Perhaps some of you may know this by now, but online pornography is slated for a domain change. The new end address will be .XXX as opposed to the normal "dot com." After much debate, cases for and against the change do agree on one thing, the new extension will make it easier to identify and, when needed, filter adult content. Then there's the whole matter of informing folks about the change. Enter ad agency, M&C Saatchi, with their creative rendition of a "Porn Is Moving To .XXX" campaign. Cheeky and a wee bit controversial, to say the least!

The Heineken MezclaSonic series--renown for curating some of the most avant-garde showcases in Latin music Mash-Up, has expanded its roster. The platform (launched in April of 2010) that features the likes of premier acts like Nacotheque, D'Marquesina, and Mexican Institute Of Sound, now welcomes DJ Willie as its most recent addition. Check him out in the following promo as he adds to the musical "gumbo" that's heating up the alternative Latin club/dance scene around the globe!

By Amanda Farda

Novice DJs, get ready to spin. Gemini has just released its FirstMix USB DJ Controller, a controller for beginners rocking an entry level price of $99.95. Not only is the device affordable, it’s extremely transportable and light weight for DJ’ing on the go.

Installing the software to run the device is rather easy; simply insert the included CD, which contains the MixVibes Cross DJ LE software, into your PC (recommended to use Windows XP or 7) or Mac (OS X 10.4 and higher) and follow the onscreen prompts. Though the controller comes with the MixVibes software, it is compatible with other DJ programs such as Traktor, Virtual DJ and Algoriddim Djay. Once it’s set up and the controller is plugged into a USB port, you can import audio files in a variety of formats (M4A, AIFF, WAV, MP3, FLAC and OGG), but there is a convenient iTunes icon and within seconds of clicking it your entire library will pop up ready to be mixed.    

The device sports a traditional turntable look as it hosts two decks with two jog wheels, each with a smattering of corresponding knobs, including effects, bass, treble, and grain to alter the track that has been uploaded to a deck. A cross fader allows for seamless mixing between tracks. For the more seasoned music mixer, there are features like beat looping, beat matching, reverse, and preview options. The touch-sensitive jog wheels can be used to pitch bend and cue up songs, but there was lag experienced when scratching…nothing terrible but just enough to notice. Once in a while lag was also encountered when using the browse knob to go through music that had been imported. A nifty feature was discovered when a song was almost over, the track flashes red to alert you so another file can be queued up in time to keep the party going.

Not only does the controller let you DJ the night away, you can record your bumpin’ mixes and then share your talent via Facebook or SoundCloud.       

Bottom line, if you’re an aspiring DJ looking to see if spinning is up your alley, this is a great controller to start with. The included software is user friendly for beginners. The device can perform both basic and somewhat advanced mixing techniques, and it’s priced just right.  

For more info visit: www.geminidj.com

By Kimber Streams

The Harman Kardon GLA-55 speakers are truly the embodiment of the the Wow Factor. Their clear as crystal design matches the clear as crystal sound these speakers pump out.  

Right out of the box, the GLA-55 are stunning, who knew speakers could look so good? These are no wood and screen speakers, they add a beautiful piece to any sound set-up, not to mention a fantastic conversation piece.  Some may be turned off by the Crystal-Skull like design, but setting that unfortunate movie aside, they’re a truly stunning visual piece.

Set-up is very simple, plug in the speakers, attach them to your iPod, computer, smartphone, or anything that has a 3.5mm output, and blast some music!  There is also space on the speakers to attach a subwoofer if you really need more than these speakers can provide, but I was honestly very pleased with the base, but more on that soon.

The GLA-55 also sports touch sensitive volume controls that are very responsive and can crank up the volume pretty quickly, or mute in an instant by pressing both buttons at the same time which is handy for any number of situations.  

Now for what’s inside.  Harmon Kardon packed these speakers with as much high-end equipment as they could fit into such a small package.  The speakers have Atlas™ AL Woofers and CMMD® Lite Tweeters, which provide amazingly full bass and extremely clear sound, without leaving out anything in between. I will admit that I am not very versed in audiophilia, but when I heard these speakers I knew that I’d been listening to music wrong my whole life.  The GLA-55 pumped out such a range of sound that I was hearing parts of songs I’d never heard before, and the cannon-fire in Tachovsky’s 1812 Overture was astounding.  I really found no complaint about these speakers, especially considering what a small package they are, I was impressed that a 2-speaker setup could outperform every movie theater I’ve ever been in for overall sound clarity.  The only minor concern that I ran into was that the speaker connected to the power source was getting warm at the bottom after only about half an hour of use. Otherwise, everything about the product looks, sounds, and works wonderfully.

Now for the price tag.  $999.95.  Ouch.  That’s asking a lot for a 2-speaker setup, and I’ve heard a lot of people say that you can get way better equipment for that price, or at the very least a subwoofer included.  However, I will say that everything about the GLA-55’s performance is amazing and it comes in a beautiful package.  If you have the extra money to throw around, this is definitely a great choice. 

For more info visit: www.harmankardon.com

In case you missed Vol. 1 last summer and have yet to come across or download Vol. 2 - DJ Jazzy Jeff & Mick Boogie are at it again, dropping an even hottter, download-able mix-tape for 2011 entitled "Summertime 2!" Just in time for the weekend!

Download link after the TRACKLIST below...

TRACKLIST

1) Intro: Summer Breeze
2) Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince: Summertime
3) Smif–n-Wessun: Bucktown
4) Jagged Edge: Where The Party At?
5) R. Kelly: Summer Bunnies
6) Gap Band: Outstanding
7) Steve Winwood: Higher Love
8) Redman & Method Man: Da Rockwilder
9) De La Soul: Buddy
10) Slick Rick: The Show
11) Jill Scott: Golden
12) Mos Def: Brown Sugar
13) Norman Connor: Invitation
14) Grand Puba: I Like It
15) DeBarge: I Like It
16) EPMD: Never Seen Before
17) Le Pamplemousse: Gimme What You Got
18) Alkaholiks: Daamn (Mick’s In My Bed Blend)
19) Q-Tip: Let's Ride 20) PM Dawn: Set Adrift On Memory Bliss
21) Spandau Ballet: True
22) Talib Kweli: Hot Thing
23) Stevie Wonder: My Cheri Amour (Jeff’s Sucker Blend)
24) Common: I Want You
25) Musiq: For The Night
26) Jocelyn Brown: Somebody Else’s Guy
27) One Way: Cutie Pie
28) Method Man: Release Yo’ Delf
29) James Brown: The Grunt
30) Public Enemy: Night Of The Living Baseheads
31) Main Source & Donald Byrd: Lookin’ At The Front Door (Jeff’s Twice Edit)
32) Koffee Brown: After Party
33) Stevie Wonder: Love Light In Flight
34) Tom Browne: Funkin’ For Jamaica
35) Stan Getz: Saudade Vem Correndo
36) Pharcyde: Runnin’
37) Bahamadia: Uknowhowwedo
38) Big Daddy Kane: Smooth Operator
39) Mary Jane Girls: All Night Long
40) LL Cool J: Around The Way Girl
41) De La Soul: 4 More
42) The Turtles: I'm Chief Kamanawanalea
43) The Blackbyrds: Rock Creek Park
44) Pete Rock: Take Your Time
45) Slum Village: Fall In Love
46) Suite For Ma Dukes: Fall In Love

GET YOUR DOWNLOAD ON HERE!

Meet Dee Vazquez--television and radio personality, producer, journalist and humanitarian. When she's not busy writing for magazines, speaking at event panels, interviewing your favorite rappers or hosting alongside DJ Kay Slay on Hot 97 and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio, Dee spends her time giving back. We managed to catch up with the beautiful, young philanthropist to find out more about her inspiring work. Check out what she had to say about furthering Women's History Month and her popularly candid Profile Series. Sit back and enjoy our third installment, as República presents :60 Seconds With Dee Vazquez.

Produced by: Rainey Cruz
Lensed by: [ r2:studios ]
Curated by: Robert Nieves

Self-published author, head of The Think Movement and Chief Operating Officer of Kanye West-formed company, West Brands LLC, J. Sakiya Sandifer, blessed us with exclusive access to his new office down in the Hudson Square area of New York City. He was excited and he was energized--with good reason! Check out what the self-proclaimed "thinker" revealed to us about his upcoming plans and strategy--some of which includes a book deal with Lil' Wayne and an altruistic plot for world domination! Tune in and turn it up as República presents :60 Seconds With Sakiya Sandifer.

Produced by: Rainey Cruz
Lensed by: [ r2:studios ]
Curated by: Robert Nieves
Production Assistant: Billy Ellis

Welcome to our first installment of ":60 Seconds With..." produced by Editor In Chief, Rainey Cruz, lensed by [ r2:studios ] and makeup by Salome Gonzalez. Shot at APT78.

Professional actor and peer, Elvis Nolasco, recently flew in from Los Angeles, California on assignment and took some time out of his busy film and theater schedule to talk about his latest  endeavors--a one-man stage rendition of Junot Diaz's Pulitzer-winning "Brief Wondrous World Of Oscar Wao" and a feature film in the SXSW Film Festival, to name a few! Tune in as República presents :60 Seconds With Elvis Nolasco:

iPad users that also happen to be Time Warner Cable subscribers have a reason to rejoice. The New York City cable provider is the first to offer an app that will allow customers to watch TV live on their tablets. Albiet limited--because it'll only work when connected to the cable's home-based router--the option should be a nice convenience that other cable and television providers will surely follow in the near future!

The Portland Cello Project of Oregon certainly has a unique way of covering tunes! Besides playing classical music, the formal group of trained cellists like to have fun by creating their own versions of newer music. Here's an example of their rendition of Kanye West's "All Of The Lights," (off of his latest album)--a powerful example of how sonically rich, even modern-day popular music can be interpreted. Not to mention, that All Of The Lights is already chock full of dramatic bridges and powerful sounds that certainly lend themselves to this symphonic "remix." Well done!

[via Turntable Lab]