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DJ June in TOKYO with Clinton Sparks!! DJ June Club Chart Special Edition– March 30, 2013

DJ Clinton Sparks - Genius Tokyo

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DJ June Club Chart – March 30, 2013

Sorry, no chart this week.

DJ June is in Nippon banging parties with her friend, DJ Clinton Sparks in Tokyo.

If you are in Tokyo area on April 3, you should definitely check her party with DJ Clinton Sparks at Ginza Genius.

Info: http://blog.livedoor.jp/genius_tokyo/archives/1763506.html

Who is DJ June?

If you don’t know who she is, here’s her bio we created for you.

 

DJ June Bio

“DJ June is one of the best club DJ’s in the world.”

The Source “Hip-Hop Icon” DJ Scratch

XXL DJ June Story

XXL DJ June Story

After rocking New York City’s elite nightclubs and the most popular venues in Los Angeles, Miami and Atlantic City, DJ JUNE has quickly emerged as one of the world’s elite female DJs. Black Eyed Peas, Diddy, Janet Jackson, Jermaine Dupri, Wendy Williams, Lil Kim, Vivica A. Fox, Jim Jones, and Fabolous are among the many celebrities who can attest to her turntable wizardry at numerous all-star special events, CD release parties, and birthday celebrations.

Collaborations with a who’s who of DJs including Grandmaster Flash, Funkmaster Flex, Biz Markie, DJ Premier, Kid Capri, Red Alert, Afrika Bambaataa, Kool Herc, DJ Enuff, DJ Scratch, Tony Touch, Clark Kent, Jazzy Jeff, Quest Love, Q-Tip, D-Nice, Just Blaze, Marley Marl, Clinton Sparks, Spinderella, Mr.Cee, MC Lyte, Eric Sermon, and many more have earned her respect among the greatest spinmasters. June has raised the roof over the past seven years throughout Manhattan nightlife including The China Club, Copacabana, The Roxy, Avalon, Duvet, Exit, and Justin’s, as well as The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Time Warner Center, W Hotel, Time Hotel, and Empire Hotel. In Atlantic City she’s spun at Caesars Hotel & Casino and Trump Taj Mahal. June has also cut and scratched at special events for MTV, Nike, Blackberry, Def Jam Records, Bad Boy Records and J Records, and ruled Los Angeles for three years as the official DJ for Playboy magazine. She was also featured on a five city promotional tour for the Flavor Unit Entertainment film “The Perfect Holiday” starring Queen Latifah, Terrence Howard, Gabrielle Union, and Morris Chestnut.

DJ June draws the crowds to her current weekly Manhattan gigs at Sutra (with Tony Touch), Sky Room, XVI, and BOB, and every Friday and Saturday to Providence AC at the Tropicana Hotel Casino in Atlantic City. Her media appearances include MTV, MTV2, BET, Court TV, NYC-TV, as well as magazines XXL Scratch, Swede, Haunt and Hush.

DJ June

DJ June

Born in a small town near Kobe, Japan, June’s first foray into music was playing saxophone and creating beats which led to recording her own instrumental album. After working in a record shop in Osaka and teaching herself how to operate the 1’s and 2’s, her love of music inspired her to move to New York to pursue a career as an audio engineer. After graduating from the Institute of Audio Research, June became a studio intern but found the lack of professionalism among her colleagues disappointing. She returned to the retail music business working at one of New York’s most respected vinyl records shops, Beat Street Records in Brooklyn. Despite her limited English at the time, she amazed the customers with her comprehensive musical knowledge. Soon her regular clientele included every significant DJ in the New York City area and from around the world. She evolved into the store DJ, and her skills so impressed The Source “Hip-Hop Icon” DJ Scratch (Jay-Z, Run-DMC, Diddy, Busta Rhymes, EPMD) that he became her mentor and they’ve worked together for the past five years. “DJ June is one of the best club DJ’s in the world,” says Scratch. “I don’t put her in the female DJ category.” June is humbled to be associated with a turntable legend. “I had read about Scratch,” June says proudly. “I am so excited to be working with him.”

She continues to work closely with DJ Scratch including hosting her “Toyko Drift” show every Wednesday night on his Internet radio station, www.ScratchVision.com. “I am honored to have gone from Beat Street Records where I sold records to Scratch to becoming his protégé and a member of his team,” says June.” I am very proud to work with him and also to work with Tony Touch (Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Sean Paul) on “Toca Tuesdays” for the past four years at Sutra. He’s a legend and he’s my big brother. I am very lucky to work with them every week.” Touch is also honored to work with her, simply saying, “DJ June is the best!”

Another iconic admirer is DJ/music producer Just Blaze (Jay-Z, Eminem, Drake, Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Usher). “DJ June is one of the brightest talents in the NY nightlife scene today,” states Blaze. “She always surprises me with her selections, which doesn’t happen too often these days. Rock on girl!”

June’s DJ career began in 2005 when a Beat Street client who was a promoter hired her for her first gig at a Miami club. She was an instant success, and another client hired her to spin at his 667 club in Brooklyn. What began the first week as an empty venue soon became jam packed in three weeks with an endless line around the block. Word of an incredible Japanese female DJ who could spin the best in house, electronica, R&B, hip-hop, reggae, dance, top 40, and old school classics rocking downtown Brooklyn brought out all the stars and promoters. She was immediately in high demand for the most prestigious events and the most popular clubs in New York.

Now June is helping others follow in her footsteps by hosting DJ seminars in Japanese in New York. “My goal is to continue to hone my skills and work all over the world like my colleagues DJ Scratch and Tony Touch.” June says. “I am proud to be a DJ who plays a wide variety of music. Many DJs are limited to playing only one style. I can play one format depending on the taste of the audience, or when I host my own club nights, you’ll hear everything-house, reggae, R&B. hip-hop, electronic, top 40, dance, etc.”

Last year June fulfilled a dream of returning to Japan to perform for the first time in her native country. Now with new upcoming projects including a compilation CD in Japan, DJ June is ready to reach her goal of becoming a true international DJ spinning across the globe!

(Bio by: Ken Simmons)

Emily “Cissy” Houston, Valerie Simpson and Dionne Warwick Attend “Mama, I Want To Sing” 30th Anniversary Gala

MAMA30_3stars

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The 30th Anniversary Celebration of
Mama, I Want To Sing
America’s Longest Running Black Musical
Saturday, March 23, 2013

Among many celebrity guest, Emily “Cissy” Houston, Valerie Simpson and Dionne Warwick attend “Mama, I Want To Sing” 30th Anniversary Gala Celebration at The Dempsey Theater in Harlem Saturday night.

After welcoming all the board members and the benefit committee at Red Carpet, the gala began with a very special performance that includes musical highlights from “Mama, I Want To Sing” and “Sing, Harlem Sing!, ”as well as a performance from the Gospel for Teens Choir.

MAMA30_CISSY_VY

Cissy Houston, Vy Higginson

The Background Story

By Vy Higginsen

I was the youngest of four children growing up on Harlem. My father was a minister and my mother was very involved in his church. My oldest sister, Doris, sang in the choir. She was eventually discovered by James Brown at The Apollo, and went on to a successful career in popular music. Kind and generous, Doris was a big influence on me. I was inspired to tell her story, and so I wrote Mama, I want To Sing with my husband, Ken Wydro.

As we wrote the story, we became aware that is wasn’t just ours. It was the combined stories of numerous African-Americans who grew up on the church, stepped out of the church choir and then made their way into the recording industry and on stage. They created a new sound that was uniquely African-American – Something at once uniquely personal and wholly universal.

Initially the script was rejected by every major producer in New York – none believed that the story was worth telling or that an audience could be found for a Gospel-based production.

With nowhere else to turn, we devoted our entire life savings to opening Mama, I Want to Sing in East Harlem at the Heckscher Theatre which had housed Joe Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival 15 years earlier. As the doors’ chain was lifted, puffs of dust and dirt greeted us in the abandoned 632-seat theater.

Standing on that dusky, silent stage, dimly lit with coated work lights; I saw the theater filled with senior citizens, church groups, school children, and hard-working black mothers and fathers who had spiritual values and loved soul-stirring music.

Mama, I wan To Sing opened March 25, 1983 with a minuscule advertising, promotional, and publicity budget. Word-of-mouth spread quickly through the black community and the theatrical and traditional musical circles. Mama, I Want To Sing positively the power, spontaneity and emotional uplift of the black church experience.

For thirty years now, Mama, I wan To Sing has been performed all over the world. It has not only entertained, but it has helped introduce gospel music to other cultures, and it has taught audiences everywhere about our community and our people.

Inspired by the show’s worldwide success, I created Mama Foundation for the Arts in 1998 as a cultural space in Harlem where both youth and adults have access to quality training and employment in the performing arts. With a mission to present, preserve, and promote the history and fundamentals of gospel, jazz, and rhythm and blues music, the Gospel for teens program began at the foundation in 2006. Open to the public at no cost, so that all interested could benefit from it, Gospel for Teens provides support to our musically gifted children by replacing the arts programs taken out of many inner city schools. In the past seven years, we have served hundreds of teens. These fine young men and women have now become Ambassadors of the Music, making sure that the music lives on for generations to come.

It is a thrill to have seen these young people evolve through the arts – I’ve witnessed them change mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

All of us are part of a community that is rich and full of history, conversation, food, music, and art and culture. To explore all that; to present that on stage – whether through our musicals, performances by the Gospel for Teens Choir, or other events – is a privilege.

During the initial run of Mama, I Want To Sing, Doris Troy played the role of our mother; and my brother, Randy, played the role of our father. Now, my daughter, Knoelle, is playing the role of her Auntie. Doris passed away nine years ago, but her life lives on stage to this very day. For that, I am jumbled, and so grateful.

Thank you for your support.

Blessings,

Vy Higginsen

ママ・アイ・ウォント・トゥ・シング30周年ガラ公演 THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY GALA CELEBRATION FOR MAMA, I WANT TO SING 

gospel for teens

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アフリカン・アメリカンの歴史始まって以来のロングラン記録を持つオフ・ブロードウェイ・ミュージカル、MAMA I WANT TO SINGが30周年を迎え、記念の特別公演を行う。日本でも25年前に初演されゴスペルブームの火付け役になったと言われるほどの人気を集めた作品。作者でプロデューサーのヴァイ・ヒギンセンは、主役のモデルとなった60年代のポップスター、ドリス・トロイの妹。彼女のオーガニゼーションMAMA FOUNDATIONが手がけている、地元ティーンに無償で音楽教育を行うGOSPEL FOR TEENSプログラムは高い評価を受け数々の賞を受賞している。CBSの人気ドキュメンタリー番組「60 minutes」で紹介されエミー賞も受賞した。今回はこのプログラムへのベネフィットも兼ねている。ヴァイ・ヒギンセンの30年に渡る文化、教育への貢献に共感し、多くのゲストがかけつける予定。以下がゲストリスト。

LESLEY STAHL, CISSY HOUSTON, DIONNE WARWICK,
VALERIE SIMPSON, CHUCK JACKSON, NATE BERKUS,
MARCUS SAMUELSSON & ANDREW CHAPMAN
(RED ROOSTER HARLEM),
ALIYYAH BAYLOR
(MAKE MY CAKE), MYRNA AND FREDDIE GERSHON,
DAMON DASH, REVEREND AL SHARPTON, VY HIGGINSEN,
THE CASTS OF MAMA, I WANT TO SING AND SING, HARLEM, SING!

ここにはのっていないがあのアレサ・フランクリンがかけつけるかも?という情報も!

ベネフィットということで、アフターパーティも含めチケットは$300
HARLEM2NIPPONも取材するのでぜひお楽しみに!

MAMA I WANT TO SING通常公演のスケジュールはトップページ左上をチェック!

THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY GALA CELEBRATION FOR MAMA, I WANT TO SING

Mama, I Want To Sing

Mama, I Want To Sing

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LESLEY STAHL, CISSY HOUSTON, DIONNE WARWICK,
VALERIE SIMPSON, CHUCK JACKSON, NATE BERKUS,
MARCUS SAMUELSSON & ANDREW CHAPMAN
(RED ROOSTER HARLEM),
ALIYYAH BAYLOR
(MAKE MY CAKE), MYRNA AND FREDDIE GERSHON,
DAMON DASH, REVEREND AL SHARPTON, VY HIGGINSEN,
THE CASTS OF MAMA, I WANT TO SING AND SING, HARLEM, SING!
AND MORE

AT

THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY GALA CELEBRATION FOR
MAMA, I WANT TO SING
TO BENEFIT
THE MAMA FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS
AND GOSPEL FOR TEENS

 WHAT:  The 30th Anniversary Gala Celebration for Mama, I Want To Sing, the     1983 gospel  musical.  This Gala event, taking place exactly 30 years to the day from when  the original production opened in Harlem to great acclaim, benefits Gospel for Teens, a  program of the Mama Foundation for the Arts’ School for Gospel, Jazz, and R&B Arts.

WHERE: Performance at The Dempsey Theater 127 W. 127th Street, btw Lenox & 7th Aves.

After-Party at The Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building 163 West 125th Street   (just East of 7th Ave.)

The evening will begin with a special performance that includes musical highlights  from Mama, I Want to Sing and Sing, Harlem, Sing!, as well as a performance from the  award-winning Gospel for Teens Choir.  During the program, Lesley Stahl (Emmy  winner for her “60 Minutes” profile on Gospel for Teens) will be honored for her contributions to journalism and for her support of Gospel for Teens.  The after-party will be a celebration of Harlem,  highlighting some of the area’s best food (Sylvia’s,   Spoonbread, Corner Social, Chez Lucien, Jacob’s Soul Food, Melba’s, Make My Cake,  etc).

Tickets  are $300.00 and are available by calling the Mama Foundation for the Arts at (212) 280-1045.

Regular performance tickets: see the top left of the page.