Uptown Magazine - September 17/09

Your Life, Your Money
Although most Canadians haven’t been affected by the recent economic downturn the way the average American has, that doesn’t mean the recent PBS special, Your Life, Your Money, isn’t worth watching. Hosted by Scrubs’ Donald Faison, the program is a fast-paced look at money and how it plays into your day-to-day life. While school may teach the three Rs, money management is something most young people aren’t familiar with. The program deals with how to save, how to dig yourself out of debt and what it takes to manage your finances when things get tough. Aimed at young people, Your Life, Your Money features interviews with Beth Kobliner, the author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties, and hip hop mogul-turned-businessman Russell Simmons. The special is available on-demand on PBS’ website.

DJ Mag
Every fall, DJ Mag asks electronic music fans who their favourite DJs are. Although there have been doubts in the past about the validity of the results, the magazine has taken steps to stop vote rigging. Historically, trance and progressive house DJs dominated the list, but that has been changing as the electronic music scene becomes more diverse. DJs such as Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto, Paul Van Dyk, Sasha and David Guetta continue to hold down the Top 10, but you’ll also see artists such as electro-house producer Deadmau5, tech-house icon Carl Cox and techno pioneer Richie Hawtin making some serious headway in the standings. Although the results don’t mean much (except to increase the booking fees for the DJs who make the Top 25 and fuel debates on the web), it’s still an interesting snapshot of the current state of the electronic music scene. Online voting ends Sept. 23.

Quick Hits

MP3 of the Week: Claude VonStroke - The Greasy Beat (Natural Funk Mix)
Quirky tech-house producer Claude VonStroke teams up with funk legend Bootsy Collins for a track that will be featured on VonStroke new full-length, Bird Brain. RCRD LBL (www.rcrdlbl.com) offers up a hot-of-the-press remix.

Angry Bomber Fans
After an embarrassing start to the season, it isn’t a surprise that some Bomber faithful have launched a site to vent their frustrations about the team and its rookie coach, Mike Kelly. Along with a fans’ perspective on the troubles facing the team, you can follow the disgruntled Blue and Gold diehards at Twitter.com/angrybbfans, or join their Facebook group, Angry Bomber Fans.