DJ Pete Savas presents "Press Play"
by DJ Pete Savas
This podcast is a collection of the music I love. It isn't just one genre (pop, house, progressive, trance, chill, etc.) because I love so many different genres of dance music; variety is, after all, the spice of life. I hope you'll enjoy what I present here.
Episodes
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Everything Old Is New Again, Volume 3
Set the wayback machine for fun, have an energy drink, get your dancing shoes on, and enjoy "Everything Old Is New Again, Volume 3!" This literally could've been called the 'Neverending Podcast Episode,' because I've been working on the track list for months. Every time I thought I had it, a…
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(dog made me) Funky
When you want to get your groove on, there's nothing like a bit of house music to get the job done. That's why "(dog made me) Funky!" In the beginning there was Chicago, and Chicago had a groove. And from that groove, came the groove of all grooves, and house music was born! Then came Garage…
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Rock the Remix
How do you describe a set that's been more than 50 years in the making? With three simple words: "Rock the Remix" Episode 51 turns the clock back, way back in fact, with a set that's been more than 50 years in the making. Featuring songs from rock legends like Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Cream,...
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Triumph!
A return to mainstream and house marks Episode 50 of the podcast! Chock-full of fun stuff, this one is a "Triumph!" We've hit a milestone for the podcast and arrived at Episode 50! This set in particular, a return to mainstream and house, has been very deliberatly put together. From it's name, to...
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tech-neeq
Dark, deep, groovy, like molasses for your ears, this is a slice of-tech house through my filter; it's my "tech-neeq." Another episode that has been a long time in the making; this time, it was a combination of technical and system issues, as well as my depression getting the better of me. But…
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Ascension
They say when you hit rock bottom -- after the impact -- there is only one way to go: up. Join the "Ascension." This episode has been over two years in the making; not because the music wasn't there, but rather because of the loss of my mother. I kept wanting to record; there had always been a…
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Impact
The third in a four-episode set, "Impact" follows "Freefall" in a progression of the overall arc theme. This is an electro/progressive set. You'll either like it or hate it, and that's probably a good thing. This set was pulled together with a minimum of vocal tracks; I was honestly trying not to...
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Freefall
The second in a four-episode set, "Freefall" follows "Escape" in style but not necessarily in theme. This is another mainstream house set you all seem to love so much; and while the music may be upbeat and happy, if you pay attention to the lyrics, you might notice what they have in common. There...
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Escape
We are, each of us, besieged. Overwhelmed by this and that, problems and circumstances great and small, some of which we can control, and others still both out of our control and uncontrollable. The world hands us lemons, and we make lemonade for a while, until there is no sugar left. The walls...
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Everything Old Is New Again Vol. 2
Old songs, particularly the good ones, have a way of hanging around. Catchy "hooks" become the basis for a whole new song, as you'll hear in several of these tracks. Then again, the original versions of other were so popular, or so tapped into the zeitgeist, they've become ingrained in every...
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Shine
Mainstream sets are the most popular with all of you; I'm pretty sure this one will quickly become a favorite once you hear it. Upbeat, happy and bright, it's full of current chart toppers from the Freemasons, Katy Perry, Cher, Rihanna, Kylie and Britney Spears. Sets like this one seem to come...
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Top of 2010
This set is a collection of my favorite tracks from 2010. A few of these actually hit #1 on the Billboard Dance chart, and some never even made it onto the chart at all. Many of these may be familiar as I've used them in previous podcasts, while a few are making their debut in this episode of...
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Pause Again
It's been a while since the last one; well over 28 months. Between now and then, things have been the way they always are: hectic, rushed, and at times stressful. I know in the last 28 months, I've reached for "Pause" many times; and truth be told, I constructed Episode 18 more for my own benefit...
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Surge
The music is strong, hard, edgy. It pulls you, moves you, drives you to get up and dance. It's progressive, electro, even playful. But it always comes as a Surge! I haven't given you a progressive set for a while, so I thought it was time. You may recognize one of these songs, or if you've been…
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Endless Summer
It was a long, hot summer, filled with lots of songs with great staying power; so good in fact, they still sound great months later. It doesn't happen often; a full range of songs first finding their way onto the dance scene in Apil, May and June, still charting, getting airplay, club play and...
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Joe.My.God.
This episode of the podcast was created for the readers of the "Joe.My.God." blog. My introduction to Joe Jervis, and his incredible blog came after REAL BAD XVIII in 2006 (see Episode 6 for an excerpt of that night's party). When I got back home to Salt Lake City, my very excellent friend…
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Schizosonic
It's progressive! No, it's pop! No, it's mainstream! No, it's progressive! Oh hell, it's a little bit of everything. When you can't make up your mind, you might as well just be Schizosonic!
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Audé-licious
The power of a remix: It can take a ho-hum song, and make it outstanding! Just as every generation has their artists, so do they have their remixers. In the 80's, it was Junior Vasquez and Shep Pettibone. In the 90's, it was Rauhofer and Calderone. Now, there are too many to list; but one stands...
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Bounce
You start tapping your toe. Then you nod your head. Then there's the gentle sway, the shimmy of shoulders, the wiggle of the hips. The beat is so infectious, so captivating, so compelling you can't stop yourself! Don't worry, it's okay, go ahead, Bounce! I won't tell anyone, I promise. "Bounce"…
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Excursion
It's late, you're restless, not ready for sleep but you don't want to be around a lot of people either. So you grab the keys to the car, pop in a CD, and head out. The music has to be just right though. It starts off just like the drive, easy, smooth and silky. But like any road trip, this drive...
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Deep Spin
A little bit funky, a little bit chunky, a little bit electro, and a little bit tribal; this is peak hour, late night, in the house. It's all "house" music, really, just different flavors. In fact, if you want to really quantify this set, the first half is electro-house, while the second half is...
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Solstice
The Winter Solstice is a time steeped in deep history and tradition. Ancient cultures all over the globe have celebrated this time of the year as the "rebirth" of the sun, the beginning of the solar year, as a festival in the name of the ancient Roman God Saturn, and Mitrha, the Persian God of...
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Echoes
No, you're not hearing things. Some of these songs sound like other songs you may've heard before. They're not covers, or remixes, but rather entire new songs based on phrases or themes from old ones. It's not a new trick; in fact, the first new song based on another song that I can remember was...
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30 Pop
It's all about love, sex, and money; it always has been and always will be. Episode 30 of "Press Play" pays homage to the way the world goes 'round with the latest crop of chart-toppers. There's a few gems in here for you; a new mix of a song that had no less than six videos when it first came…
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Socket
You feel the spark. It's shocking at first. Then energizing. It makes you want to move. It makes you want to groove. It makes you want to let go. The sound is dark, hard, edgy, funky, chunky, positively charged! We're talking electro here. Mild, minimal, deep, chunky and funky; it's all here....
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Contempo
Summer is just about at an end this year, but that's no reason to turn the fun meter back down and get into school-mode (even if you have started back at school already)! So with that in mind, and following hot on the heels of last month's podcast, here's another excursion into mainstream club...
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Scorcher
With temperatures cresting 100 in many parts of the country, there's no let up on the dance floor either! The "heat" started right after this year's Winter Music Conference in Miami. The music just started streaming out from the labels, one hot song, one floor-filler after another. You have to…
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Empyrean Beat
"Empyrean Beat" is the third installment in the Trance series, created again for the gang at the Dallas Flaggers' Weekend, held every summer in Dallas, TX. The artwork for "Empyrean Beat" is once again courtesy of Phillip Bryan, who's tie-died flags are a wonder! There are four different flags...
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Avanti!
Let's face it, 2008 sucked! No one I know had a good year. Many of my friends lost their jobs and have been having great difficulty finding work. The price of gas went up above $5.00/gallon in some parts of the country before falling back to more accurate levels at around $1.50/gallon. Banks...
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Holidazed
At this time of year, it's so easy to get overwhelmed. There's the shopping, the dinners, the crowds, the parties, the shopping, the incessant holiday music, the shopping, the crowds, the traffic, the shopping... It's so easy to get, well, Holidazed! Rather than try to fill a set with nothing but...
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Transition
If there is one constant in the universe, it is, as Bowie said, "Ch-ch-changes." Beginnings and endings. Finding the unexpected. Looking over the fence and dreaming about how much better it could be. "Transition" is about all of those things, all of those changes, the unexpected twists and turns,...
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More
More beats, more bass, more funk, more chunk. "More" is a bit, well, more. This one is the result of too much good music to fit into one set, but definitely not the "left-overs," or the "B-sides." Honestly, nothing could be further from the truth. This set is a bit broader in it's presentation....
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Miracle
When a song is too good you can't decide between two mixes, what do you do? Why, use 'em both, of course! Using a technique called "bracketing, or "bookending," Miracle wraps 11 other tracks, some of the most popular on the dance floor right now, along with a couple that will be big real soon,...
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Blacklight
An excursion into Tribal sounds, from minimal to layered and progressive, this one will speak to your primitive side. Some of these tracks may be familiar to club-goers (especially if you've hit parties like "Magnitude" and "Aftershock"), some may not. You may even find the same with the artists;...
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Pause
Relax. Breathe. Chill. Pause. In this day and age, where rush, rush, rush; go, go, go, now, now, now, is the way things are done, it's time to sit for a while. As such, I'm really proud to be presenting this set. Taking a break from the usual, this is my first foray into Chill music. It's a lot...
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Heaven's Reach
A Trance set that's a bit more on the progressive side. This set is named after, and features images of, another set of flags, made by "Texas Flagger Boy," Phillip Byran, for this year's Dallas Flagger Weekend festivities. Flaggers and Poi Spinners are such an integral part of a club experience…
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Next
Are you ready for summer? The heat has already arrived, and I'm not just talking about the weather. Episode 16 of the podcast is ready to get your summer off to a rollicking start with some scorching tracks. Representing the circuit tribal and diva grooves, the progressive scene, a little retro...
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Morning
Morning comes. For some, the promise of a new day; for others, the end of an amazing night. Or is it? "Morning music" has a sound of its own. While gentle in one respect, it's still got enough punch, enough drive, to keep a crowd going long after the sun has risen. My first real understanding of...
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Zephyr
The zephyr winds are blowing, hot and fresh. They surge from the heat of creation, bringing with them the familiar strains of warmer music, happier times, and the light, carefree feel of the summer-to-come. "Zephyr" is my attempt at catching this spirit, and of setting the tone for what is surely...
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Golden Basket
Music from "The Golden Basket;" KUMA|SF's monthly party, held April 2008 at Club 8 on Folsom. Filled with funky progressive tunes, this episode of the podcast was put together before the night of the party; it's not a "live" recording, but I used all of the songs in this set (except one) that...
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Thaw
It's been a long, hard, cold winter; so bring on the Thaw! This set is dedicated to the return of spring, of longer days, warmer weather, fewer clothes, and just plain fun! With that in mind, you'll find this episode filled with songs to warm you up, lift your spirits, make you bob your head…
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Heart
It's February, and time for as much love as you can handle. Thus, I present "Heart," dedicated to the two loves of my life: First is David, my husband of 10 years, my rock and my wellspring, my first, and my reason for remaining in Salt Lake City. And now there is Paul, my heart, my soul and my...
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Et tu, Paco?
"Et tu, Paco?" was constructed using only tracks given to me by my friend (and fellow DJ) Paco, this set is my way of thanking him for the gift. The name of this set is a play on the words spoken to Brutus by Julius Caesar right after being stabbed in the back by Brutus. Rather than convey a…
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Everything Old Is New Again
You can't keep a good song down, or from the hands of remixers! It's something to be grateful for, actually; especially in light of the track listing for this set. Here are some old favorites, made fresh again, and honestly, they've never really sounded better! Spanning eras from the '60's to the...
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Passionista
What is "Passionista?' I think of it as passion with an attitude. This one starts off with the new song from one of my favorite artists, Seal, and flows into songs about passion, including a cover/remix of a song called "Passion," originally by Gat Decor, and now done justice by Danceteria! From...
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Crush
As I put this set together, I knew I wanted to create a kind of departure from my normal form. Gathering my inspiration from four of my DJ friends, who go from "budding" to the "big room," who's never fail to blow me away with every set they produce, I wanted this one to include a touch of funk…
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Real Bad XVIII (Excerpt)
This is a segment of the set from REAL BAD XVIII, held at 1015 in San Francisco on September 24, 2006. REAL BAD is an annual party, held immediately following the Folsom Street Fair, and benefitting AIDS Charities in the Bay area; REAL BAD XVIII raised $115,000 dollars. The event starts at 7:00…
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Melancholia
This set has been in the works for the last few months, and speaks to the way I've been feeling of late. These songs, some new, some old, have a particular resonance to them. Perhaps it's the minor key most are composed in; or the powerful bass lines; or the haunting vocal quality; or even the...
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Soar
From pop to trance, this set covers the bases; high and happy, deep, funky and progressive, with a smooth, calm finish. I hope you'll enjoy this mix, designed to get you ready for summer!
About this show
This podcast is a collection of the music I love. It isn't just one genre (pop, house, progressive, trance, chill, etc.) because I love so many different genres of dance music; variety is, after all, the spice of life. I hope you'll enjoy what I present here.
Hosted by
DJ Pete Savas
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