june 12, 2006

sayonara japan!

more to come...

xoxo, princess tamtam

april 14, 2006

okay, i know i have to do better with the updates. it's taking me a while to get back into everything since i have been on a way too quick vacation. ahaha as time marches on i am more inclined.  a little over a month to go in japan and back to nyc then off to california. in the meantime, here are some pics from a recent cherry blossom picnic (hanami) in osaka castle park.

and soon... i PROMISE!  more pics from korea, california, tokyo and around osaka...i might have a blog for the site soon that will take the place for the diva diaries...we shall see.

 

berkeley

osaka aquarium

seoul, korea

tokyo, japan

xoxo, princess

march 17, 2006

going back to cali....just for a minute.  remember this? i was a vegan stick at ucla! here's the old house2000 crew in los angeles six years ago...

xoxo, princess tamtam

february 22, 2006

i cannot wait to be a black geek again. i am trying to figure out what to do with the site as i have a few blogs around cyberspace. hmmmm.. tempted to create a new design for the new things coming up but not really sure. japan is cute but i need to return home for school.  yes, again!  and i am very excited where ever i might be! i will know more details in march.

january 29, 2006

happy lunar new year as well!  it's the year of the dog over here. it's also my one year anniversary of being in japan!  i am surprised that i lasted this long over here. gotta reflect and recap as the diasporic diva and see what i want to get into next.

xoxo, princess tamtam

january 6, 2006

happy new year, everyone!

i will be back very soon for a divadelight update with new design and content.

i am still kicking it around over here in japan but might jet to another city for a change. you know me....

xoxo, princess tamtam

 

october 11, 2005     divadelight is saddened to report that sabrynaah pope, one of the premier dance music artists in the industry, has left us.  she passed on september 24, 2005. i had the pleasure to meeting her in miami during the winter music conference and again at halcyon in brooklyn, nyc, usa. she lived in germany and had always been an inspiration to me as a true diasporic and soulful diva presenting her voice and soul around the world. she will truly be missed. for more information please visit her website at sabrynaahpope.com. love, princess tamtam

princess tamtam, michelle weeks and the late sabrynaah pope
click! to view pics of sabrynaah pope and michelle weeks
mixtape sessions at halcyon in brooklyn, nyc 2003

 

august 19, 2005 click! to read more about sammyrock and cyberjamz

True, SammyRock is not a house diva but I had to get an interview with him for his work with online/satellite radio and house music!  CyberJamz Radio at www.cyberjamz.com was founded in 2003 by Sammy Acosta aka SammyRock, a producer, dj and online broadcaster born in New York City currently living in Tampa, Florida. Mr. Acosta came up with the idea, as an outlet for new dance music, djs and producers in the United States and around the world.  Interestingly enough, he and I have worked together before on a dance music track called “The Deep Dance” under the musical aliases of producer Soul Oasis (Sammy Acosta) featuring Princess TamTam (Carmen Mitchell).  Sammy Acosta’s CyberJamz, can also be heard on XM Satellite Radio's Dance Music Station, "The Move" Channel 80.   The new and innovative forms of online and satellite radio broadcasting presents a viable and exciting alternative to the oversaturated and monopolized traditional radio broadcasting market in the United States.  Yes, there are limitations such as listener subscriptions and having to pay for satellite radio in addition to technology and computer literacy and access to obtain and listen to online radio stations.  Nevertheless, more and more listeners, artists, on air talent, programmers, and future broadcasters will look to this new online and satellite multimedia environment to expand the boundaries of radio not only in the United States but around the world.  Check out this interview with Sammy Rock about about CyberJamz, online and satellite radio and its challenge to the stale, mundane and syndicated sameness heard on traditional radio broadcasting in the United States. Thanks Sammy! xoxo, tamtam

august 13, 2005

lots of pics coming soon!  including recent excursions around osaka...it sure is hot and humid over here. phew!

osaka-jo or osaka castle

plum wine bar and restaurant, ame-mura, osaka ...

and more!

xoxo, tamtam

july 17, 2005

as you know, divadelight has continuously presented thoughts and subjective meanderings on identities with a particular bent on racialized sexualities, diverse genders, cultural texts and its mediation to popular audiences. being in japan, i have discovered the certain genre of manga and anime with exclusive audiences for heterosexual women that deals with all of these notions but through male relationships. dude. hmmm... i have some new research to do.  stay tuned...

xoxo, princess tamtam

june 30, 2005

new links to check out!

www.djcult.net dj charts (thanks andrea)
www.cyberNomads.net the black german databank  (thanks michael)
www.gotsoulrecords.com dope production house, record label and talent from montreal (thanks souleil6)
www.ilovehousemusic.com house music from my old stomping ground of california (thanks souleil6)

june 7, 2005 only in japan can you leave a $300 mini disc recorder in the basket of your bike parked outside a busy street unattended overnight. phew! finally got some projects done, moved to tennoji, and bought a bike. now i am whizzing around town. i just need to learn how to navigate and get used to riding on busy sidewalks without a bike helmet! bad girl. btw, here are some pics of the spicy japan, drag ball night in osaka. xoxo, tamtam

 

 

may 11, 2005

fierce wanderer once again….

you are suffocating under a new language and characters to write and read.  but that is not enough. everyday you are hit with a few seconds to interpret or understand body language, facial cues and other cultural particularities and mannerisms all the while getting caught up in a mass.  thick calved lolita punks whizzing past on bikes smoking cigarettes and sending text messages,  tipsy salary men stumbling into pachinko parlors and sock stores,  spoiled plump babies pushing their own strollers, gangs of sweet old women with sun visors, culturally tormented hip hop and reggae thugs attempting to perfect a pimp stance and toddlers holding on for their dear young lives to the waist, legs and clothes of mommy riding her bike.  they and more are all parading past you. 

you rely on what you know best and your solution towards communication despite visible, spoken and mouthed indentificatory allegiances quite possibly is to simply suffer defeat at your own crumpled and useless explanations, considerations and conversations. comically, your newly garbled words and phrases illustrate your swift and quick forgetfulness of basic english grammar, articulation, vocabulary and comprehension of the things around you and in your mind.

all of your geographical locals, whether stable or temporary, attempt to speak to your nonsensical attraction of being alone and absorbed from afar yet being missed and missing in action from your previous contemporaries that populate other worlds. you are always bright and new to a scene, a place, to people. you are always able to recreate yourself.  always asking questions and wondering aloud because of your incessant self reinvention.  you are frustrated, challenged and exhausted by it but sadistically, you thrive on it. 

yes, you admit your selfish avoidance of responsibility that is to be typically expected for a black girl your age.  while most of your friends, family or acquaintances are busy sweating over a promotion up the career ladder, babies, marriage, degrees and various life lessons, you are frantically awaiting to see where you can move to, what you can get into and discover next by throwing yourself into unknown worlds and environments. you continually blame the stars having been born on the cusp of scorpio and sagittarius, respectively selfish and restless.  but truthfully, you desire the careless freedom of young shenanigans and never want to grow up.  hence, you continually give yourself a parental slap in the behind for not being a good girl.  not yet doing the things that makes you realize you are grown but doing just enough to make others ‘ooohh’ and ‘ahhh’ at your independence, your freedom.  Supposedly, you are cosmopolitan. 

nevertheless, you lay in bed at night and daydream walking throughout the day and try to come to terms with the possibility that no matter what you do, where you live or who you associate with, you might never ever be satisfied or fulfilled.  you are not fully able to actualize or nostalgically wallow in the dreams of the black expatriates of the harlem renaissance.  your experiences have privileged you but also make you aware that romantic notions of lofty worldliness and expatriate fantasies are not consciously feasible in this troubled world no matter where you try to go.  no, you're not an expatriate. you, you are a diasporic wanderer. critically in search of self, identity and your role in this current historical moment and ways to collectively sustain it with others. you persevere in your exploration with your foot grounded both on recent lands and soils from hundreds of years past.

the search will continue. fierce wanderer once again….

xoxo, princess tamtam

april 29, 2005
 

april 23, 2003

click! to hear remembering nina simone
by princess tamtam/carmen mitchell
a spoken word audio collage i created around the time of her death in april 21, 2003.  rest in peace.

april 22, 2005

fresh off the trail of her concert gig at carnegie hall, my big sister is giving yet another one of her own recitals this weekend! she is a dope classical violist with a doctorate of music arts in performance and has been playing for many years throughout the united states and around the world. if in the nyc area please check it out! good luck, pebbles aka aundrey!

xoxo, tamtam aka nick (family nick name ahahah)

Messiah Festival of the Arts
Saturday Evening Concert Series presents
______________________________________________________

AUNDREY MITCHELL, Violist


performing with

Eduard Laurel, piano
Orlando Wells, violin

********************************


Schumann ~ Marchenbilder, Op. 113
Mozart ~ Sinfonia Concertante, K.364
Bax ~ Sonata for Viola and Piano
Weber ~ Andante e Rondo Ungarese
______________________________________________________

SATURDAY, APRIL 23 at 7:30PM
______________________________________________________

Messiah Lutheran Church
42-15 165th Street
Flushing, NY  11358
(located just off Northern Blvd. and Sanford Avenue)
Admission: $6 adults/$3 seniors and children
CALL 718-949-8763 FOR MORE INFORMATION

********************************

april 20, 2005

more to come very soon. been  a bit busy as of late. hardly no time to write anymore. not good. starting to miss brooklyn a bit.

some of my informants will be there and back soon.

oh yeah, new photos...carl craig  :  japan tour :  for paradise  :  april 2005

xoxo, tamtam

april 12, 2005

portraits in cuteness:  my new pretty in pink radio!

xoxo, princess tamtam

march 27, 2005

new links added:

virgo lounge
FULL HOUSE RADIO
IDEN MAG THE FRENCH ELECTRONIC E ZINE

enjoy!

xoxo, tamtam

march 21, 2005

an homage to the winter music conference happening this week in miami, florida, usa..... have lots of fun for me!
 

ultra nate 2000	beats in paradise 2002	david morales 2003

xoxo, tamtam

march 8, 2005

things i like about japan are:  warm toilet seats and clean public bathrooms, every dj and they mama rolling up in your city to spin, 100 yen stores, and the evolution of the word "cute" into its own noun and verb tense. i have met two farmers in less than eight hours, two other black sistas that dj here in osaka, a woman who visits the mythical 'breadtown' in nara and waits in line for two hours for the new bakery, and this nigerian dude that sells phone cards.  interesting. 

click here for more 'cuteness'.... and photos for more!

and lastly, must control my urge to buy an ipod shuffle....

xoxo, tamtam

february 25, 2005

princess tamtam is now afroasia with a relocation to the land of the rising sun. tee tee tee...all clichés aside,  i have finally returned to japan. yes, an audio nomad once again. so much to contemplate about blackness in this particular diaspora. but for now, quench your curiosity with these photos. 

nara, japan :  the first capital of japan and home to some of the oldest wooden buildings in the world

audience and performers at the the osaka, japan helping hands tsunami benefit

more to come very soon! sayonara!

xoxo, princess tamtam

january 25, 2005

audio nomad
diasporic diva
fierce wanderer

stay tuned for more...

xoxo, princess tamtam

january 17, 2005

happy martin luther king jr. day!  i hope one day that we can live the dream here in america and around the world!

xoxo, princess tamtam

january 9, 2005

happy new year!  but for me wednesday, january 12  is the day i get some news. i hate to wait. i realize how impatient i can be.  i also realize that divadelight in concept and creation is seven years young!  i started the website in 1998 as a required assignment for a course when i was a graduate student working on my other degree at ucla.  professor phillip macabee MADE my entire cohort create a website. actually, it was just a powerpoint presentation at first but i got a little carried away and wanted to basically have my graduate thesis 'dancing with dark majesties: african american women as house divas' available online. hence, www.divadelight.freeservers.com.  hope you have enjoyed the past seven years as much as i have. but sometimes i can feel a bit distant from the scene and get 'housed-out'  but here's a picture to remind me why i am doing this from 1999 during my summer of club research in london.

ps:  i was getting some crazy spam entries in my guestbook and email address so i had to chill on it...need something else. a blog possibly? stay tuned...

xoxo, princess tamtam

december 12, 2004

okay. rant off.

i am still not back to myself after the elections. i am not sure when and how i could be.  all i can say is for those folks telling the deserters to not leave the country and to stay and fight:  i put in my time to the 'movement'  and will continue to do so.  i just have to get away for a minute but i will be sure to return. never fear, divadelight will remain.

i have been on lock down with school and all. i finally found out that i passed my comprehensive exams. so i have another little degree. this time in tv and radio. not sure what i want to do with it if i can do anything at all. i have a feeling i might end back in california or the west coast even though i hate cars. but all i can hope for is that this time next month i will be a diasporic audio nomad once again....'ll have some radio stuff to put up for this class i am actually still on campus right now for on a friday night. NERD. 

xoxo, tamtam

november 6, 2004

it has been a very, very, very depressing and oppressive week. bush is in for another four years. somehow, i was not that surprised. however, it was me being from ohio that didn't make me feel so good and wholesome anymore.  gone are the images of sweet buckeyes, taking a stroll near lake erie, and driving past the vast corn fields along with the music of fellow ohioans shirley murdock, marilyn manson, roger troutman, the ohio players, chrissie hynde, kathleen battle, the dazz band, norma jean wright of chic, devo....

now, i have been barraged with emails and calls from friends mad, depressed, crying, pissed off and just plain sick of it all.  i wrote one friend admitting that i was born and raised in ohio. i went to oberlin college in ohio...dude, that's really hard to say right now when there are calls from cyberland to smack every ohio transplant that currently resides in nyc! but i was so mad myself so much so that i felt like fred flintstone changing different levels of red in the cartoon!

all i am thinking about is really hopping on the next plane and getting the hell out of this country. i know i have said i would do it no matter who wins the election but i have more of a sense of urgency in my escape from this american alcatraz....i know that we have to fight as might as we can and even more more than ever!

xoxo, carmen aka princess tamtam

check these pics out from a mad-as-hell pal, amy!

october 30, 2004

well, well, well.  another fall is upon us and miss tamtam is about to make a very big change no matter who is elected for president this november. but before i do, i will treat you with the long awaited photos i have been keeping from you. please forgive me. been super busy trying to finish up with school and making my moves.  every girl needs a change of scenery every once in a while.  enjoy, my friends.

love, tamtam

monday, september 27, 2004

don't miss this!  finally, a great tribute to one of my fave divas, sylvester!

xoxo, tamtam

Sylvester: The Life & Work Of A Musical Icon

Friday, October 08th 2004 7:00PM

The Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality
and The Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music
at New York University present:

SYLVESTER: THE LIFE & WORK OF A MUSICAL ICON
OCTOBER 8 & October 9, 2004
Tribute Concert Starring:
MARTHA WASH, BILLY PORTER & KEVIN AVIANCE

Famous for his soaring falsetto and flamboyant imagery, Sylvester stormed the charts in 1978 with dance-floor classics "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" and "Dance (Disco Heat)." Recognized as one of the first openly gay artists in disco and R&B, this legendary figure has received little critical attention . . . until now. On October 8 and 9, scholars, journalists, filmmakers, musicians and others will come together to illuminate SYLVESTER, one of the most unique figures in the history of popular music.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
FRIDAY OCTOBER 8, 7:00 pm
FREE PANEL

WHO WAS SYLVESTER AND WHY DOES HIS LEGACY MATTER?
Cantor Film Center, 36 East 8th St., Rm. 200
Discussion w / Joshua Gamson, Tim Smyth and Stephen Winter
Screenings: rare video clips; "Mighty Real", a documentary work-in-progress (dir. Tim Smyth, 2004); and excerpts from "The Cockettes" (dir. David Weissman and Bill Weber, 2002)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9 FREE PANELS
Lipton Hall, 108 West 3rd Street.

DUSTED GROOVES: RARE AUDIO & VIDEO CLIPS
10:00-11:30 a.m.
A special opportunity to listen to some of Sylvester's lesser-known recordings, including his early 1970s rock tracks with The Hot Band, Pointer Sisters and Betty Wright, as well as his private home recordings. Video clips include a live 1987 performance by Sylvester at The Sands.

MIGHTY REAL: MEMORIES & REFLECTIONS OF SYLVESTER
12:00-1:30 p.m.
Friends and colleagues gather to reminisce about the late superstar. With Martha Wash, Ed Shepard, Tom Martin, Barry Walters, Tommy LiPuma and others.

YOU ARE A STAR: SYLVESTER'S IMPACT ON RACE, DRAG & CELEBRITY
1:45-3:15 p.m.
A panel discussion w/ Judith Halberstam, Gayle Wald, Lindon Barrett, David Roman, and Tavia Nyong'o. Moderated by Jose Esteban Munoz

DISCO HEAT: SYLVESTER'S MUSICAL LEGACY
3:30-5:00 p.m.
A panel discussion w/Josh Kun, Kandia Crazy Horse, Tim Lawrence, Suzanne Cusick, and Judith Peraino. Moderated by Philip Brian Harper

FOR MORE CONFERENCE INFORMATION:
212-992-9540 or 212-992-8400
Conference Organizers: CAROLYN DINSHAW AND JASON KING
www.nyu.edu/fas/gender.sexuality/
www.clivedavisdept.tisch.nyu.edu
www.sistafactory.com

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9 CONCERT/ AFTERPARTY

A BENEFIT CONCERT TRIBUTE TO SYLVESTER
Produced by JASON KING in association with CLUB SHELTER
& SISTA FACTORY
Introduction by James Earl Hardy & Special guests
Starring:MARTHA WASH, KEVIN AVIANCE
& BILLY PORTER

Eisner & Lubin Auditorium, NYU Kimmerl Center
4th Floor, 60 Washington Square Doors @ 7:30pm
DJ spins @ 8:00pm, Show @ 9:00pm
Advance Tickets $25, Day of $30 Students w/ID $5
call 212-998-4949 or www.nyu.edu/ticketcentral
Tickets on sale 9/15

To Purchase tickets
Ticket Central, 566 La Guardia Pl.
212-998-4949 www.nyu.edu/ticketcentral
concert tickets go on sale 9/15

All concert proceeds benefit POCC
People Of Color Crisis, www.pocc.org
Offical Sylvester Concert Afterparty 10/9
at Club Shelter.

starting, monday, october 4, 2004

the return of princess tamtam on the airwaves!

black sun, black moon:  discoveries in the glow of night
with princess tamtam
mondays from 8 to 9 pm
on the radio at bcr 1090 am
online streaming audio at www.brooklyncollegeradio.org

xoxo, ptt

september 19, 2004,

be there!

xoxo, tamtam

september 15, 2004

As a girl who loves music, not to mention my own arsenal of equipment, vinyl, word play and mediums to back it up like the rest of the boys, I refused the moniker of the so-called ‘dj ho.’  I was never the one to linger seductively by near the dj booth.  I usually left well before the end of the night.  However, this time I was one of the last patrons to leave the club’s littered and sticky floor at dawn.  As my feet shuffled towards the door with head hung low, my ears perked towards the background echoes of the ‘boys in the booth’ hushed chatter and occasional guffaws about the night along with solid slaps of high fives on a job done well.  Like a high school nerd, I kicked an empty plastic cup, my rock in this dirt playground, quietly sulking and pouting as I dragged my way towards the exit door. 

more to come..

xoxo, princess tamtam

september 8, 2004

been going through my early nineties phase....sigh...remember bas noir?

music aside, i tuffed it out in brooklyn while all the republican national convention hooligans tried to claim nyc last week!  check out homegirl, arundati roy and regardless, get ready for novermber 2 election day!

• register to vote online: https://electionimpact.votenet.com/activote/

• request new york state registration forms online: http://www.elections.state.ny.us (click "voting")

• request new york state registration forms by phone: 1-800-for-vote

• non-partisan voter information: http://www.activoteamerica.com/

• absentee ballot request information please do so 45 days before november 2 which is september 17.

• download online form: http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/onlinefpca.pdf

• important form instructions: http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/onlinefpca.html

• federal voting assistance program: (non-partisan absentee voting info) http://www.fvap.gov/

xoxo, princess tamtam aka le house militant

august 23, 2004

while the dogs of war in the current white house take a bite out of the big apple for the republican national convention in nyc, another man of a different kind of house descends on this nation's capital....

xoxo, princess tamtam

august 16, 2004

i am on a roll. i got some new toys and software and more time on my hands. that means more diva delight and princess tamtam!  yay!  finally got some stuff converted to add some sound to this bad girl. 

>> remembering nina simone
by princess tamtam/carmen mitchell
a spoken word audio collage i created last year on nina simone (rip)

>> the deep dance
by sammyrock aka soul oasis feat. princess tamtam/carmen mitchell (ascap)
a seductive tech house track

sammyrock is of the famed cyberjams online radio at http://tracks-online.com/livearchive and www.sammyrockmusic.org.  seems like this was just in time as we all know the force of mother nature down there. be safe sammy and my musical connoisseur and pal, kelvy (thanks for the nina record!). more to come very very soon. including a special treat in the fall but that's later.  in the meantime, enjoy these pics from the summer....more to come later including:

love, tamtam

amp fiddler at sounds of brasil	patti labelle at summerstage

rick james

rest in peace

august 8, 2004

it's been a while.  but for now, let us remember sir rick james.  funny, how there seems to be no flowery tributes for to one of the most funkiest, freakiest brother to have graced this planet. i am trying to do my part. i will miss you, rick.

june 14, 2004

sunday, may 2, 2004

princess tamtam returns to the airwaves at the brand spanking new radio station at brooklyn college: 

black sun, black moon:  discoveries in the glow of night
with princess tamtam aka carmen mitchell
thursdays from 7 to 8 pm
on the radio at bcr 1090 am
online streaming audio at www.brooklyncollegeradio.org

xoxo, ptt

monday, february 16, 2004

happy belated valentine's day!  much love from diva delight. not much going on.  just some links that  remind me of my days in germany and the need to live abroad again, now even more so with various life changes for the new year:

soulsistas.de

yes, i have been in a bit of a record buying frenzy.  back and forth to the midwest means some nice .50 deals on vinyl.  also, took advantage of a friend's moving sale in brooklyn where he just HAD to get rid of parts of his massive collection. i was in early nineties house heaven with some gems like erb's 'weekend' and desiya's 'comin' on strong' double pack.  *tremble*

love, ptt

sunday, january 18, 2004

we remember martin luther king jr. on his birthday.  he would have been seventy-five..  we have come along way as americans, global citizens and humans in our current lived experiences.  there has been a tendency to divide the struggles of other marginalized groups with regard to some in the the civil rights as racialized nostalgia camp.  fortunately,  coretta scott king, the wife of the late martin luther king jr.,  touched upon the commonalities of gay, lesbian, bi and trans civil rights and civil rights for racial groups. 

no one should have to choose especially if one aligns themselves with multiple identities.  diva delight supports this effort by presenting some recent work on black lesbians in mainstream hollywood film.  through a paper and presentation for a recent course in critical media studies, princess tamtam uncovers so-called 'sistas gone wild:  cleo as black lesbian in 'set it off' in expressions.  enjoy...

oh, and here's a hazy, dark pic of me playing records at halcyon.  thanks al and amy!

love, princess tamtam

friday, january 9, 2004

start the new year off with a musical excursion... princess tamtam returns to the mountaintop every other friday with kai fikentscher, dj kohei and atone to play records and wax poetic about electronic music discourse.  experience tamtam and her house acquaintances' audible pleasures and plateaus at the mountaintop starting friday, january 9 from 6 to 10 pm at halcyon in brooklyn:

love, princess tamtam

saturday, december 20, 2003

princess tamtam returns to the mountaintop with kai fikentscher, dj kohei and atone to play records on friday, december 26 from 6 to 10 pm at halcyon in brooklyn:

sunday, november 23, 2003

another year in the life of princess tamtam.  this time i take it easy as a thanksgiving baby by luxuriating around my new crib in brooklyn. last year i had a little too much fun!   however, i have been ultra busy hence, the slow updates.   i started working for alternative media news program 'democracy now!'  hardcore, grassroots media.  check out www.democracynow.org for more!

finished presenting at the society for ethnomusicology conference on house divas and met a gunk of people there. recently, i did a presentation for a course in critical media analysis on glam rock, rock and roll movie musicals and fluid sexualities such as rocky horror picture show, hedwig and the angry inch, and velvet goldmine by utilizing some of the work of larry gross.   check it out soon in expressions.

we are happy to feature the lovely poet liza zayas and her work in the featured divas, djs and artists section here.  thanks, girl!  likewise, mizz vonetta booker of www.righthandconcepts.com  and www.triscene.com was recently featured in time magazine about her new business!   please check her out at www.righthandconcepts.com.  An FINALLY more photos from events of this year!  

other new websites added to the links section:

MONFRESH RECASTOW ONLINE RECORD STORE  New!
Kym sims yahoo group site  New!

stay tuned, my little ones.

love, princess tamtam

saturday, september 13, 2003

princess tamtam will be returning to miami next month to present on a panel with fellow academics on electronic dance music and culture.  For more on this panel, click for 'expressions' here

Cultural Crossroads: Miami 2003

ATMI/CMS/SEM Joint Meeting

October 1-5, 2003

Join the Association for Technology in Music Instruction, Society for Ethnomusicology, and The College Music Society for a special joint conference in downtown Miami, Florida, from Oct. 2-5, 2003. We’ll be staying at the beautiful Hotel Intercontinental which is adjacent to the shops and restaurants of Bayside Marketplace on Biscayne Bay, and just a short cab ride away from South Beach. With an overall theme of "Cultural Crossroads," the conference promises to provide excellent opportunities for cross disciplinary dialogue in a vibrant cultural setting.

This meeting will bring together a broad spectrum of music scholars, educators, performers, composers, advocates, publishers, technologists, and administrators working in higher education as well as the public sector. In addition to the separate society programs, a series of special joint sessions are planned. Advocacy, composition, cultural diversity, ethnomusicology, gender issues, music education, musicology, classes for non-majors, pedagogy, performance, music theory, teacher training, the latest technologies, and world music will be explored in a variety of formats, including open discussions.

A special pre-conference workshop, sponsored by The International Association For Jazz Educators and The College Music Society, is planned this year.  This half-day special focus pre-conference will examine the successes and challenges of integrating and teaching jazz and improvisation in undergraduate music degree programs. The pre-conference theme - Are We Really In The Mix?: Integrating Jazz & Improvisation into Music Degree Programs, will be addressed in four separate sessions including a keynote address & panel discussion, lecture demonstration, an interactive breakout session (two sessions to run concurrently), and a brief closing general session.  To learn more, please refer to the “Program” section of the conference website.
The annual Charles Seeger lecture will be delivered by Judith Becker, Professor at the University of Michigan.

Join us for what promises to several exciting days of music, dialog, and discussion in a city like no other in the world!

Alan Burdette                                  Tod Trimble
Executive Director                           Director of Professional Development
Society for Ethnomusicology          The College Music Society

sunday, august 17, 2003

blackout 2003. whoa.   took me about 4 1/2 hours to get home on the bus.  dude.  regardless, all is safe.  gives me an excellent reason to catch up and finally take a well-needed day off from one of the busiest and most exhausting summers in my life!

i miss celia and nina.  rip.

new links to enjoy.  special thanks to charlie!

AFROPUNK.COM
LYNNEDJOHNSON.COM
MISSMICHAELA.COM
HIGHYELLOWPRODUCTIONS.COM
FEMME-ARSENAL.COM
FIERCEMAG.COM
CHARLie's MARTHA WASH WEBPAGE
downshiftradio.com
empireofhouse.com
kechiajenkins.com
pyeng.com

 

PLAY @ Guernica /// downstairs lounge
25 avenue B /// between 2nd and 3rd streets

lower east side of manhattan

take f or v train to second ave
Sunday, June 8 at 10.00 pm /// no cover

 

it's been a while so go easy on me. ahahah.  thanks for all those that came by. mua!

 

props to karmelina of www.kolabs.com for this opportunity.  here is my playlist from that night.

i just can’t stop dancing  /  larry graham  /  warner

je suis music / cerrone  /   cotillion

can’t get enough (dub) / soulsearcher / soulfuric

the listen project (cloak remix) / jamie myerson / ovum

how’s your life? (alix’s bronx beatdown dub) / tortured soul / central park

blow your whistle (death to digifunk mix) / dj duke / ffrr

???? white label

move me (original earth mix) / mood to swing / power music

???? white label

tell me (that you want me) / west phillips / play house records

fantasize me / pleasure pump / state street records

dirty disco / man-tecka featuring jd iii / cutting traxx

salsa rapsody / modern romance / wea

 

 

 

 

fetishizing detroit: demf movement 2003

hoards of bodies, black brown white in collusion with heavy beats pressed against each other. our clammy, sweaty selves grew more and more crazed with every pulse that rendered this immediate flesh happy and helpless. we were left naked and open, split between the percussive heaviness of liquid liquid and esg at the underground stage and peven everett’s ecclesiastic performance at the high tech soul stage that stroked us on all upon the cold dirty concrete for all eyes to see. by nightfall, i had exhausted and gorged myself on endless good music and had to escape.  like an fiend however, hours later i did not hesitate to selfishly pleasure myself with detroit’s vacant, haunted skyscrapers and desolate streets that whispered my name in the early morning as i rose from a dark dance floor or a late night jaunt to an after hours club. in my own solitude of sound and sight i owned the city and its serene desertedness. enough to fill my pleasures and thoughts of lust and desire for music and creativity bursting from its own narcissistic juices. and still enough to negotiate my appetite for existing in an audience of audible and dancing voyeurs down by the water in hart plaza.            xoxo, princess tamtam

tamtam, jeff, and meilee at high tech soul stage

 

 

 

 

 

*flashback*

my thoughts on the winter music conference in miami are all coming back to me after the stark contrast with the detroit electronic music festival recently.  think bikini's and skin in the miami heat versus families fresh out of sunday church and glowsticks in hart plaza. read some brief girly thoughts and fantasies of dj grandeur as i wallowed in the sun a few months ago. more on detroit to come later.

I was loaded down on the plane with my black licorice mini mix cds. This year was going to be different. This year I was a pseudo-vet of the infamous winter music conference held every year in miami, florida. I was there with a couple of conference virgins and was a bad guide and chaperone. I didn’t care because all the parties I missed were justified by my crispy brown golden glow as I savored my time and energy at the beach. besides, i toughed out the wmc all on my own my very first year as a rite of house music passage's glitzy side if there was ever one.

tamtam and david morales

Everywhere I floated around i made sure to have my cloth daffodil pinned to my cornrows on the side. I was somewhat irked when cats kepts asking me if I sang. After all, my trumped up giveaway was complete with my black girly prissiness and grand entrance loving self. That alone must have relegated me to being a screaming house diva with some imaginary vocal chops smothered in melodic gravy. I should have gotten haughty and huffy like a miss low-down dirty diva and blast, ‘n**ga please! I’m a dj too! WHAT. Get off me!’

No. I didn’t even have the nerve. I played princess tamtam, so the façade of glossed royalty and syrupy sweetness had to work its way in my little world. Instead of a flippant, attitudinal diva complex, I shyly and coyly pulled out my prissy pink flyer and my mini mix ‘black licorice: a bite of vinyl’ on an adorable pocket cdr from my straw shoulder strap purse.  I innocently purred ‘well, actually, I am getting back in to djing again…’  *winking my eye*

‘oh word??!’ they reply stunned. Inside I giggle.

Men and Miami.

hahahah, princess tamtam

 

dear nina,

i have some old albums of yours, dusty and scratched, with crumbling and taped record jackets. one is with a faded cover of you sitting on a park bench lingering in your own wonder, possibly contemplating future exile from the land you were born in, only twenty-five.  these were found gems in the record stores and friends from afar. they knew i needed you. 

i had been rocking your art and activism through song for the past few weeks without rest.  i was going through some changes, various life lessons and hyper self awareness. yes, i was finally feeling grown.   you and your soul was and IS the perfect soundtrack for this time in my life. it all seemed as if you were writing and singing your songs with your somber black eyes piercing me.  your deep voice trembling with anger, fear and unflinching love telling me like it was and that i needed to learn a thing or two.  just like a mama-sista-griot on the telephone line.

i had taken your cd out my player that night but put it back in the next morning for my bus ride. you had to leave this soiled land for another in order to speak and act on what it means to be black, woman, mother, artist for struggle.  i moaned softly when i read that you had moved onto another world later on that day. i was both sad and angry to see you leave this world.  yet another one gone, i selfishly griped.

wait... 

i know you are somewhere watching me, grinning and smirking in the air as I say this.  both you and I know we all remain in song and soul, here and beyond. yes.

'to be young, gifted and black'  now more than ever...  more on nina simone 1933 - 2003

love, princess tamtam

 

 

war and sunshine:  miami winter music conference 2003                                                                 3.30.03

and the glitter of bush, war, blood, saddam, and bombs interrupt my false paradise of sun, sand and glistening skin on the dancefloor.  i must promise never to wait to live and love and fight during these times of uncertainty. 

more soon...

in struggle and music,
princess tamtam

 

rhina, ptt, celeste at kingstreet / nitegrooves party, wmc 2003

 

 

 

catching up      02.24.03

my current addictions include pancakes.  what is my problem is? i love to make them.  there is an excellent and healthy already prepared mix by post-slave in a box, uh, i am mean Aunt Jemima Whole Wheat Flour Pancake Mix that satisfies my cravings.  high in fiber too instead of the other so-called 'enriched' white flour.  speaking of healthy stuff, i met rebecca who does awesome organic, natural and healthy facials and hair.  her business, whimsical designs can be reached at whimsicaldesigns@iopener.net.  email her for more information.

lots of things to catch up on.  i am a slow poke lollygagger and a pseudo-perfectionist. when those two are combined be prepared to wait. that said, do you like the new, prissy diva delight design?  i was feeling a little spring coming on and thought i would give it a seasonal change.  new in diva delight is the continuation of parts two, three and the conclusion to my academic waxings of hottentot venus revisited'.  there are new pictures in the photo section too. i have a ton more that i will post soon too.  keep still!  likewise, i feature the first dude on diva delight! get the 411 on songwriter and vocalist brother talipharaoh in the featured divas, djs, and artists section!

well, some work that i have been keeping busy with include this new ditty sammy rock of www.sammyrockmusic.com did that features some of my spoken word.  i will post the link some time soon.  also, contributed my audible voice to a project my pal was doing for the 'VH1 Divas Live:  Search for the Next Diva' promo.  very fun. if you have cable, keep an eye out for the commercial on VH1 very soon to hear me and some other girls saying attitudinal snippets like "i was born with it!" and "if you got it, flaunt it!" funny, my former graduate advisor from UCLA is working the commercial stuff too!  Valerie Smith, recent co-editor of a recent edition of the feminist academic journal SIGNS, was recently featured in a Nissan commercial which will be air on national television and in magazines such as Ebony, Emerge and Essence!

coming soon is the return of 'diva radio: disseminating groove oriented musics and information to the masses' (previously named 'cultural insurgency', on wbcr 1090 am radio and online at www.brooklynradio.com with windows media player.  i will be back on every tuesday from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm in mid-april.  i had a lot of fun last semester getting back in to the radio thang so this time around should be a ball too.  make sure you tune in. just trying to do my part in confronting the monopolization of the radio industry.  there has been growing sentiment from the big dawgs who are catching on to the realization of so-called deregulation of the radio industry, in other words, big brother might in fact be clear channel.  click here for an article from salon.com.  tah tah...

love, princess tamtam

 

 

reflections and remembrances of the past year   1.13.03

for the start of the new year on divadelight, we feature some writings from tamtam's academic archive on black women's bodies.  and yes, this is related to house divas too!  click 'hottentot venus revisited' in the expression section for more.  vonetta of www.tricene.com also has a new exciting design for her website in addition to an informative recap of the recent 'soulful house dance music discussion roundtable' held december 18, 2003.  click here for more!

yes, i admit i have a whole list of resolutions i concocted. it seems to keeps me on track. one of them is to most definitely be more creative with the gifts i am blessed with.  i am happy to be alive and kicking in 2003.  moving from atlanta to new york city was something i had been meaning to do for the past couple of years.  my transient and restless soul never seems to be set on staying in one place for an extended period of time.  however, nyc might keep me for a couple of years unless i find a way to escape to berlin or cuba. get off to an excellent start to the new year.  tell someone you love them, tell someone off, get a full body massage, or eat a good home cooked meal. don't wait for tomorrow,  just werk it out now!

between the sadness of seeing deep house music staples such as body 'n' soul end to the smaller family house vibes of expansions, touch tuesdays and other parties, there seems to be a renewed effort to keep the music and scene alive and kicking.  and regardless of the negative vibes, drama and politicking floating here and there, divadelight and princess tamtam strives to remain diligent in these trying times.  but there is no need to complain.  instead, let's be proactive, rise up and get things done!

seriously,  pending war with iraq and north korea gives way for anti-war and peace activists to come together and mobilize.    2002 was the year in which princess tamtam attended her first national march on washington d.c. on this very issue. please view the photos for a visual remembrance. our bodies, minds and souls must work to forward cultural activism and organizing through creative tools of resistance. i will try my best in coalition and solidarity with others.  there will be another national march on washington, dc  to commemorate peace and civil right leader, the reverend dr. martin luther king, jr and the anti war on iraq struggle on saturday, january 18, 2003!  for more on the growing anti-war effort and this upcoming national march, click on the photo above or visit www.internationalanswer.org

love in a time of pending war, princess tamtam

 

 

 

moving forward  12.23.02 

about to jet home for the holidays after a solid weekend of events and festivities!  a vibrant discussion at the 'soulful house roundtable' on wednesday, november 18 organized by conrad nesbit.   played hostess with other divas shalewa and maria to another incredible installment of the deep house page party III at 2i's club in nyc!  food by chef lil ray and insane tunes from birthday boys tot, cheddi, and herb martin. 

also, featured divadelight dj diva donna edwards made history as the first woman on the decks at the new shelter club here in new york city!  lil ray also tore the club up with the sista.  congrats to you both. 

btw, check out fierce journalist and social butterfly, vonetta's site at www.triscene.com for more on events, happenings and some good reads in in the new york city and tri-state area!

seasons greetings to all if you celebrate it.  stay tuned for divadelight for a recap of a very busy year!  whoa!

love, princess tamtam

 

 

 

let's talk   12.01.02

check out the pics from my little birthday party at BANG THE PARTY.  photos from peven everett at s.o.b.s coming soon.  remember to peep the jazmina interview too!  another divadelight featured diva/don is in the works. stay tuned....

the memo below is from conrad of 'together in spirit.'  for those of you in the nyc and surrounding areas, please come out and support.  turn dialogue into action!  thank you, conrad for providing this space and opportunity.

xoxo, princess tamtam

TO: All Soulful DANCE Music Supporters: Partygoers, Producer of Parties, DJ's, Record Labels, Record Shops, Graphic Artists, Lyrists, Singers, Producers of Music, Photographers, Journalist, Radio, etc.

FROM: Conrad Neblett ( A concerned participant of this scene )

RE: Roundtable SOULFUL TALK about the present condition of the Soulful DANCE Scene

WHERE: Demerara 215 W. 28th St. NYC (bet. 7th & 8th Aves.) 2nd floor
(The club where Together in Spirit does their weekly party ~ except one flight above)

WHEN: Wednesday DECEMBER 18th 6 PM - 9 PM

ADMISSION: Free / None

WHAT TO BRING: P O T L U C K (Bring a dish, dessert, snack, fruit etc. to share with all) NO beverages allowed !!! It's a club policy. There will be a cash bar for your drinking pleasure. I will supply sterno, racks, pans, plates, folks, spoons, knifes and napkins.

RSVP: NOT REQUIRED but will help us to get an idea of how many will show
Call (212) 662-2006 or email your attendance: conradneblett@hotmail.com

Volunteers Needed: Getting the word out, Logistics the day of, Potluck Coordinator & Helpers, Clean up, Sign in List Coordinator & Helpers, Documenter taking notes of the evening, etc. If interested then Email me at the above address.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is long overdue to have a discussion about the present condition of the SOULFUL DANCE SCENE. Many of us have talked about the need to have a forum to discuss concerns that we are faced with but little to no opportunities have shown up.

So, I am willing to stick my neck out by calling for a meeting, a gathering, a forum, a discussion, A Roundtable SOULFUL TALK. This is not an income generating event so there is no entry fee, guest list or anything like that . Just come as you are, ready to share concerns and solutions. It will be a roundtable discussion where everyone will be on equal footing. No them/us situation at this event. It will be an opportunity for all of us who make up this scene to contribute to the future. It is for those who sincerely want to make a difference. It is for those who are unwilling to sit back and see a scene that they love so much become stagnant. It is for folks who are willing to create a powerful VISION for the future of this scene.

Bring your flyers and such because it is also an opportunity to promote your projects and get to meet folks in an environment that is designed to converse. You can pass out your flyers during the evening and we will designate a table where you can place flyers as well.

I will facilitate the talk so as to have some kind of order and I have prepared an agenda to support us through the process. The agenda will have time-lines and folks sharing will also be timed so as to give us all an opportunity to participate.

A rough draft of the agenda is as follows:

* Ground Rules will be created and agreed upon
* Introduce yourself and state what you do ( profession, present or future event / projects working on )
* What's bothering you about the scene ?
* Responses to what was said during the what's bothering you segment ~ if there are any? :-)
* What has AND is presently working in the scene ?
* Solutions ?
* Announcements
* What's Next ?

Nuf said, now it is time for your feedback. Will you be there? Are you interested in creating the future of this scene ? Well, if you are, then make it to this discussion because your input is invaluable and needed.

Peace & Blessings,

Conrad Neblett

 

 

 

found  11.16.02

www.coloredgirls.com (thanks muema!) 
www.thehotness.com   
www.stankmag.net 

sistagirls online.  get used to it. 

props and kisses to special forces encountered in cyberland.  these beautiful souls have given me the most precious gift anyone could receive.  music.  and lots of it.  mixed cds and in one case, vinyl. i am forever grateful for the lovely stack of records from a complete angel in the flesh.  i am not worthy.  regardless, random voices whisper more boldly to my inner self to go forward and become more of a multi-tasking entity.  there is no other way.  do many things at once.  especially as i clock in another year this month.   go, go, go girl. snap.

some folks don't realize that music, especially dance music, is more than a night time diversion.  various communities and relationships are fostered through the music, on the dancefloor, with the guidance of particular spatial environs and iconic figures.  what gives one the right to callously and insidiously discredit another's own personal experience and memory of this?  free speech?  untamed hormones and unspoken racial, sexual, aged frustrations illustrated by the safety of online banter? 

just found some freedom of information act files on josephine baker here:  http://foia.fbi.gov/jbaker.htm.  interesting.  the us government thought she was a 'highly colored mata hari'  and a communist tool.  hahahaha.. the usual.  but despite my love and honor of josephine baker, the real princess tam tam, i don't romanticize ex-patriotism.  i have met other cats who want to live in berlin and cuba too.  good.  but what can i, we do here in the states during this post september 11, corporate crime, potential war times?  now?  march, rally, write, learn, seek. 

check out the photos of the recent national anti-war march on washington, from october 26.  as soon as divadelight gets some audio up in this piece you can hear 'media attack. it's a personal sound collage endeavor that speaks to my frustrations with the intense saturation of mainstream media coverage of the washington d.c. sniper attacks.  this piece audibly illustrates the intense barrage and spectacularization of the sniper attack coverage against the incredible lack of information concerning other important events that occurred at the same time such as the death of senator paul wellstone and the october 26, 2002 national anti-war on iraq march on washington d.c.

speaking of media, the next divadelight project will focus on the notion of dance music in the media.  namely the contradiction in the utilization of dance music for consumerist tendencies versus the marginalization of the music on the radio.  go figure.  and please, don't ever ask me to dance like that girl in the volkswagen commercial or to name that track in so-and-so in the mitsubishi commercial.  i will simply tell you to kill your television. 

enough of my tweaked ramblings.  but divadelight has to say that one good use of house music can be found here:  house music for the homeless.  it's dj dwreck's organizing project so do check it out.  excellent.   likewise, divadelight has a bunch of photos here.  including pics and words from the recent second anniversary of together in spirit.  also, a new interview with none other than house diva, jazmina:  princess of the underground sound.  enjoy, my friends.

xoxo, princess tamtam