Jill Sobule, Petra Haden, Sussan Deyhim, Mocean Worker, and Perla Batalla, so attendees never know what surprise guests might pop up!

Noted LA Yoga Teacher Alex Dawson Releases “Om Mani Padme Hum” EP October 5

10/04/2018 by Susan von Seggern

Release Event Kirtan Scheduled for 12 Noon Sunday October 7 at Wanderlust Hollywood

Alex Dawson EP cover Los Angeles, CA – September 17, 2018 – With a packed schedule of private lessons, teaching nine classes weekly at three Equinox locations and Wanderlust Hollywood, traveling to teach at the Wanderlust festivals, and hosting several retreats annually, it’s a wonder popular LA yoga teacher Alex Dawson has time to catch an in-breath, let alone record an EP, but the three song “Om Mani Padme Hum” is set for release on October 5 on Spotify, Apple Music and all other major online outlets.

The release event for the EP will be an hour long Kirtan session at 12 noon on Sunday October 7 at Wanderlust Hollywood,1357 Highland Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90028. The free event will take place immediately after she teaches Wanderlust’s popular Sunday morning “Soulscape” class.

Joining her on the gig are EP producer, bass player and beatsmith John von Seggern who is noted for his work with electronic jazz legend Jon Hassell and his Indian-style global hit remix of Nelly Furtado’s “Like a Bird,” and the EP’s guitarist Matt Piper, who is revered in the music business as a top expert on Propellerhead’s Reason software.

In addition to “Om Mani Padme Hum,” the other two Sanskrit mantras on the EP are “Gopala” and “Jai Hanuman.” Dawson notes, “when I started playing with John and Matt in 2016, I fell in love with the collaboration and how the mantras came to life. Putting out an EP is super scary and breeds resistance so I’m thrilled to set this one free. I hope listeners enjoy it, too!”

Event sponsors include Magic Dates and Guayaki Yerba Mate. Instead of hot tea, Guayaki will be providing some of Alex’s favorite new flavor – sparkling grapefruit ginseng.

Alex began teaching yoga in 2002 to Kathleen Turner, Lorraine Bracco, and the Broadway cast of ‘The Graduate.’ She did her 200-hour training at Sonic Yoga in Manhattan and studied many forms of meditation including Vedic with Thom Knoles, Vipassana as taught by S.K. Goenka and Mindfulness with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. Alex is studying Sound Healing and has created for Wanderlust Festivals her signature “Get Woke” class which is a powerful vinyasa practice that lands savasana into a sound bath and wakes you up with a Bhakti hit of call and response chanting. “Bhakti is another form of sound healing. It creates unseen healing both in the body and the community and it penetrates deep. It is a natural compliment to vinyasa for me both as a student and teacher.”

Currently, Alex is based in Los Angeles and teaches at Wanderlust Hollywood and Equinox where she often brings her harmonium for a closing Bhakti hit. She is inspired by people who recover from anything. That moment of transformation is her deepest call of illumination and is why she was so drawn to “Om Mani Padme Hum” as her debut EP. She travels worldwide to lead yoga retreats. Next up is her New Year’s Retreat in Mexico toasting in 2019, and later…Bali.

Alex was also a lead in the critically acclaimed and New York Times featured web series ‘Namaste, Bitches,’ but she swears, it’s not like that. (At least not in her class).

Bitcoin, Blockchain and the New World of Cryptofinance are Demystified by Noted Futurist Mark Pesce in the New PodcastOne series, THE NEXT BILLION SECONDS – CRYPTONOMICS

10/04/2018 by Susan von Seggern

Mark pesce Beverly Hills, CA – September 11, 2018 – Bitcoin’s bubble has burst, but the world of cryptocurrencies – and the ‘blockchain’ technology that powers them – is here to stay. That world has been shrouded in deep-tech speak by experts holding the secrets to this new economy.

Futurist, inventor and award-winning podcaster Mark Pesce shines a light into this new world of CYRPTONOMICS – where everything involving money is changing.

“It’s vitally important for everyone – not just bankers and techies – to understand this new world of finance, investing and money. CRYPTONOMICS gives listeners the tools they need to understand this new world. This is the 101 for everyone,” says Pesce.

Across five episodes CRYPTONOMICS listeners learn the basics of the blockchain, the bonanza of Bitcoin and what it says about how money works in the 21st century.

The business of blockchain is already transforming agribusiness, energy, even gaming, finding its way into every part of our daily lives, while from the cutting edge we’re seeing “smart contracts’, computer code blending with cryptocurrencies to create ‘smart money’ – money that thinks for itself!

Pesce is joined on CRYPTONOMICS by experts using this powerful new technology to solve age-old business problems – such as ensuring farmers get paid on time for their crops. These business successes give listeners a window onto a world where every part of our lives has been touched by blockchain technologies.

Cryptocurrency pioneer Mark Jeffery – who recently launched his own cryptocurrency to power a ‘distributed 9-1-1’ service – says “CRYPTONOMICS dispels the crypto-mysticism that’s made this tech breakthrough seem impossibly hard. It’s not hard, it’s just new – but Pesce makes the new feel familiar, even friendly.”

Available September 11th on PodcastOne.com – via the PodcastOne App – or search THE NEXT BILLION SECONDS CRYPTONOMICS on Apple podcasts.

About Mark Pesce:
Mark Pesce is a futurist, inventor, writer, entrepreneur, educator and podcaster. In 1994 Pesce co-invented VRML, a 3D interface to the Web. Pesce was a judge on Australian Broadcasting Company’s series The New Inventors, celebrating Australia’s newest inventions, and writes an award-winning column for global tech publication The Register.

Pesce hosts several podcasts, including This Week in Startups Australia; and The Next Billion Seconds – winner of the Best Technical and Scientific Podcast of 2018 at the Australian Podcast Awards – offering a window into the world of tomorrow. Pesce has written six books, including The Playful World, VRML: Browsing and Building Cyberspace, and Hyperpolitics, and founded postgraduate programs at both the University of Southern California and the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, holding appointments as Honorary Associate at the University of Sydney, and Honorary Adjunct at the University of Technology, Sydney.

Fusicology Celebrates its 15th Anniversary with GRAMMY®-Winner Louie Vega Sunday, October 21 at the Ford Theatres

09/11/2018 by Susan von Seggern

FUSICOLOGY flyer Los Angeles, CA – August 9, 2018 – GRAMMY® Award-winning bandleader Louie Vega is renowned the world over for helping to create and establish house music’s soulful Latin, gospel and jazz-influenced style. Based in New York City, Vega is a dance music legend both as a DJ and as a prolific music producer. Vega and his band, E.O.L. Soulfrito, will perform live at the Ford Theatres on Sunday, October 21 in a special celebratory concert commemorating Fusicology‘s 15th anniversary! Tickets are available at FordTheatres.org.

Vega, who last performed live in LA in 2009 at the House of Blues, is pleased to bring his new “Elements Of Life” (E.O.L.) show to Los Angeles for the 15th anniversary of his friend Asya Shein’s company Fusicology, noting, “I have seriously known Asya since she was a teenager! It’s wonderful to see her all grown up, operating a top online outlet for urban events, producing shows, and generally running the game in LA and nationally!”

With his latest album NYC Disco on Nervous Records topping the charts this summer, two GRAMMY® nominations (of his seven nominations) in the last two years, and a lifetime of adoration and success in the dance music community, Vega is certainly not slowing down!

ABOUT LOUIE VEGA
Active since the ‘90s as a DJ, producer, label operator and as one-half of Masters at Work, Vega is a permanent part of dance music history. Vega made a name for himself behind the decks in the New York City club circuit prior to branching out with studio work. Besides producing his own releases with an array of vocal and instrumental collaborators, he has produced and remixed tracks for commercial dance-pop vocalists and underground artists and producers alike.

Remarkably eclectic across four decades, Vega has been deeply immersed in an array of club music styles— house being foremost—and has all the while kept the genre’s connections to disco, freestyle, rap, Latin and jazz illuminated. Among his most notable career achievements are number one Billboard club hits such as “Ride on the Rhythm,” with Marc Anthony, in 1991; Saint Ettiene’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart;” Chic’s “Chic Mystique” and “I Can’t Get No Sleep,” with Masters at Work featuring India, in 1993; and a GRAMMY® Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for his remix of Curtis Mayfield’s “Superfly” in 2006.

His revered discography of mix albums and studio projects includes Louie Vega Starring…XXVIII, which was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album GRAMMY® in 2016. Vega has never lost touch with his roots, epitomized by his new album NYC Disco on Nervous Records.

Born and raised in New York City’s Bronx borough, Vega grew up surrounded by music, as the son of Latin and jazz saxophonist Luis Vega, Sr. and a nephew of salsa legend Héctor Lavoe of the Fania All Stars. Vega began DJing as a teenager after he watched his neighborhood friend and hip-hop pioneer Jazzy Jay spin records. He was soon a regular at Bronx block parties and New York City events at the Roxy.

After a nine-month stint at his first club, Sal Abatiello’s Devil’s Nest in the Bronx, he began spinning at the infamous Hearthrob in New York City, where he met house producer Todd Terry, who regularly gave Vega his new tracks by Black Riot and Royal House to try out on the crowd. Vega’s own first remix commissions, in 1986 and 1987, included Information Society’s “Running,” Debbie Gibson’s “Only in My Dreams,” and Noel’s “Silent Morning.” By then, he was a fixture in the NYC club scene, within DJ booths of the Devil’s Nest, Heartthrob, Studio 54, and the Sound Factory Bar (Underground Network parties).

Vega debuted as a solo producer in 1989 with “Don’t Tell Me” for TVT and “Keep Pumpin’ It Up” for SBK One. Both singles were issued under the name Freestyle Orchestra, the first of Vega’s many aliases, though the majority of his subsequent solo output has been credited to his childhood nickname Little Louie Vega.

Additional early success came after Vega was commissioned to do songs for the movie East Side Story, which placed him in the path of singer Marc Anthony. Vega and Anthony signed to Atlantic as a duo and released the album When The Night Is Over and single “Ride on the Rhythm,” which featured Vega’s father on saxophone and topped Billboard’s club chart in 1991.

Shortly thereafter, he and Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez became established as Masters at Work (MAW). He met Gonzalez through fellow producer Todd Terry, who originally borrowed Kenny’s crew name Masters at Work for some late-’80s output “Dum Dum Cry” and “Alright Alright.” Since 1990, Vega and Gonzalez have issued hundreds of 12″ remixes and productions for major artists and some on their own MAW label. They’ve hit commercially with the chart-topping River Ocean Featuring India collaboration “Love & Happiness” (1993), and have remixed the likes of Jamiroquai, Madonna, Incognito, Janet Jackson, Aliyaah, and Michael Jackson, among tracks by dozens of other artists.

Working under the name Nuyorican Soul (in addition to MAW), the two worked with such jazz legends as Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri and George Benson for a self-titled 1997 album that reached top 40 in the UK. The success of Nuyorican Soul cut a path for Vega to lead another all-star affair, Elements Of Life, with help from fellow deep house heavyweights Josh Milan and Kevin Hedge of Blaze, along with top-tier vocalists Cyndi Mizelle, Lisa Fischer, Raul Midon, and Anané.

Another career highlight was composing a song for Cirque Du Soleil with Blaze, “One Dream,” recorded by Elements Of Life and featuring lead vocalist Anané. The song was performed by The Elements Of Life Band and Cirque Du Soleil live at the 2007 Superbowl in front of 70,000 people at Dolphin Stadium in Florida and seen by 145 million viewers on television worldwide.

The Elements Of Life’s activity culminated with the 2013 album Eclipse on Fania Records. The collaborative spirit continued through 2016’s Louie Vega Starring…XXVIII, on which he worked with material from Funkadelic, Jocelyn Brown, The Winans Brothers and The Clark Sisters, Lisa Fischer, Cindy Mizelle, and his long-term collaborators Anané and Josh Milan. That album was nominated for a Best Dance/Electronic Album GRAMMY® in 2016.

Across the decades, Vega has also continued to tour the world as a DJ with his unique blend of house, Afro house, disco classics, obscurities and dancefloor anthems old and new. His selecting and DJing skills have been showcased on over 20 commercially released DJ mixes, such as Little Louie Vega at the Underground Network NYC (1993), Back in the Box (2007), and Vega on King Street: A 20 Year Celebration (2013). NYC Disco (2018) on Nervous Records applied many of his skills with a selection of original productions, plus remixed, edited and reworked club classics of the late ’70s and early ’80s seminal label Sam Records.

Breaking down musical barriers and bringing people together through a love of music has always been Vega’s aim; after more than 20 years in the game, his contributions continue to positively influence global dance music.

ABOUT FUSICOLOGY
Fusicology was founded in 2003 by noted independent dance and urban music agent Asya Shein as a way to help promote her clients’ gigs. Fifteen years later, Fusicology is now one of the premier event guides for urban music fans in 25 cities across North America, with Shein as its CEO.

Joining Shein on the Fusicology team is CTO Michael Sherrill, a respected African American technology business and startup veteran. Business and legal affairs are run by Sapna Lal, with editorial and content provided by noted journalists from across the U.S. and Canada.

Fusicology’s premise and footprint consists of user generated event listings curated by niche promoters, artists, agencies, talent managers and venues. The site, newsletters and apps specialize in providing socially significant information for multicultural early-adopters, providing a rich connection between brands and a progressive cosmopolitan audience.

In addition to the site, Fusicology is an award-winning full service digital, experiential and strategic boutique agency that offers targeted marketing through its expansive national digital platform, along with in-market venue activations and a vast promotional force.

With an audience of over 200,000 users, Fusicology is unique in that it delivers a trend-setting young, multicultural audience. In addition to being the go-to site for notable live event purveyors like Goldenvoice, AEG Live, House of Blues, Live Nation and the LA Phil, brands that have utilized Fusicology include Red Bull, HBO, Puma, Diageo, Lions Gate Films, and many others.

In addition to the Louie Vega E.O.L. Soulfrito event at the Ford Theatres, Fusicology’s 15 Year celebration will kick off in August 2018 with a new interface that includes a website, mobile apps, newsletters, and with more special events taking place nationwide in the Fall.

Art / My Way – A New Video Series Exploring Artists’ Creative Process Debuts

08/03/2018 by Susan von Seggern

Pixels, the World’s Largest Art Marketplace with More Than 500,000 Artists, Sponsors Online Show

Santa Monica, CA – July 17, 2018 – A new series of artist profiles, “Art / My Way,” launches today on Pixels at https://pixels.com/videos.html?videotype=artMyWay.

What drives artists to do what they do? How do their lives and their work inform one another? “Art /My Way” is an inspiring video series which tells the stories of modern American visual artists and how they established themselves creatively.

Capturing the essence of creative professionals at the intersection of their craft and their story, “Art / My Way” provides an intimate look inside the minds of working artists in an entertaining three-minute format. Each episode reveals a unique perspective for art lovers while providing artists with ideas and motivation to create a career around their work.

Beautifully shot by documentary filmmaker Jeff Bloom, the videos were produced by Pixels, the world’s largest art marketplace and print-on-demand technology company.

The videos feature some of the most interesting artists who use Pixels to showcase and sell their work online. The first two “pilot” episodes of “Art /My Way” profile South African-born painter Jabu and Oregon native landscape photographer Nicki Frates, who both currently reside in Los Angeles.

This series speaks to overcoming the fear and adversity that get in the way of lifelong dreams and illustrates how basic needs can drive innovation and entrepreneurship. Through intimate and candid moments, “Art / My Way” cuts to the heart of what motivates artists to create and the risks and sacrifices they have made to get where they are today.

Jabu was born in Johannesburg, South Africa’s Alexander Township during apartheid and views the great Nelson Mandela as his hero. Jabu sees himself as an “artivist,” or an activist artist. As a youth he was imprisoned for a year for making Mandela t-shirts! While brief, the video manages to delve into Jabu’s artistic methods, some of his most prominent works, and what pop star he feels is as much of a leader as Martin Luther King Jr (hint, he was recently at the Louvre). To view the video, please go to: https://youtu.be/AUqaYk3SdsY.

Daughter of renowned commercial photographer Dennis Frates, Nicki Frates grew up accompanying her dad on shoots. Fear of somehow not living up to his example caused her to go into fashion as her creative outlet, but photography wouldn’t let her go. Now she is an award-winning landscape photographer who braves extreme weather to shoot in beautiful but challenging locations. With a unique definition of success, Nicki is doing Art /My Way. To see her video, please go to: https://youtu.be/AZDHuF5sl44.

Pixels CEO Sean Broihier notes, “Many of our artists have built their careers the same way that we built our business – by creatively bootstrapping, not by being anointed by a VC firm or an art gallery. We are thrilled to give them a platform to explain how they do their art, their way.”