Greetings children,
Welcome to the detention center. I'll be watching you. Each and every one. When you turn the corner, when you go to your little cubbies to get your smelly little coats, when you skip merrily to lunch. I'll be watching you, all of you!

I don't see why small children take so long to grow up. I think they do it deliberately just to annoy me. Some brats are gonna die today!
DJ AM TERROR

Above the sphere of experiential wisdom found in the work of Helleborus laid a vast tapestry of human experience woven in the tales of ancient Deities. Steeped in the mythology and mysticism of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, the Houseman Brothers explore forgotten paths of history, extracting unknown lore and threads of truth. Out of this journey emerged the studio project "Akhenaten", which parallels themes found in Helleborus. 

"The album is a mural of epics from Egypt and Mesopotamia. It tells stories of belief, warfare, men and Gods."
                                                                  -Jerred Houseman
  
Drawing on the diverse wisdom and sound of the ancient world, their debut album "Incantations Through the Gates of Irkalla" is an epic soundscape of exotic, monstrous visions and elusive melodies that haunt like a half-remembered dream. Akhenaten's flourishing sound is rooted in blackened death metal, suffused with the exotic instrumentation and rhythmic structures of the ancient Near and Middle East. Sharing the exclusive characteristics of bands such as Al-Namrood, Narjahanam, Melechesh and Kartikeya, Akhenaten whispers to the most remote regions of primal memory. Akhenaten's debut album Incantations Through the Gates of Irkalla will be released through Murdher Records, Darzamadicus Records, and Satanath Records in December of 2015.

Just about a hundred miles from the middle of the state, sits Caruthers California. Caruthers is famous for the Caruthers District Fair, the famous bi-plane in the filling station, and soon, the home of country music's latest find - Gregor Ross.

Now, Caruthers is nowhere near the country music capital of Nashville, but it is a fairly good hop-skip-and a-jump to Bakersfield, which enjoys a country music lineage of its own.

Gregor's musical lineage runs deep. His grandparents were both singers and instrumentalists with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, and they instilled the love of country music in Gregor. After years of watching the Grand Ole Opry with his grandfather, Ellis would opine that Gregor would get to play there one day.

"Ours is a big ol' rambunctious family," Gregor smiles. "They all recognized that I loved music, but no one ever really thought I would go down that road because I had 80% hearing loss in both ears”.

"We all worked hard, and as a teenager I felt I had to jump in and pull my weight." Gregor's uncle Rick taught him the skill of welding - to great success. Gregor is a Champion Welder having won skills competitions across the state. This is an art that is definitely not on the usual resume of a country artist. He's been a professional welder since he was a teenager, but during every break he always returned to his guitar.

When the cochleae in both ears were reconstructed at age 15 to restore his hearing, the music's magic became more of a siren song, and he began to play music in earnest.

Of course like all young men he dabbled in rock, but it was country that remained in his heart. And so every chance he could, Gregor would play and sing locally, expanding his realm to include Bakersfield and Buck Owens' Crystal Palace. Now Gregor's first commercial product will be released on June 3rd.

The six-song EP Turn Up The Noise, was recorded in Los Angeles at Daniel "Dr. Ford's" private studio, and is comprised of all original material written and performed by Gregor. He is backed ably by studio mates Dave Pearlman on Steel, Bruce Lawrence on Guitars, and Kara Britz and Zack Ford on Backgrounds. In addition to producing and engineering duties, Dr. Ford chipped in on guitars and vocals. Ford's award-winning work and approach to "Lyrical Mixing" has charted at #1 on iTunes, on the Billboard charts and gained him a featured position as a master educator on Pro Studio Live.

"Music to me is like a photo album full of memories," Gregor explains. Now that May is just around the corner - make sure you listen to some of those memories and catch him live when Gregor comes to a venue near you. And quick - check out "Don't Mean Maybe," you might just be humming that song all summer long.


With deep and expansive global sensibilities shaped by a unique blend of cultural influences growing up in Lebanon, multi-talented composer and instrumentalist Toni Makhoul is truly a musical citizen of the world. 

Drawing on a rich palette of styles ranging from pop, jazz and soul to Spanish, Latin, French and the exotic Arabic/Asian music of his Lebanese heritage, he stirs the heart with a sonic vision that begins with lush piano melodies and includes a wide array of instruments, including saxophone, percussion, guitar, bass, flute, harmonica, violin and accordion. He likens the art of creating instrumental music to the work of a visual artist, where a composition is like an abstract painting that tells new stories, evokes fresh emotions and takes the listener’s imagination different places without imposing specific images or “frames” around the story.

Beyond the sheer melodic beauty, rhythmic power and blend of gentle, graceful reflections with high energy celebrations and “danceability,” Makhoul’s diverse music expresses his vision of a better world and an overriding message of hope and possibility. In the beautiful booklet accompanying his 2014 release Dancing Hearts, he encapsulates the optimism that infuses the 14 colorful tracks with simple but powerful words: “We should replace hate with love, dispute with agreement, insincerity with truth, doubt with faith, despair with hope, darkness with light and sadness with joy. Then, no matter the distance & difference between people, their hearts will shake & will be dancing together with love.”  

Further, sharing is belief in the power of music to overcome all strife, he writes: “Music created with sensation & love traverses all boundaries, barriers, difficulties and connects people’s hearts together, no matter who they are, where they live or what they do, as long as they are filled with love.”  

The theme of Dancing Hearts is an extension of the romantic vibes of Makhoul’s first two critically acclaimed full length recordings, Letter To My Love (2007) and Eternal Love (2012). Having experienced the beauty and enduring force of true love, on these projects he shares the intimacy of a world, he says, “that comes alive in music and love.” Their melodic and flowing, lushly arranged tunes reflect the many emotions that love entails—sadness, joy, the rapture of new love and the heartbreak of broken dreams and expectations. Pondering the mystery and magic of love, the artist needs no words to say what our hearts tells us is true: no matter the cost, it’s all worth it. 

Indicative of the international appeal of his instrumental music, Makhoul stated his goal for the music of Eternal Love simply—but in five different languages—in the album’s liner notes: 
"Hoping that my music will relieve you when you feel tired and be your companion while you are in a comfortable dreamy corner with the one you love.” The video for the title track, directed by Mansour Rahbani, featured Makhoul at the piano, fronting his band in a swanky, dimly lit high end club filled with colorful characters and an artfully dropped rose that gives rise to a 
sweet romantic fantasy. He is currently working on a video for the title track of Dancing Hearts which is reflective of the optimistic, philosophy of overcoming negativity and evil that drives the album.  

Makhoul, whose liner notes include mention of where he was when the inspiration for each song hit him, brings a unique compositional process to his music. “Usually I start by humming a melody that comes to me wherever I am and under a variety of circumstances,” he says. “If I have a sheet of paper, I write the notes down, and if not I will record it on my mobile phone and later develop it in my studio – but only if I still like it when I listen to it again! Inspiration can come from anything – a beautiful moment or situation, a sad story, wonderful things...I just never know. Often when I travel I have fewer things on my mind and more freedom to be creative – and am in wonderful places that lend themselves to those serendipitous moments.” 

Born in Baabda, Lebanon, Makhoul’s musical journey started at age eight when he received his first guitar. Since that time, he discovered a new world where thought and emotion can be expressed through music. Early on, he was influenced by the music and other elements of various cultures that continue to inspire his compositions today: “In our country, we start school at age four and we start learning Arabic, French and English. We learn the English and French even better than the Arabic as most of our lessons (Math, Physics, hemistry, ...) are either in English or French while the Arabic is usually taught to us as language to read and write. This opened the door for us to understand English and French very well and therefore gave us the ability to listen and understand a wide range of music, not only the Arabic and oriental music. I believe man is the son of his environment, and I think the magic and the charm of my culture is reflected somewhere in my music.” 

Though he only had a year of formal guitar instruction, he started performing live during his school days, when he played his first instrument in a band of five people. They later performed in restaurants and for special occasions. When he was studying engineering, he performed a solo concert, singing and playing guitar, at the University. In 2002, a few years before releasing his solo debut Letter To My Love, Makhoul enjoyed his first recording experience with “It’s Time,” a musical play written and composed entirely by him); beyond his formal projects, he has been in the studio over the years recording other songs he had written as well as commercial jingles. 

Unlike some recording artists who are shy about their non-musical lives, Makhoul freely discusses the fact that he holds a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering. He is grateful that his success as a partner in a prominent engineering firm has given him the financial ability to translate those melodies and musical concepts into beautifully realized studio recordings he can now share with the world. 

Rather than simply compartmentalize his dual lives as “musical passion” and “day job” like many musicians do, he finds unique connections between the two: “Being an engineer allows you to know how to think, plan and act. A civil engineer takes the creative work of an architect and makes all the needed steps to achieve the creative art work of an architect. In music I am 
acting as an architect when I create the melody. And later when I make the instrumentation and the structure of the melody, I will be working as an engineer who has to know how to select the materials to use to achieve the desired end product.”

Two bad mofo's combining old school sounds with new age lyrics and style. You'd probably blow them if you saw them in public. Unless of course you're a dude. Then you'd probably just be like oh shit, those dudes are way cooler than me, and I should skip town before anyone sees me in contrast to them. With your life, now in shambles, you'll turn to crack cocaine and other weird throwback drugs, like quaaludes and mesculin. Long story short, they're pretty dope.

"I've been rapping since I was 13 and making beats since 17. My dad toured in the R&B game in the 80s. I started rapping on stages in the 90s. I made a single called "Stomp" that got on Alantic Records presents Got Flow and it made me take music seriously. Been in arenas, clubs, and small rooms in various states. My family Skip Mahoney even been sampled by Kid Cudi and a couple other major artists in the game".

"I write my own bars. I can make my own beats. I ghost for other artists and depending on who you are I'll work with you. Born into music.......I didn't really have a choice. This is literally apart of my every day lifestyle. Big shouts out to vintage hip hop fans and a artist name Mikey AK for cooking my previous music bio in a rap battle. I appreciate the love".#onehunnit

Originally hailing from somewhere behind the Iron Curtain, Lyova Lyubov started collecting italo disco records whilst living in Berlin. Since 2010 he has been sharing his love of early electronic music by organizing parties in Taiwan. 
Originally resident at Tin Pan Alley in Tainan, he created a series of vinyl-only house and disco parties. He also launched the very successful "Afrodesia" series, the only party on the island dedicated to showcasing exotic funk and rare grooves from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. He now spins all around Taiwan - he is notably a regular at Korner, Taipei's best underground club - along with occasional gigs in Hong Kong (Premium Sofa Club, XXX) and the USA.
Lyova's style is an organic mix of disco, house and exotic cosmic grooves, with plenty of acid bass lines and 80s synths.
In 2014, he founded RAW, a group dedicated to sharing underground music and promoting the local music and party scene in Taiwan. 
Faithful to his belief that "the future was yesterday" he is dedicated to spinning only vinyl.
https://www.facebook.com/djlyova



Music is often referred to the language of emotions and it is our belief that music is not only for pleasure and entertainment, but it’s also an emotional experience and process.  This process led us to form Affekti so that we can share this experience with you.
     
     We are three musicians who met at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln. We aim to provide a rich and diverse repertoire ranging from traditional classical, exotic tango, modern music with an emphasis on obscure works -- with our unique instrumentation of saxophone, violin and piano, we hope to bring you a rich emotional experience through this music as Affekti.

     Affekti is currently studying under the guidance of Prof. Anthony Spiri, Prof. Daniel Gauthier, and Prof. Hans-Dietrich Klaus.

Born Anthony Michael Marsh in San Diego, California on October 18th, 1984. Ampsterdam was born into what he would later refer to as an instant dance with the devil. His father left his mother before he was born and Amp was forced to learn the ways of manhood from his two older half brothers, who were both very young members at the time of the infamous California originated street gang "The Crips". Rewinding back to his earlier childhood. Ampsterdam experience molestation at the hands of a family memeber followed by a brush with death at the age of 4, when he fell from a high rise apartment window and had to be airlifted to a local children's hospital. After regaining his consciousness hours later, Amp walked away with only a few bruises and minor lacerations. The fall should have been fatal. This is the first testament to his belief that a higher power is protecting him so he can fulfill a divine purpose of healing this world with his voice, But he wouldn't  understand how to help change the world, unless he endured the pain of the world. This meant that he would be raised by a neglectful parent. He would be bullied by people of every color for being mixed. His own family would despise his type of creation. He would be hated for his multicultural background, and envied for his ability to relate and empathize with the struggles of other cultures. From the beginning of life he would face discrimination and hatred for thing's he was unable to help. Amp was born, an ultimate victim of hate crimes, but this would mold him into the loving, persevering, and talented artist he would become. In 1994 after one of Ampsterdam's brothers was arrested in connection with a vandalism ring going around San Diego; the state of California gave his mother the option of moving the troubled child out of the state, or letting the state hold him in juvenile detention until the age of 18. Amp's mother chose to send his brother to Columbia, South Carolina to live with his grandparents. Amp's mom would later move them to South Carolina to live as well. Moving To the east coast was no better for Amp's family. It would only compound the already existing problems in there life with more malicious dilemma's. His brothers would both resume gang banging on there newly found gang curious turf. They would also continue having run ins with law enforcement. His mother would remain neglectful to them for sake of her own pleasures and pursuits. His father was still missing. As Amp grew up dealing with the culture shock and having to adjust to the racially tense southern stigma he was living under; he began to struggle with school as well. Amp began skipping school, because of constant bullying by his classmates. Being that he was from a lower class family; he didn't have the nice clothes, shoes, and other accessories that seemed to be so important to this Southern culture he was experiencing.   Ampsterdam began smoking in middle school and later doing drugs in highschool. From there his downward spiral would begin to gain speed. He found solace in hanging out and excessively smoking weed with his older neighborhood peers in the notorious Columbia, South Carolina's Route 48 neighborhood. During this time he also found another comfort to ease the pain of a life unraveled. When his middle to oldest brother Jermaine came home from prison and heard him singing an Usher song called "my way" alone in his bedroom, he offered to let Amp sing the chorus on a song he had written called "Hard Times". From there, 14 year old Amp went into a professional studio for the first time to record his brothers lyrics. The song was good! It gained him instant notoriety in his neighborhood. The little fame he experienced gave him a high greater than any drug he had ever taken. He was hooked. Music was now his love. From that day forward, music became his darling. Although, Even with his new found happiness in the wings; Amp never escaped the pressures of a neglectfully negative childhood. After meeting a new man, falling in love and giving birth to twin girls, Amp's mom  devoted her life to her new family like she never had to he and his brothers. Feeling like a man who was never a boy, Amp began to fight constant battles with his mother who was oblivious to his childhood struggles, which were now reflecting in his teenage years. By 15, Ampsterdam was kicked out of his mother and step fathers house to go live with his brother Jermaine and a cosine in an environment counter productive to a teenagers needs. Surrounded by heavy weed smoke, exotic dancers, sex, drugs, and alcohol; Amp was in a rebel teens heaven. As the years past, Ampsterdam repeated the 9th grade 3 times and by 17 decided to give up on school altogether. He dropped out of high school in 2002 in order to make more money to support himself in the street life he was thrust into. At the age of 20 Amp's then girlfriend gave birth to his son Cameron Anthony Marsh. Two years after they had his daughter Carmen Nicole. His kids instantly became his inspiration to fulfill his destiny to be one of the greatest recording artists in history. With his son and daughter here, he now had more reason to strive for greatness. His newest goal became giving them the life that he was never afforded. But, overtime Amp continued to struggle with life in general. He couldn't hold down a job, because his mind was always on music. No other line of work in the world, regardless of the pay off, could keep him from chasing his dreams to be star. Eventually he took his music on the road, going all over the country from Los Angles, Hollywood, and New York; to Las Vegas where he lived for a year, after separating from the mother of his two kids. After several years of coasting through cities and continuous denial by major record labels, Amp was now like his father. He was a rolling stone. He would go months upon months without seeing or speaking to his kids. He was becoming a horrible father just like his very own. Baring this title has been the hardest thing for him to take, but he knows if he is going to gain the world for his children, there must be great sacrifice. As a fan of the late Bruce Lee, Ampsterdam incorporated Lee's martial arts principle of never limiting yourself to one style into his music. Amp began to blend Hip Hop, R&B, Pop, Funk, Rock, and Mosh, creating a supreme style of music he calls "Super Music". After a face to face meeting with the Vice President of A&R at Def Jam Recordings Lenny "Lenny S" Santiago, Amp walked away with the praise that his music was extraordinary, but needed branding. He would have to get his fan base up and grow a bigger following. Today he is working harder than he ever to gain that following and to prove to the world that he is here to set his carbon footprint in platinum and enter the annuls of history as one of the greatest artist to ever impact the world in a positive way with his music. He is a member and founder of The White Flag Army, which is a peaceful movement of all walks of life that adorn the white flag of peace on their person in public to show that war is not necessary in the struggle for peace. Peace now and peace always! Join The revolution!!! Team Ampsterdam!!

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