Sunday, July 30, 2006

The Future's So Bright...

Wow. That's about all I can say. I just checked the stats for the podcast, and in just 2 weeks of existence, we've already had over 1000 downloads!! The real kicker is that I haven't done any real marketing, aside from an email announcement to a few friends, so this has all been word of mouth, or the power of the internet (or could it be both?). Whatever it is, I'm really happy that people are enjoying the tunes on the podcast.

Also, feel free to drop me a line and let me know where you enjoy listening to "Caribbean Chill."

Dave-G

Saturday, July 29, 2006

A Cool Front is Heading Your Way...

Well, it had to happen. As the rest of the USA is baking in the heat, we're covered in by clouds and the rain hasn't stopped in 2 or 3 days. The temps are in the low 80's, which is sweatshirt weather down here! This is not the weather for beach-front chilling, Cruzan style... So I've had to improvise. This set of tunes is as cool as a tropical breeze blowing through a bucket of ice cold Presidente's. So sit back, relax and prepare to chill.

This week we've got some great tunes by Lemongrass, Lamb, Groove Armada, Boards of Canada, Air, Pino and Wildjamin (from the classic Fax label out of Germany), Global Communication, Chicane, Jens Buchert and more. I've even got a surprise thrown in at the end for the trainspotters.

Don't forget to select "Show Artwork" (it's under the Edit menu) as each song or chapter, as they are known in a podcast, has the track's artwork and a link to Amazon.com so you can purchase tunes you like. If the track is no longer available, I've added a link to other tunes by the same artist. Every time you purchase a CD through these links you help keep the Podcast From Paradise on the air. Thanks for your support!

Download Episode 3 from iTunes

Stay chilly,

Dave-G

Sunday, July 23, 2006

A Time to Chill

The weekend is here and you know what that means, it's time to head to the beach with your ipod and a bunch of friends and get ready to chill. The sun is shining, the beach is nearly empty and the water is sparkling, clear and beautiful. What could be better? Well, how about a bunch of classic tunes from Bola, Echo System, Momma Gravy, Visit Venus, LSG, Thievery Corporation, Tosca, Bom Bom Shevaya, New London School of Electronics (aka, Casper Pound), and the Sofa Surfers. Yep, I've pulled out some of the big names for Episode 2, so sit back in that beach chair, put on those fancy sun glasses and enjoy!

Download Episode 2 from iTunes

Dave-G

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Come and Get It!

OK folks after months of delays, procrastination, and just plain old avoidance, here it is, the first episode. There are some great tunes by Faceless, Lovecraft, Higher Intelligence Agency, Bochum Welt, Grain, Blue 101 and others all perfect for chilling out on the beach. The podcast is currently only available on iTunes because the features I wanted to include only work in iTunes. Be sure that you have the view artwork button selected so you can see the chapters and links to the CDs.

Download Episode 1 from iTunes

Enjoy, and let me know if you like it!

Dave-G

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Back in the day...

A few (ok, more than a few) years back I used to spin records at parties, clubs and events as what's known as a chill-out DJ. Spinning records was always something I enjoyed and a big part of that was hunting for those perfect tunes and rare tracks that, when played at the right time, could be a truly moving experience for DJ and audience alike. I was pretty fortunate to be able to play on the same bill with such electronic luminaries as Mixmaster Morris, Alex Patterson (of the Orb), Jonah Sharp, Autechure, Damon Wild, Thievery Corporation, Spooky, and many more that I can't remember. Over the years I've amassed quite a collection of ambient, chill-out, downtempo, electronica, or whatever you would like to call it. I've got several thousand CDs and several more thousand records and 90% of those are imports or are from small independent electronic labels. So sit back and enjoy the tunes.

Why St. Croix? St. Croix is the epitome of chill. We have some of the finest beaches in the world, no crowds, friendly people, cheap gas, even cheaper rum and great bars and restaurants. Ibiza may have the big names and the reputation as the place to go to party, but St. Croix is the place to go if you want to really know what chilling out is all about.

I'm pretty sure I'm the only DJ down here playing anything remotely ambient, but hopefully it will catch on and all Cruzans will be able to experience a sunset soundtrack -downtempo style.

If you hear something you like, be sure to click on the "Show Artwork" button in the lower left-hand corner of the iTunes window and then be sure that "Now Playing" is showing in the bar directly above the artwork, if it's not click the tiny triangle next to the "Selected Song" bar and then you'll see the "Now Playing" bar. Click on the link shown over the artwork to purchase any tunes you like. By clicking on the link, you're supporting Podcast from Paradise.

Change of Plans

I've come to realize that I really don't know much about interviewing people and it seems that everyone is really busy these days, so... I've decided to stick with the one thing that I know well, music. Yep, that's right. I'm going to do a music podcast. Each podcast will have different tunes of my choice, some rare, some a little mainstream, so you'll never know what I'll be playing next. I'm working on the first podcast now and it's chocked full of rare and out-of-print electronic gems that you may never have heard before. I'm even putting in links so that people can buy records by the artist (even if the ones that I'm playing are way out-of-print).