Label - robin@tiergartenrecords.com

After the RobinPlaysChords' album Teardrop Girl-Star LP finally saw the light of day in 2017, Robin Jax opened up. Support slots with the likes of Alabaster dePlume, Thomas Truax and Madonnatron; a musical role in Room Art's Incidental; singing in a choir alongside Wolfgang Buttress' BE Music (and 50,000 bees) in Coventry Cathedral; the launch of The Companions with musician/author Amber Bird - a relatively hyperactive burst of activity for someone whose studio debut took six years to complete. The 2019 single Miroslava, a self-described "Anglo-Ukrainian love song", was released on 28th June 2019 via Robin's own label Tiergarten Records. Robin has recently been interviewed by The Guardian relating to experiences of access for autistic people within the music industry, and is affiliated to Attitude is Everything's Next Stage artist programme.

For business inquiries please email harrisonsandsmusic@gmail.com

Born and raised just outside of Los Angeles, CA, Harrison Sands is a singer-songwriter with a voice you don’t forget. Sporting an impressive vocal range and effortless, silky falsetto, Harrison’s vocals dance across funky basslines with ease. Drawing inspiration from artists like Justin Timberlake, Frank Ocean, the Beach Boys, Paul McCartney, and Childish Gambino, Harrison’s trademark croon, evocative lyrics, and keen ear for harmony define his sonic style.

After releasing his first project in late 2014, Harrison began tirelessly working in the studio to develop his unique sound and songwriting skills. Three years later, Harrison released his breakthrough single “Trust” featuring Abhi the Nomad, a frequent collaborator and close friend. “Trust” has received more than a million streams across platforms and provided the platform for Harrison’s acclaimed 2018 debut Everything’s Fine. Riding the momentum from a series of buzz-building singles, he is now preparing for the release of his forthcoming debut album this Fall.

Harrison Sands is a polished live performer with a palpable passion for being on stage. Harrison has delighted audiences at SXSW, Hangout Music Festival, and Fort Worth’s Fortress Music, in addition to a variety of shows up and down his native West Coast. In 2018, he toured nationally in support of Abhi the Nomad’s American Alien tour.

Ivan Minuti is the founder and creative director of tech company Musicalism, a platform of streaming technology for Music Curation, that leverages on a software enabling users to manage expansive music libraries into automated playlists able to be scheduled over a calendar.

Due to his obsessive nature in music research, Ivan built a reputation for himself as a leading expert for refined music in the GCC regions, with a catalog of a hundred thousand songs collected over the last two decades of DJ’s career.

Is unique method as a Music Curator sets him apart from the competition: instead of providing ready-made playlists, Ivan’s flow starts by studying each client identity, allowing him and his team to craft bespoke playlists aggregated in licensed radio channels able to resonate with the brand’s musical identity. 

This approach is positioning Musicalism as the leader of a new way of providing comprehensive music services and hardware integration, that not only caters to luxury hospitality but also includes art galleries and digital spaces.

 Listen to my 'CRIB RADIO' :
For some straight up DISCO-SOUL JAMS!!!!!!
http://www.crossfaderstudios.com/prochatrooms/index.php?roomID=1
I-phones & Devices:
http://tunein.com/radio/Crib-Radio-with-Jay-Negron-s229167/

 
You can Download the shows here:
 http://ajskidiscomix.blogspot.com/

BIO:
* What is your full name?
Juan Jay Negron 

* Where and when were you born?
July 1956 in TheBronx, NY, USA

* When did you get bitten by the Disco bug?
I always liked fast music with a beat. That started when I was a youngster. I started collecting records at the age of 6. No slow songs, They were all fast with a beat.
(Chubby Checker, DeeDee Sharp, Joey Dee & The
Starliters)
When Disco came out, I was already in.

* How come you started DJ'ing? Was it something you wanted to do, or did
it just "happen"?
It sorta just happened thru my love of music. Let me explain.
When I was a kid (ages 6-13) I used to study radio.
I used to study the DJs; Dan Ingram & Frankie Crocker were my favorite Radio DJs.
At college (1973) I was a Radio DJ at the Lehman College radio station WHLC 590 AM.
I was 16 yrs old and even playing hookey from class to do my show.
It was an uptempo R&B/Funk/Rock show. (Motown/Philly Sound/Rare Earth/Santana)
Eventually I was dropped from school for non-attendance, and the show died with it.

During the next year I met a neighborhood guy named Paul Solari, who was actually a club DJ.
He passed the corner where I was playing my latest cassette featuring some home made edits
of some current hits. ("Masterpiece" by The Temptations, "Jungle Fever", "Living For The City", "Mighty Love")
He liked the edits. He invited me to come to the club and I jumped at the invitation.
Soon he was showing me his craft--beat mixing---Gerrard turntables with no speed control.
He taught me everything, BPM, mixing during the intros & not the vocals, segue, double-copies,
self made extended versions using two 45s. He taught, I listened and got real good at it.
Paul became my mentor. We would spend 18 out of 24 hours together rapping about, disecting, listning to, debating
about MUSIC.

* Who was the first DJ you heard?
The first Club DJ I heard was at a place on W.81 st & Central Park West in 1971.
I was 15 years old and snuck in the club with a false ID. I paid $5 and they gave me a ticket to get a drink--->in the bar next door!!!
The club didn't serve liquor.
It had all kind of different color lights, strobe, and people dancing wall-to-wall.
I immedietly was excited.
He was playing "Funky Nassau"---and that's the first thing I noticed.
I said to myself, I have that record home.
Then he played "Get On The Good Foot" by James Brown.
I said, WOW, I have that too.
I wound up having over 75% of the music he played and that was a boss feeling.
I said to myself, I could do this too.
So I spent the rest of the night watching him go from song to song, using a toggle switch.
No mixing---no cueing---No headphones.
Crowd was screaming to his selection all night.
At the end of the night, I thought, I've got to do this again.
I got bitten by the bug.

* Did you have any DJ "mentor(s)" or someone who influenced you? Some
comments on them?

My mentor/teacher was the man previously mentioned, Paul Solari. I was so young 16 & 1/2 years old so he had to teach me everything:

How to act, how to behave with bosses, who to respect at the club, who to keep away from, etc.

In addition what songs do the club like & don't like.

My taste at the time was very soul, pop & funk orientated.
I didn't know about the 'underground hustle music'.

He taught me that also.

* Could you name some of your personal favorite DJ's of the Disco era?

My absolute favorite was Walter Gibbons.

We used to go to Galaxy 21 after work to listen to him spin. Our clubs closed at 4am---Walter would be getting warmed up around that time. He would go until 11am sometimes. He had his own 'home made' remixes that he would play. He also worked on a 'tri-amp' system in which he would have separate volume controls for the bass, treble, & midrange.

He would work the controls in & out to make a different sound everytime he played the song.

It was incredible. He once played the break from "10%" and "Disco Party" back & forth, changing the bass, horns, & highs in & out, song to song; the place went nuts!!!!

Another DJ I loved was Francois Kervorkian.

He would take chances and be very progressive with his music. At 5am with the crowd screaming on he switched genres and went from "Super Freak" to "Bedsitter" to "Cake" to "Start Me Up" and back to
'D' Train. The crowd screamed even more. And he has remixes no one had. "Bedsitter" & "Cake" were a couple of them--->took me 2 months to find. (imports)

* What do you think made you a top DJ? Any specific skills, special
technics or...?

I didn't invent the wheel or anything. I like to spin with momentum. I don't like to keep it on the same plane. I like to be progressing to an emotional upswing. It has to keep going up or it has to change.

If I see people on the dance floor getting bored even a little, I will change the music completely and start over. I want them hooping & hollering; havin' fun.

Another thing that made me a lil different is that I liked to have my own versions of the top songs. I made lots of plates at Sunshine Sound and even more on reel-to-reel or cassette.

* When did you start DJ'ing? Which was your first gig and how did you get it?

Paul Solari, my teacher/mentor gave me my first gig.

It was at 'The Last Laugh'--it was latin night - Thursday night and I had to play in between The Joe Cuba Sextette, a very popular salsa band from the late 60s. I was young & nervous and Paul would not be there--I was on my own and I did well.
I remember playing "Love's Theme" for the 1st time that night and people asking me "what is that song?".

I knew I was there to stay.

The first 2 places I worked at (Last Laugh & The Playhouse) was very Mob orientated places. I was young & naive to this fact. An older gentleman asked me to play Frank Sinatra; I then told him that I didn't have any and we don't play that here anyway. (I told him with the boldest face that a scrawney 17 year old could muster up)---The boss was there 10 minutes later looking in the closet for an old dusty Sinatra LP that he had stashed just in case; he was very very nervous as he pleaded/ordered me to play it. I naively asked him why? The people will stop dancing. This was at the height of the night. He was shaking at this point and said "Just do it NOW!"


* Have you ever worked with something else - Or is DJ'ing your life?

I've had different great jobs in my life.

I was a bus driver for the New York City Transit Authority for 10 years.(self-explanitory)

and I was a case manager/court liason for NYC T.A.S.C. {Treatment Alternatives for Street Crime}

I assessed defendants in prison for admission into various residential drug treatment programs.

That went on for 10 years.

I had my own problems with addiction.

With the help of Narcotics Anonymous I finally delt with my own demons. One day at a time!!!!!!

* Which clubs (and years) have you played?

The Last Laugh was my first in 1974.(3 months)

The Playhouse was 1975-1976.. (18 months)

Act III was 1976. (4 months)

Tropicalia was 1976-1980 (3 & 1/2 years)

Pegasus was 1980-1982 (18 months)

The Roof Top was 1984. I played there for 3 weekends until I was fired for partying in the booth. (I won't get into it here)

Any favorite club of those?

Obviously Tropicalia 'cause it was the most famous & beautiful club. The Playhouse because I was so young and could play ANYTHING there and they loved it!

* Would you say there Was a different crowd in each of the clubs? Were
there songs that were floorfillers in one club that didn't work in another
club?

Absolutely---In the Bronx, I was well known. People would come to hear me play & to hear NEW music. That was easy. Once I went into Tropicalia in Manhattan, an established club, they didn't care for what I used to play in the Bronx and wanted to be entertained in a different way. They were like 6 months behind in the music, and I had to adjust BIG TIME!!!

When I got to Tropicalia they were into "MIDNIGHT LOVE AFFAIR", "LADY BUMP", & "TRY ME" and in the Bronx we were over those songs already. So I had to get the crowds favor by playing their favorites while training them to like newer music at the same time.

I worked there 5-6 nights a week so it was easy but still a task. Took me the better part of a year to do this. Ask Louis Pegno, who was the doorman. He would see the frustration in me from time to time.

* Can you name some special "anthems" for some of these clubs?

The Playhouse: "ZING WENT THE STRINGS", "DATE WITH THE RAIN", "LA LA PEACE SONG", "WHEN THE FUEL RUNS OUT", "LOOK ME UP", "HONEY BEE"

Tropicalia: "DISCO PARTY", "TEN PERCENT", "DEVIL'S GUN", LOVE & KISSES, "THIS TIME BABY", "MAGIC BIRD OF FIRE", "I FEEL LOVE", "B-2"

Pegasus: "JUST A TOUCH OF LOVE", "JUST A LITTLE BIT OF JAZZ", "I'LL DO ANYTHING FOR YOU", "I'M IN LOVE", "AND THE BEAT GOES ON", "LOVE IS THE MESSAGE", "HEARTBEAT", "GIVE ME", "NIGHTS, FEEL LIKE GETTIN DOWN"

* Any comments or special memories from these clubs?

So many memories!!

Like the time Peter Martins the owner of Tropicalia threw George McCrae out of the DJ booth & club because he wasn't dressed properly (he had a jeans suit on)--Peter thought he was one of my friends from around the way. George was bringing me his latest 12" "LOVE IN MOTION / GIVIN BACK THE FEELIN"

At The Playhouse we booked The Trammps to play live on a saturday night in '75. We thought it would be 4 dudes lip-singing to their hits like American Bandstand or Soul Train. I mean they only has 4 singles out--no album yet--they were pretty cheap to get--only $1100 total for 2 sets.

They came with a 14 piece band--2 vans full, complete with a baby grand piano--they did ALL the Philly Sound hits to perfection: "LOVE TRAIN", "TIME", "BACK STABBERS", "THE LOVE I LOST", "SATISFACTION GUARANTEED", and their 4 singles:

"ZING......", "WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE / SHOUT", "LOVE EPIDEMIC", & "TRUSTING HEART".

They even did "SEXY" (MFSB's hit at the time).

I was pleasantly shocked!!!!! (for days)


* How did you land your first residency? Which Club was that?

The Playhouse was the first where I was the house DJ.

Paul Solari got US the job; we were partners.

He was like my agent, he did all the talking, all the negotiating, all the scheduling.

The other clubs I got on my own, thru the owner visiting where I was working (Tropicalia) or auditioning (Pegasus).


* Can you tell more about the Tropicalia? The Club, interior, DJ booth, location, bars and so on...

Tropicalia was beautiful. Mirrored walls. Silver shiny dance floor. Very elegant. DJ booth was not huge (one huge step up from the dance floor), but I could fit 3 crates of records in the shelves so it was ample. When you walked in the bar was to the left, tables to the right, bright colors all around, very elegant. Then the back room was huge & dark--flashing lights bouncing off the mirrors & dance floor--it was very hard to see.

* What about Pegasus, where were it located? What did you do when the
building were sold, did you quit DJ'ing, or?

Pegasus was on 2nd Avenue between 63 & 64 street.

I had to earn respect there. I was the only white person in a black club, so on appearence I didn't have much credibility at first. Only the backing of the floor manager who hired me. It took a few nights but I settled in nicely. I knew I was in when the bartender, a LL fan and Paradise Garage member, gave me the thumbs up!!!

When Pegasus was closed I didn't look for a DJ gig right away. The music was changing and the atmosphere was changing. I knew I just couldn't go to ANY club and play what I played to any crowd. Disco was split up to different factions in 1982.

Freestyle & HiNRG clubs abounded where "Funkytown" & "It's Raining Men" & "So Many Men" were must plays and I didn't want to do that.

The clubs that I could play freely were few & far between; and they were taken up already by new & hungrier DJs. Like I was when I was 17-20 years old.

Now I had a full time job (bus driver, paying me well with medical benefits) and I was happy doing private parties once in a while. That's when my problem with addiction went into full bloom. (I missed alot of songs between '84-'90)

* Since you're one of the classic "Disco-DJ's" - have you got
any comments on how the DJ was regarded in the beginning and how it has changed during the years?
Also, any comments on the techniques, equipment and stuff like that?

In the beginning the DJ was the guy who broke the music. In The Playhouse the crowd EXPECTED me to play all the BRAND NEW HOT music at the height of the night--1am. They went there for that. Up to 1980 the DJs ruled. After that Radio ruled. The dancing crowd listened to Disco Radio that would play the same 20 songs and would start expecting the DJs to do the same----and a lot of DJs did. There were many DJs that got good gigs being human juke boxes and that ruined it for many.
Many club owners concerned with business only would hire a DJ that would cater to the radio crowd.

If a DJ balked, he would be 'out' and the owner would hire someone that would.

There were clubs that played 'progressive' but were few and far between.

* Which music is the easiest to mix?

I guess the newer music is because the breaks are prevalent and the beats are constant, but if you are not careful what you program, 'like sounding beats' can get pretty boring. You can be technically the best mixer and have a pretty boring set. It's not always about the mix. It's about the atmosphere & the music you play.

* Easier or harder to mix back in the Disco days compared to today?

Easier to mix today, but harder to judge a dance floor.


* How
would you describe your playing style? Any "trademarks"?

Like noted above, momentum, drama, emotion, & happy music.

* Do you remember/can you tell which was your best gig ever?

Tropicalia & Pegasus are tied.

I could play the new mixed in with the classics at any given time.

* Do you or did you know many of the other great DJ's of the Disco era?

I seen most of them at the record pool (99 Prince St.)
I generally kept with myself & my friends Paul Solari & David C.

David had 2 nights at Ipanema, and then a residency at Coatails Disco.

*Have you got any comments/memories/info about them?

No we did not keep in touch. I have reunited with Paul thru this site. We are in touch now constantly; trading music & reminiscing

* Many Disco DJ's went into remixing as well - have you ever been
remixing?
Only private remixes. Nothing released.

* I know you did the "Hollywood Dub" acetate, did you do other
mixes/remixes as well?

I've done many on acetate (Paul has them all) and on Reel & cassette. The story about the Hollywood Dub is on Disco Patrick's website.

http://www.discopatrick.com/home/14-jay-hollywood.html


* Can you tell how you worked when creating these remixes? And what drove
you to do them?

Mostly Me & Paul were inspired by Tom Moulton & Walter Gibbons. They didn't change the music. They just wanted to get the best part of the song longer & better suited for the dance floor. And that's what I did.

* What about Record Pools- Which did you belong to and when (how long)?
Did you recieve much records from them? Most records you got in a
day/week?

First before the Record Pools, Me & Paul used to go to the record companies to get product. Each company had mostly the same DJs getting music. Then Billy Smith the promo guy of 20th Century Records circulated his list that most of the companies adopted to be "the list"---if you was not on the list, you wasn't getting any music.

I was a charter member of the first record pool called "The Record Pool" at 99 Prince St. It was run by David Mancuso, David Rodriguez, & Steve D'Aquisto.

After politics was going to tear the pool apart many DJs went with Judy Weinstein's "For The Record" run by Eddie Rivera, the 'Cork & Bottle' DJ.

I went to LI Disco DJs run by Jackie McCloy. I knew him and I knew he ran a tight ship. None of his DJs were bogus. The most records I got in a week was around 50 with an average weekly pick up of 35. Only a few were good---lots of BS music being pushed on us at the time.

* Which other DJ's was members of the same Record Pool, any one of them
you were good friends with?

I wasn't "good friends" with any, but I used to pal around with Bacho (everyone did)

* Have you still got your DJ record collection? Or have you sold it off?

I still have most of my records---I used to give at least 100-200 discs away each year ('77-'00)---I figured if I didn't play them, I didn't need them. I was foolish. Wish I had some of 'em back!!--I still have about 2,000 discs behind my couch.

*You must have got a HUGE (and GREAT) collection if you've kept all your
records
during the years.

I kept the cream of the crop.

* Could you name some of your favorite Disco songs? Like some kind of Top
Ten or likewise...

That's always hard! ok, today it's:

"DISCO PARTY"--"10%"--"MY LOVE IS FREE"--"HIT & RUN"--"DOCTOR LOVE"--"DREAMING A DREAM"--"THAT'S WHERE THE HAPPY PEOPLE GO"--"BAD LUCK"--"MAKE IT FUNKY"--"HEARTBEAT"

Did I tell you that I love the Philly Sound??


* Did you like Disco music during that era, or was it just a job? (Since
you were a DJ I guess you liked it !)

It started going bad for me when real commercial bubble gum songs (to me) started being real big hits: "FUNKYTOWN", "IT'S RAINING MEN", "SO MANY MEN", Viola Wills, all the freestyle sounding the same drove me away for awhile. When HOUSE, which I see as a direct decendant of Disco, came on I got interested again. Artists like Ten City, Jamiroquai, C&C, & Incognito brought it back for me.

* If you could choose one Disco track that would describe you, which track
would it be?

"DISCO PARTY" The Trammps.

"you only go around once in life, and it's about time you have some spice; all work & no play makes a very dull day, yea,yea, yo, yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoh!!!"

* What kind of music do you personally preffer?

Music that moves me---mostly Disco/House/Funk with momentum.

That narrow it down for you??

I just LOVE music.


* Since you DJ's helped launching many fine artists during the years...
Any special ones you wanna mention?

The Trammps, I told the story above.

* Do you still know or have contact with any other of the old Disco
acts/divas/DJ's from the late 70's early 80's?

None;
Barry White used to hang in Tropicalia every Tues & Weds; He used to have his own table in the corner and would hate when he heard his songs played.

Ashford & Simpson lived across the street from Pegasus and would bring me their latest projects when they would be ready to release them.

Phyliss Hyman used to come to Pegasus all the time.

I am in touch at least every week with Bobby Vitteritti, Lary Sanders, Danny Pooch, and of course my main man Paul Solari; we have become 'best friends' again after all these years!!!

* Anything else you can think of that you wanna tell me about? All
information is very welcome, some fun happenings....
My life is wonderful now. I have a sweetheart (My Patty-Ann) that shares my life & love for this music (not as crazy as I am) and I have my CRIBS RADIO Show with hundreds of listeners where I share my music & my thoughts with on a weekly basis.

WHO GOT IT BETTER THAN ME??????!!

 

FOLLOW MY CLOUD TO GAIN ACESS TO SELECT SONGS>

Stephen Rigmaiden, hailing from the Bay Area in California, plot’s and plans to steal your heart through hypnotic rhythms and blissfull drums wrapped in layers of fine textured sounds. With such a versatile sound u can never really tell which direction Stephen will be coming.

    “I think as a music maker, you have to always push the envelope, take chances and just see where it takes you. That’s why you will always hear something different from me. I always want to keep you guessing.”

With influences ranging from Funk, Soul, Salsa, Jazz, Soul, R&B,  Trip Hop , and African Rhythms, it’s no wonder why his sound is so ever changing, gaining quick acclaim from House Music heavy-weights such as Ian Friday , Jamie Thinnes , Dixon , Culoe De Song, Osunlade, Dennis Ferrer, Halo and Boddhi Satva. With a roster of supporters such as this, Stephen has definitley made an impact on Deep House as we know it. “It’s all about building relationship’s for me. I am grateful to be able to work with some of the people who have helped to shape me and my perspective through their music. It’s almost surreal to get the respect from your heroes and peers. There’s nothing like it.” Having a countless number of remixes and Original EP’S,  he is no starnger to hard work. Stephen has worked for some of the finest labels to date such as Jellybeansoul, Offering, Centric, Ocha, Chez, Abicah Soul Project, Earthrumental and City Deep Music. In 2009, Stephen was also featured as one of the Top Next Generation Producer’s at the Traxsource.com digital store. Catching the ears of the world through great songs like “Sent From Above” (devotion) , “Black Sun” (Chez) , ”Mahuwelele” (Ocha) , & “Rise Up” (Centric), Stephen is here to Stay. With much hard work and sweat ahead The record Label is what is on Stephens Mind currently. Also bringing up the finest camp of producers (Folarin Tallman (LV) , Andy London (LA), & Randy Torrance (SF), Stephen has his hands quite full. Bringing light to the masses through his Soso Deep Record Label is the Major Task at hand. Stay Tuned.

With releases on Traxsource.com and Afrodesiamp3.com, there has already been quite a buzz for Rigmaiden’s new label, Soso Deep. With many projects in the works and releases slated to drop, Stephen plans to stay busy and keep spreading the Good Word.

Dj dates and tours are planned,  so don’t miss your chance to experience the Vibe Stephen has to offer, the vibe that is “Soso Deep”.


Record labels: Defected / Saved / Noir / Strictly Rhythm / Apparel Music / Traumweg /

Toky, from Italy, boasts a significant and rich musical history.

From the tender age of six, Toky, also known as Fabio Petti, was trained in the fine arts of piano and classical guitar, progressing to the bass guitar by age 14. He achieved considerable acclaim in his classical music career, producing albums and securing numerous competition victories.

It is now, after years of dedication to jazz, funk, and rock, that we witness the electronic debut of a new, luminous presence in the music scene.

Having performed globally, from Italy to London, Russia to Brazil, Toky brings a wealth of experience to his craft.

One of his standout releases is a captivating deep house track titled ‘About You’, showcasing Toky's talents in songwriting, singing, and masterful track construction. Released through the prestigious Noir Music, the track spawned remixes by Fur Coat and Hot Since 82, earning accolades from industry luminaries such as Lee Foss and Art Department.

Currently, Toky divides his time in the studio, tirelessly expanding his creative limits to produce top-notch releases and remixes.
-----------------------------------
Global Bookings: 
fabiotoky@gmail.com

	
TehN Diamond, the stage-name that the young singer/songwriter/rapper says is a combination of his ﬁrst name "Tendai" and the nickname "Diamond" which he takes to mean, "Be grateful, but shine."

"I picked up my nickname from the friends I had over in Brisbane, who heard me sing for the ﬁrst time after a night out where I found myself trying to woo one unexpecting young lady with a little Sinatra in the streets...the impromptu performance impressed my friends and from then on I became known as the diamond in the rough..."

Having grown up in middle-clas suburban Harare and raised by hardworking parents, TehN had the blessing of being able to attend some of the city's best private schools. Throwing himself into all the extra-curricular activities on offer, he soon found his calling in the choir and drama departments. This hunger and passion to perform grew with him right up until upper 6. However after completing his A' Levels in 2003, he found himself in Brisbane,Australia studying a Commerce degree.

"I knew it really wasn't for me because honestly my heart was never in it, but I guess as the case would be with most parents a career in singing & acting just seemed too much of a gamble...I opted for the realistic option as it were."

Despite his misgivings about the course, the young man persevered but kept singing and writing on the sidelines in an effort to keep his passion alive, the turning point came in mid-2006. Having worked with a high-school friend on various projects as a singer, TehN decided to try his hand at rapping.

"I'd been writing a lot of R'n'B just outside of my university commitments and one day decided to try writing hip-hop verses as a way to hone and ﬁne tune my songwriting skills....I really didn't expect to become any good at it but after a few months I'd fallen in love with the art form"

For the next two years the aspiring musician put in work for a reputable entertainment & promotions company in Brisbane and found himself building up contacts and rubbing shoulders with a number of local urban artists in the club scene, and writing hooks and guest verses that left many impressed.

"The more I learnt about the music business the more I knew I was doing the wrong thing by studying and not pursuing music full-time. I kept getting good reviews for my features on other people's songs.....while at the same time getting a lot of bad reviews from my university lecturers, needless to say one of the two had to go"

So after struggling through the expectations of his degree whilst battling the growing desire to follow his dream, in 2007 he wrote home and told his parents he'd dropped out of his course and would take a shot at his true passion.

"Needless to say mum and dad weren't too pleased, so I was on my own but really excited about the challenges ahead....I had to learn a lot about life and myself in that year but I feel it all made me a more complete artist and person...it was worth it because now I have something that is mine that I can share"

After a year of performing, recording and writing in the Australian scene TehN made the decision to return home and try to replicate the success he'd tasted overseas.

"Most people who've heard my stuff think I'm silly to want to try and make something of myself where everyone thinks there's no hope....but I see the world a little different and besides its home and I'm just happy to be back"

The Boston Athenaeum, a membership library, first opened its doors in 1807, and its rich history as a library and cultural institution has been well documented in the annals of Boston’s cultural life. Today, it remains a vibrant and active institution that serves a wide variety of members and scholars. With more than 600,000 titles in its book collection, the Boston Athenaeum functions as a public library for many of its members, with a large and distinguished circulating collection, a newspaper and magazine reading room, quiet spaces and rooms for reading and researching, a children’s library, and wireless internet access throughout its building. The Art Department mounts three exhibitions per year in the institution's  Norma Jean Calderwood Gallery, rotating selections in the Recent Acquisitions Gallery, and a number of less formal installations in places and cases around the building. The Special Collections resources are world-renowned, and include maps, manuscripts, rare books, and archival materials. Our Conservation Department works to preserve all our collections. Other activities for members and the public include lectures, panel discussions, poetry readings, musical performances, films, and special events, many of which are followed by receptions. Members are able to take advantage of our second- and fifth-floor terraces during fine weather, and to search electronic databases and our digital collections from their homes and offices.

User 535267650 is following