See AC's Crib in this week's Metro Times

Have you seen this week's Metro Times? Check out the Motor City Cribs section... Or better yet, just visit here.


...Ms. Pac Man, anyone? :-)

Love
AC

Heaven Remixes, and Other Experiences...

So you know by now, today's the day. "If There Is A Heaven" Remixes, Vol. 1 is officially released TODAY -- at least on Beatport, yes? You know the routine... Other sites will also have it shortly, but yes... It's OUT. I can breathe. YAY!!! Now you can have the remixes that I play on my radio show. (without me screaming all the way through them... lol)

Speaking of radio show... I've started to record the shows again, for those folks who missed it last Friday. It was actually a VERY GOOD show. Pirahnahead sent me a fabulous track that he wrote as a tribute to (our next President) Obama. I debuted the upcoming "Release Me" remix for Soul Deep Collective -- and OMG, my BABY stopped by to visit me. Wanna download the show? If you'd like 2 hear some new tunes and get a few laughs, be my guest. :-)

Before I continue, speaking of baby... :-) GARY MARTIN'S BIRTHDAY IS TODAY!!! Visit his myspace page. Show him some love. He definitely deserves it...

Now, about this radio show... This Friday is my LAST Aaron-Carl Experience. Oh, don't worry... I will STILL continue the radio show, but I wanted to give you a different experience... The show will continue on October 3rd, and its new title is: The WARMTH Sessions... (Yes, W.A.R.M.T.H.!) There will be a live chat room, polls, downloads of course, guest DJs/mixes, and lots of hot topics to discuss. (Yes, I knew about this before, but I couldn't say anything just yet!)

Watch out for the new website coming in the meantime, solely dedicated to this radio show & label -- did I say LABEL? Yes... W.A.R.M.T.H. is officially being launched as a sub-label coming January 2009. (I'm sure you already know what the first release is, don't you?) More on that later. I'm gonna go grab some tea. I NEED it today; y'all know how Michigan weather is.

PS: Mike Banks, thank you for yesterday's experience. You've reminded me why I continue to admire and respect you so much... (The rest of y'all will find out later... heheheheh)

P.P.S: And YES, I want y'all to call my number. 313-263-4801. No, it's not a contest... Yes, it rings my phone... And YES, it's a cool way for my fans (and friends) to keep up with me -- and for ME to keep up with y'all... Beware though... I might just call u back sometime! (MUAH!)

Big LOVE,
AC

A Question of Bookings...

A Question of Bookings...

The scene is NOT dying. This I know for sure...

I'm sitting here, frustrated at the cancellation of my upcoming gigs in Ireland. My booking agent said something to me last night, that resonates in my mind right now. "Why is it so hard to get bookings for you?" Basically, I am wondering the same thing. Mind you, I understand that this scene (especially the Detroit scene) is pretty small. HOWEVER, considering that I AM a damn good artist/producer/dj, I'm confused.

Why am I still @ home, unable to get booked for shows? There's a certain group of people who are in Detroit -- some who haven't had a new record out in AGES (and if they did, it really wasn't good, if I say so myself) -- who are constantly on tour. I refuse to believe that the audiences in Japan, Ireland, Italy, etc. are so blind, that they limit the Detroit sound to these same few artists...

And while I respect their craft, I can't help but wonder... Damn. Are THEY the only motherfuckers in Detroit doing their thing??? I'm putting GOOD records out, consistently... I'm one of the most sought after remixers in this damn city. And as far as I know, I'm doing everything right. Now you mean to tell me, even with TWO booking agents, I'm STILL getting passed over, for the likes of --- well, y'all know who I'm talking about...

And on a personal note, I understand that gas prices are expensive... It's hard to get booked overseas without a flight share, I understand as well... But I know for a fact that I don't charge NEARLY as high of a fee as some of these OTHER folks -- what gives? I work so hard, and for what? To get ignored by promoters because they're stuck in a fucking time warp? Their vision is so narrow, they can't see past ---- OOOH, I won't name the names..

I'm trying not to take this personally. Those who've been to my shows, know I put on one helluva show... And I'm trying NOT to sound like I'm ranting... But shit. This is pretty frustrating!

In the meantime, I'm gonna continue doing my thing. Keep on making records, remixes, and doing what I can... I don't feel like a failure by any means. In fact, I feel quite fucking successful! But when I'm sitting at home, watching these same ol' folks travel the world (like I need to be doing), it makes me wonder what it's all for... Why even bother?

...AC

Happy Birthday 2 Me...

Happy Birthday to me...

I've been blessed with the chance to see 35. I can't believe it! In many ways, I have grown. I've lived through another year of ups and downs, struggles and accomplishments. Thank you Lord... I've survived...

As I look back on the past year, I've been through so much -- both good and bad. Never a dull moment, I tell you! My life has always been (and will probably always be) extreme. That's just the way it is... I've learned many lessons. I've learned how to love... I've learned how to LET GO... I've learned how to open my mind to new things... I've learned how to say NO.

I've learned the power of words. I've learned the value of my spirit. I'm finally taking charge of MYSELF... I've learned to be proud of the talents I possess. I've learned to be proud of the songs I sing. I've learned to command AND demand my respect. Fuck yeah, I'm fabulous! Y'all hear me?

This new year marks the beginning of a new me. My journey through life has brought me here -- and HERE is exactly where I need to be...

Sade said it best... "Like the scar of age, it's written all over my face... The war is still raging inside of me..."

Thank you all for living and learning with me. I've only just begun...

Love Always,
Aaron-Carl

My latest remix reviews on KOMPAKT

The first installment of Justus Köhncke's "Safe and Sound" Remixes contains a hot remix of "$26" by Aaron-Carl.  Resident Advisor gives it a rave review!
Click here to read the review.

And here are more reviews:

From Boomkat.com:

Well, this is a very pleasantly unexpected surprise, Aaron Carl turning up on Kompakt?! Assigned to a remix mission of Justus Kohncke's 'Safe and Sound' album from earlier in the year, Carl lends his magic touch to '$26' and comes out with an absolute blinder, charging up a body working tougher house version with madly effective upbuilding vibes and proper Detroit flavour. Robert Babicz's remix of 'Yacht' on the flip unfortunately just seems totally tame and inefficient compared to Aaron Carl's remix, so it's really just a one track pony this 12", but that track's a proper killer!

...and from Nuloop.com:

May we have your attention, please? it won't take long... we'd only like to make you aware of this new justus köhncke 12" which in fact is a remix record following his highly acclaimed „safe and sound" album. mr köhncke himself chose the remixers and this is what he reeled in: the a-side features the dark room-ish „$26" which - in its original version - already is a tribute to motor city. so justus managed to get one of detroit's most remarkable artists on the job: aaron carl. since his groundbreaking metroplex release „down" in 1998 he never disappointed us with his trademark deep and dirty sound. his „$26" is an authentic piece of tearjerking detroit house. we love it! the flipside belongs to heavyweight champion robert babicz. his track of choice is the bacchanal hommage to grace jones' immortal „slave to the rhythm". surprisingly, his superb remix rather reminds us of another stellar moment in pop music that is michael jackson's „thriller". but hey, of course not a beep got sampled here. you might call us many things - but we're no thieves!

Gary Martin and Aaron-Carl Tonight...

Tonight on the Aaron-Carl Experience, I'm finally doing it... I'm sitting down with Teknotika's GARY MARTIN for a little one one one... It's gonna be fun. Hope y'all tune in... 7PM EST. Click the link on my page to join in... :-)

MUAH! AC

Chicago Experience

Let me first start out by thanking Sean Smith (Smooth Agent Records) for providing the atmosphere, and inviting me down to Chicago for this wonderful occasion... It was truly a night to remember... Now, to give you the lowdown:

First off, the DRIVE to Chicago from Detroit is no joke. From my house, it takes me 5 hours to drive there. My assistant Charles and I both drank those 5-hour energy drinks, and let me tell you... THEY WORK for exactly 5 hours! I'm very grateful to have Chuck along for the ride -- we certainly made those 5 hours pass smoothly; along with some fabulous music to keep us entertained. I think we played everything from Madonna to Samwell (Mr. "What What in the Butt")... Folks in Indiana (when we stopped to eat) looked at us like we were total foreigners, which cracked us up. It's like you KNEW we were from somewhere else.

Chicago is a beautiful city at night -- especially driving over that lovely Skyway Bridge... But shit! How many TOLL BOOTHS do you NEED?! You certainly cannot be broke and drive through Chicago. HAHAHAHAHA!!!

We arrived at (what I THOUGHT WAS) "Betty's Blue Star Lounge." Honestly, all I saw was "LOUNGE" on the sign, so we walked in. There was a live rock band on stage, and I thought "wow, I must be DJing the Intermission... uh, where's Dajae?" I had to climb TWO ladders to get to the DJ booth, where I sat for a few minutes in silence. There was NOBODY in the DJ area, and that rock band would NOT stop playing... Do I drown them out with House music? I sent Charles to ask a staff member if we were indeed in the right place... We werent.
The place where we NEEDED to be was a few blocks up the road!!!

Embarrassed but not broken, we finally found the correct spot -- Betty's BLUE STAR LOUNGE... Fortunately for me, I wasn't the ONLY one behind schedule. Bernard Badie was spinning on the decks -- and it's so funny because I met him YEARS ago, in Submerge. I hadn't really seen him since, but he remembered my voice. :-) I regret not getting a picture with him, but next time I see him, I'll be sure to get a photo. Veronique was in the house already!!! Looking earthy and sexy as usual, I couldn't help but notice the PLUNGING NECK LINE... Lord, have mercy. Cleavage from here to Mississippi, I tell you. And she wore it well... (I said, hell.. should I push mine up?! Just kidding...)

I then met Sean Smith -- the man who made it all possible. He was very accommodating, which was quite refreshing to me, considering that I was quite nervous about actually performing in Chicago. These were some SERIOUS house heads. They own House like Detroit owns Techno -- I had to bring my A-game, y'all... And OOOH, did I!!!

But NOT until I was introduced to "the queen herself," Miss DAJAE. Do you know how down-to-earth this woman truly is??? After I had initially screamed (hey, I've been a fan for a LONG time!), I discovered that Dajae had a very similar personality to ME. She isn't all about being "divafied," and she's just "everyday people." I kid you not, if I lived in Chicago, I would SO hang out with her. We would SO eat Kentucky Fried Chicken together, for real!

So back to the DJ set. The night was still young, so I safely played my remix of Dajae's "Truth Hurts." (She hadn't heard it yet!) I was too busy mixing to check her reaction, but I KNOW that everyone else was loving it. Then I did what any other self-respecting Detroit DJ/Producer would do... I started playing my own music. (hahahaha!) Now here's something "funny," that you all probably know, but I'm just starting to realize... I could play an entire set of music, that ONLY consisted of my original productions and remixes! Honestly, I hope that doesn't come across as arrogance... Y'all know me. I'm the OPPOSITE of arrogant. But I was going through my music, and was like "wow... I can play THIS!... and THIS!... and THIS!!!" Of course I played other folks' music as well. Come on, y'all... LOL!!! I dug DEEP as well. I played everything from 95 North to MK's remix of the B-52's "Tell It Like It T-I-IS"... It was absolutely fucking fabulous...

One of the highlights of my set was when I played "Simply." I actually played it TWICE, because when I first played it, the club was still empty @ the time. Then when I noticed that the crowd had gotten bigger -- DETROIT DJs were in the house as well, y'all!!! Rick Wilhite, Eric Johnson, to name a couple... And I KNOW they'd never heard my new stuff, so I was like "yeah... this is my chance to SHOW Y'ALL..." (We Detroiters thrive off of friendly competition... It's all love!) Baby, I dropped "I Refuse," and "Simply" (for the second time), and I heard screams... Folks were FEELING it. And that made me high...

Shortly after my set, I sat down with Veronique and mingled. I'd taken what was my FIRST picture with Dajae at that time. Y'all don't understand... "Brighter Days" has brought me through some ROUGH TIMES in my life. It was HARD to be in the presence of that woman without crying out tears of gratitude...

Next thing you know, it was showtime... Veronique and I were already on stage. We had NO TIME to rehearse, NO sound check, no anything. And you know what? It was awesome. Our chemistry on stage is incredible. I made a joke that night -- "we get on stage, grab the microphone and start shouting... voila!" Baby, let me tell you... I completely FORGOT that Dajae was in the crowd when Veronique and I started to sing -- we sang "Alright," of course. And it was magical, to say the least...

Now here's the funny part. As you know, when I'm in Detroit, I don't SING live -- I don't know why, I just don't. (Although I did @ the festival, that's a different story... But for the most part, when I'm home, I usually just DJ.) Baby, when that "prayed up, persevere..." part came up, and I hit those high notes, you should've HEARD the Detroit folks GASP! (Yeah, I heard y'all!) It was like "damn!... HE hit THOSE notes?" Again, magical. I felt proud. I felt like we represented Detroit very well, and RESPECTED Chicago's house crowd. You know what I mean? It's like respecting someone in their own home... It's something you just DO. So hopefully, Rick and Eric felt proud of me.

Moving onto the next scene... Immediately after Veronique and I sang, Dajae gave us big hugs. (Now I was REALLY melting -- OMG, I just sang in FRONT of Dajae!!!!!!) Let me tell you... Miss Dajae got up on stage, and sang "Truth Hurts." I was like a teenage fan in the front row... Singing along, screaming and hollering like nobody's business. LOL... The she did it. She sang "Brighter Days." I could've fainted right then and there. Her stage presence was amazing -- she was at home. You could TELL she was at home... And the crowd adored her. She kept it real, and she reminded me of my big sister. In my head, I was like, "go ahead, girl... DO YOUR THING!" She broke it down, and sang the Brighter Days REMIX -- vocal chops and all. It took everything I had in me, to NOT get up on stage, grab the second microphone and sing backups. (Keep it together, AC... Keep it together!) So when SHE got offstage, we all started dancing together. People took pictures of Dajae, Veronique and me. I knew that Dajae was just as impressed with me and V, as WE were impressed with HER...

Highlight of the night... Veronique confides that I joke about "in Detroit, there can only be TWO Divas" -- her and me, of course! LOL... She then said something like, "but now we're in Chicago, partying with the QUEEN herself!" Dajae hugged her and said, "Girl, YOU are a diva in your OWN right!" ...then Dajae hugged me and said, "...and YOU TOO!"

Y'all could've given me a bottle and a blanket, and tucked my ass in, because I didn't need NOTHING ELSE that night! :-)

Another 5-hour energy drink later (and a delicious Sausage and Egg Criossant Sandwich), Charles and I drove back to Detroit. Well, I drove. HE slept. LOL... But I was beaming the entire way -- even though my legs hurt like hell. When we got to my house, I crashed on the couch... Made my way to the bed... and slept like a baby ALL DAY. (Ahhh!)

Of course, it's almost midnight, and I'm AWAKE now, but hey. It's not too often I have fabulous nights like this. I can enjoy it. For sure.

Thanks for reading... MUAH!
Love
AC