Johnson Barnes (born April 15, 1983), better known by his stage name Blu, is an American West Coast rapper and producer from Los Angeles, California[1]. Following the major success of his 2007 debut album, Below the Heavens, Blu was named HipHop DX's "Rookie of the Year" [2]. Since then, Blu has become one of the most prolific underground artists in the Los Angeles area, releasing "six full-length albums, and countless other projects and mixtapes" since his emergence on the rap scene [3] . Blu has also become as proficient a producer as he has a rapper. In September of 2011, Blu released his commercial album Open, his 4th solo project [4] which features tracks all produced by the West Coast emcee.
Contents  [hide] 
1 Early Life
2 Music Career
2.1 2003
2.2 2004-08
2.3 2009-10
2.4 2011 and Warner Bros.
3 Current Projects
4 Discography
4.1 Mixtapes
4.2 Instrumental Tapes
4.3 EPs
4.4 Independent Albums
4.5 Produced Albums
5 Guest appearances
6 References
7 External links
Early Life

Johnson Barnes was born on April 15, 1983 in San Pedro, California. Raised by his mother and stepfather who was a pastor, Barnes was highly influenced by gospel and Christian rap when he was growing up.[1] However, Barnes' was also influenced by gangsta rap that he received from his father, contributing to his delivery of conscious yet raw lyrics. In his early days in the music business, Johnson worked as a hype man for underground rap and soul artists such as Slum Village, Steve Spacek, Platinum Pied Pipers, and Emanon.[1] However, taking influence from Common, Barnes began turning from freestyle rhyming to crafting songs.[1] In an interview with HipHopDx, Barnes talks about what it was like to listen to Common's 1994 song I Used to Love H.E.R.:
"When I heard it, it really changed my life. I felt like I had heard Hip Hop for the first time. It made me change my content and my whole approach. It made me serious about writing and wanting to say something."[5]
[edit]Music Career

2003
Some of the earliest tracks by Blu can be found on the 2003 mixtape Bruised Brothers, done with fellow L.A. emcee Blacc also known as Jac Spade[6]. Spade is also a producer and has worked with the likes of Planet Asia and Charlie Tuna.
[edit]2004-08
Blu signed to L.A. independent label Sound in Color in 2004, choosing the label ahead of other big name companies such as Interscope Records and Death Row Records.[1] After Blu was introduced to Los Angeles based producer Exile by Aloe Blacc[5], Blu released his debut album Below the Heavens in August of 2007. New York weekly newspaper The Village Voice called the album "one of the most thoughtful indie-rap releases in some time"[7]. Following the album's success and Blu being named as Rookie of the Year by HipHopDX[8], the rapper began working with Detroit rapper-producer Ta'Raach, releasing the collaborative album The Piece Talks under Tres Records in April 2008. In September of that same year, the company released Blu's collaborative album Johnson&Jonson with producer Mainframe [9]. In an interview with HipHopDX, Blu talked about his work in the underground scene and what motivated him to continue writing:
"The game in 2008 is not perfect and people complain and complain about how wack music is, but there's so much dope shit out there if you just turn the radio and TV off. I find ill shit all the fucking time and I'm like there's way too much music out there"[2].
Following the reception of Johnson&Jonson, Blu and Mainframe formed their joint company New World Color. In celebration of the move, the two released their EP E.Q.E.P.; featuring rappers such as Gonjasufi and Dirty Paper[10]. Aside from these commercial projects, Blu also released his second solo project (So)ul Amazing.
2009-10
In 2009, Blu released his third solo album entitled HerFavoriteColo(u)r. Although the album was originally released as a free mixtape, the tape was re-released as in album in conjunction with Nature Sounds in 2011[11]. The album is known for its jazz, neo soul feel as well its samples of artists such as Billie Holiday and Jimi Hendrix and Curtis Mayfield. During this year, Blu also released his mixtape (So)ul Amazing II with DJ Heat. The tape features a wide variety of artists including Talib Kweli, Will.i.am, Kid Cudi, Evidence, The Alchemist, and Co$$.
In 2009, hip hop magazine XXL named Blu as one of their Top 10 Freshmen of 09'[12]. That same year, Blu also began experimenting with production, releasing his 8 track instrumental NoSleepForADay. The year also found Blu signed to major label Warner Bros.[13].
The following year, Blu released his lyrical/instrumental full length LP theGodleeBarnes[3].
[edit]2011 and Warner Bros.
2011 has been one of the biggest years for Blu thus far in terms of music production. In January, Blu released And If You See The E Drop Em, a title taken from a line on his first track on Below the Heavens [3]:
Blu has proliferated highly in terms of commercial releases this year, producing three albums titled Jesus, NoYork!, and Open with Nature Sounds; the latter of which features a variety of artists with tracks all produced by the emcee. While the album Jesus was released independently under New World Color in July, NoYork!, a project that was supposed to be Blu's major label debut, was not. Initially planned for release under Warner, Blu later dropped from the label in October[14], deciding to release it for free over the internet instead.
Current Projects

In an interview with Above Ground Magazine, Blu expressed his future intentions with music, specifically on his notion of retiring from rap.
“I’ve never seen myself rapping after 30,... I’ve always seen myself doing film. I have like three films I would love to shoot. But I would need a budget for it.”[14]
The rapper is currently working on several projects, one of which includes another link up with producer Exile on Memoirs, which was later released as Give Me My Flowers While I Can Smell Them, a record which was released at the end of 2011. Ucla is another tape in the works, set to be a collaborative album produced by critically acclaimed LA producer Madlib.
Discography

Mixtapes
(So)ul Amazing (2008)
E.Q.E.P. (with Mainframe as Johnson&Jonson) (2008)
(So)ul Amazing II (2009)
Powders & Oils (2009)
Untaped (2010)
ParieArtNommee (2010)
And If You See the E Drop ‘Em (2011)
Heavy(LightYearsBehind) (TBA)
[edit]Instrumental Tapes
Open (theInstrumentalLP) (2009)
NoSleepForADay (2009)
The Norman Rockwell Beat Tape (2011)
EPs
Bruise Brothers (with Jack Spade) (2003)
Lifted (2006)
The Narrow Path (2006)
BeSene (with Sene as Patch Adams) (2008)
IntoBlu EP (2010)
Amnesia (2011)
ar r ie mx a ll pink r ep (2011)
Independent Albums
Below the Heavens (with Exile) (2007)
The Piece Talks (with Ta'Raach as C.R.A.C. Knuckles) (2008)
Johnson&Jonson (with Mainframe as Johnson&Jonson) (2008)
theGODleeBarnes(lp) (2010)
HerFavoriteColo(u)r (2009)
j e s u s (2011)
NoYork! (2011)
Give Me My Flowers While I Can Smell Them (with Exile) (2011)
ucla (with Madlib) (TBA)
TBA (with MED) (TBA)
[edit]Produced Albums
ADayLate&ADollarShort by Sene (2009)
Open (2011)
Guest appearances

Year	Album Artist	Album	Song
2007	Move.Meant	The Scope Of Things	Git It Now (also featuring Trek Life)
2008	Shingo Suzuki	The Abstract Truth	Hi(gh) Music
Evidence	The Layover EP	For Whom The Bell Tolls (also featuring Phonte & will.i.am)
Presto	State of the Art	Pour Another Glass
DJ Cadik	Basic	Hard Times
Freddie Joachim	In With Time	Mars (Remix)
2009	Bembe Segue & Mark de Clive-Lowe	The Politik	Moonlight
J.Period & Q-Tip	The [Abstract] Best	Jazz (Tribute Remix)
Dela	Changes of Atmosphere	Vibrate
Atmosphere Airlines Vol. 2	Mars
Sepalot	Red Handed	Surrender
Blame One	Days Chasing Days	Wonder Why
The Grouch & Eligh	Say G&E!	Old Souls (also featuring Flying Lotus)
Keelay & Zaire	Ridin High	The Times
J Dilla	Jay Stay Paid	Smoke
Waxolutionists	We Paint Colors	Steel Remains
Tanya Morgan	Brooklynati	Morgan Blu
Fashawn	Boy Meets World	Samsonite Man
The Alchemist	Chemical Warfare	Therapy (also featuring Evidence, Talib Kweli & Kid Cudi)
Andy Allo	Unfresh	DreamLand
2010	All City Chess Club		I'm Beamin' (Remix)
TiRon	MSTRD	The Richers (also featuring Asher Roth)
The Roots	How I Got Over	Radio Daze (featuring P.O.R.N. & Dice Raw)
The Day (featuring Phonte & Patty Crash)
Mumbles	Transformations/Illuminations	Never Ending
2011	Dela	Translation Lost	Lucy's&looseleafs
Dela	Translation Lost	Whatuwanna
Co$$	Before I Awoke	Born Again (featuring Sene)

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Home of my own mixes - predominantly jungle/hardcore with the odd bit of D&B, plus eclectic sample-digging, breaks and hip-hop, techno & electronica. 

Pre-2001, all mixes vinyl; Post-2016, all mixes digital (DJay 2); Post-2018, Ableton Live. Why? Why not?
I've got an old skool DJ's mentality, early influences ranging from Sublove, Ratty, Randall & Hype to Coldcut, DJ Juice, MK & Primo.  In the early 00s I turned my back on D&B, retired my turntables in favour of family/work commitments, and got into funk, soul, reggae and so on... a lot of this driven by curiosity around the sample roots of hardcore and jungle.  Forward another decade and an early mid-life crisis saw me messing around with virtual decks on my phone, and later acquiring a vinyl ripper, with one vision in mind: making mixes.
Although I'm partial to the odd DJay or vinyl mix when I get the chance, the progression into Ableton Live was a simple means to an end.  My ideas stretch further than the limitations of my physical collection and real-time mixing, and by sequencing I can pick, choose, chip away and structure mixes at my leisure. Which I do... a lot :)

Wait, there's more ... an absolute stack of classic golden era/old skool hip-hop/turntablism, jungle and d&b, hardcore, techno and house mixes retrieved from my dusty tape & CD archives.  This includes (by my reckoning) the most exhaustive collections of classic Full Cycle and Sublove Galaxy Radio shows, live Ruffneck Ting jungle tapes, loads of studio & compilation mixes, all manner of rave tapes, and so on. 
Use the playlist shortcuts (top of spotlight) to find your way around. 

Have fun, spread the love :)

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BEFORE EDM THERE WAS EBM 😉

I am breathing electronic music since late 70s and that's over 45 years now. From Kraftwerk, Jean Michel Jarre, Mike Oldfield, Depeche Mode, Erasure, Yazoo, Alphaville, Men without Hats, Nitzer Ebb, Die Krupps, Front 242, Anne Clark, Camouflage, Gary Numan, OMD, Apopytygma Berzerk and even the Commodore 64 demo & break dance scene to more contemporary Electronic music artists, I witnessed the evolution of Electronic music, which basically means I am an old fart and consider myself an authority in this music genre 😵 Currently I listen DnB almost exclusively. But I do not like to restrict myself at all, enjoying flavors like Electronica, Trance, Psytrance, Tech House, Dubstep, Deep House, Future Pop, Trap, Techno, UK Bass and of course EBM/Industrial as well.

What you will find in my likes and playlists is the top of the crop in Electronic Music, I will  absolutely not list any bullshit. A track I have not listed might be just that: Bullshit, just mediocre or an artistic gem which

REFLEXING FULL-TIME SINCE 2010.

Some call him ‘the wizard’; Noel Gallagher says he’s a genius.

Having gathered support  from virtually every corner of the industry - 
From the tastemakers (Gilles Peterson, The Blessed Madonna, Bill Brewster, Lefto) to the heavyweights disco DJs (Dave Lee JN, DJ Harvey, Dimitri from Paris, Mousse T.); from the top underground jocks (Skream, Eats Everything, Disclosure, Purple Disco Machine) to hip-hop heads (De La Soul, Jazzy Jeff, Rich Medina); from the DJ / remix pioneers (François K, Danny Krivit, Greg Wilson) to ground breaking producers (Patrick Adams, Jimmy Jam, Leroy Burgess); the list of supporters keeps growing. It’s no coincidence that The Reflex has ended up on Barack Obama’s iPod or received the ultimate thumbs up from the legendary ‘Thriller’ and ‘Rock With You’ songwriter Rod Temperton before his passing.

More than an edit, it’s The Reflex Revision: a motto that describes accurately the expert craftsmanship involved in turning stems into brand new, fresh sounding versions. With privileged access to original multitracks, a unique attention to detail and mixing skills to make vintage recordings sound like no other, The Reflex extracts the funkiest elements and puts the musicality to the fore while building his own groove in a way that only he can. While some are remixing from the outside in, layering house beats over disco classics, The Reflex does it the hard way, combining creativity and functionality with results that are often nothing short of spectacular.
With 100+ official remixes under his belt for the biggest names in the industry, The Reflex’s output is in demand. Whether he’s soundtracking Karl Lagerfeld’s make-up range or genre-hopping through the decades and styles with ease, The Reflex has become the remixer most played on BBC6 Music (courtesy of long time supporters Craig Charles and Gilles Peterson).

London based since 1998, French native Nicolas Laugier’s story is one of determination, drive and ambition. Hailing from a humble working-class background and after many years of hardship, Nicolas gambled all his little savings on a professional music career in 2010 at the age of 36, with no plan B. 

As a DJ, The Reflex sets are a proper energy-packed workout, full of unreleased material (his own and from his trusted network), often playing the big disco tunes well ahead of everyone else.
With 20+ years in the game, through an impressive mix of disco, cosmic, funk, boogie house and rarities, The Reflex brings on the grooves in their many forms with an ability to adapt to crowds and places through his wealth of knowledge and experience. Somewhere between trainspotters’ paradise and crowd pleaser, always classy but never vulgar.
Love it or hate it, you’ll know a Reflex Revision when you hear one. By morphing tired classics and sometimes uncool songs into bonafide DJ weapons, The Reflex has created a catalogue of revisions that will be played for many years to come.

https://linktr.ee/thereflex
Remix / Press enquiries: mail@thereflexmusic.com

Socials
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https://twitter.com/discolidays

 The story of UB40, and how this group of young friends from Birmingham transcended their working-class origins to become the world’s most successful reggae band is not the stuff of fairytales as might be imagined. The group’s led a charmed life in many respects it’s true, but it’s been a long haul since the days they’d meet up in the bars and clubs around Moseley, and some of them had to scrape by on less than £8 a week unemployment benefit. The choice was simple if you’d left school early. You could either work in one of the local factories, like Robin Campbell did, or scuffle along aimlessly whilst waiting for something else to happen.

By the summer of 1978, something else did happen, and the nucleus of UB40 began rehearsing in a local basement. Robin’s younger brother Ali, Earl Falconer, Brian Travers and James Brown all knew each other from Moseley School of Art, whilst Norman Hassan had been a friend of Ali’s since school. Initially, they thought of themselves as a "jazz-dub-reggae" band, but by the time Robin was persuaded to join and they’d recruited Michael Virtue and Astro – who’d learnt his craft with Birmingham sound-system Duke Alloy – the group had already aligned themselves to left-wing political ideals and forged their own identity, separate from the many punk and Two Tone outfits around at that time. The group had nailed their colours to the mast by naming themselves after an unemployment benefit form. Their political convictions hadn’t been gleaned second hand either, but cemented in place whilst attending marches protesting against the National Front, or rallies organised by Rock Against Racism.

By the time Chrissie Hynde invited them to tour with the Pretenders during the summer of 1980 and their debut single "King b/w Food For Thought" had sailed into the UK Top 5, all the essential elements of UB40 were already in place. Their line-up will remain unchanged for almost thirty years, and they will continue playing a mix of original material and inspired choice of reggae covers in a style that’s instantly accessible with its bright melodies and sweeping horn arrangements – one that’s allied to a formidable rhythm section, capable of holding its own with anything from Jamaica.

UB40’s first album was released the following September, on Graduate Records. Their deal allowed them more creative freedom than if they had signed with a major label. The cover artwork memorably duplicated an unemployment benefit card, with the title "Signing Off" rubber-stamped in red, but it was the music that quickly worked its way into the affections of a young, mainly student crowd with its knowing lyrics, solid reggae rhythms and dubby, instrumental passages, offset by warm horn solos and Jamaican style scatting. There was nothing else like it at the time. As a multi-cultural band from Birmingham, UB40 weren’t drawn into trying to sound "authentic," and there was considerably more depth to their music than that of many punk and 2Tone bands. "I’m a British subject, not proud of it, whilst I carry the burden of shame," they sang on one of the tracks. Accepting the truth of their own situation amidst a sea of other reggae songs proclaiming black heritage gave us a valuable insight into where UB40 were coming from. They were unafraid to stand up and be counted, and British audiences instinctively loved them for it. "Signing Off" duly went to No. 2 in the UK and stayed on the nation’s album charts for 72 weeks.

On September 2nd, 2013, UB40 released their latest album ‘Getting Over The Storm’ on Universal/Virgin Records.

The #1 Spot For Reggae & Dancehall Mix  🎶 🎧 🇯🇲

About DJ Treasure 

Who is DJ Treasure?
DJ Treasure is undoubtedly one of the most talented DJs Jamaica has ever produced. Hailing from Spanish Town, Jamaica, DJ Treasure has become the premier source for music enthusiasts seeking the latest and greatest in mixtapes. With a vast collection of mixtapes, he offers something for everyone, ensuring hours of uninterrupted musical enjoyment. Whether you're throwing a party, exercising, or simply unwinding, DJ Treasure's mixtapes are the ideal complement to any event.

After several years of compiling and pitching mixtapes, DJ Treasure has finally decided to take the leap into music production and create his own record label, DJ Treasure Music. With a passion for creating and sharing music, DJ Treasure aims to provide a platform for artists to showcase their talent and connect with fans. With his extensive industry knowledge and expertise, DJ Treasure Music is set to become a major player in the music industry.

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