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DiscoShow at the Linq

Discoshow at The Linq

NEW ADDITIONS IN LAS VEGAS BY SHELLEY STEPANEK

Another new attraction is coming to The Linq in 2024 from Spiegelworld Entertainment. The creators of Absinthe, Atomic Saloon, and Opium are bringing back Disco.

The new show will be called Discoshow. The company says DiscoShow will transport the audience back into the birth of disco, with live entertainment space, bars, and a diner. Steven Hogget, choreographer and director from acclaimed stage productions like “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” will be part of the creative team.

The new show will take over the former site of the Imperial Palace sportsbook, which has sat vacant on The LINQ property since 2014.

Dinosaurs are Coming to Horseshoe

Dinosaurs are Coming to Horseshoe-formerly Ballys

NEW ADDITIONS IN LAS VEGAS BY SHELLEY STEPANEK

A brand new exhibit will be opening on April 10 which will bring you up close with dinosaurs at Horseshoe Las Vegas.

“Dino Safari,” will feature “enormous and super lifelike animatronic” dinosaurs that will “transport guests of all ages back to the prehistoric days.”

Created by Imagine Exhibitions, the team behind Real Bodies and Discovering King Tut’s Tomb, Dino Safari: A Walk Thru Adventure, opens April 10, 2023, at Horseshoe Las Vegas on its lower level next to The Cabinet of Curiosities. Tickets are on sale now.

 

CRIS CYBORG HOLY WARRIOR©

CRIS CYBORG

HOLY WARRIOR©

By Florida Night Train

Badass Brazilian-American “Cris Cyborg”, mixed martial artist, competes in Bellator MMA.  She is referred to as a “legend”. She is the current Bellator Women’s Featherweight Champion and has held the title since January 2020. She is also a former UFC, Strikeforce, and Invicta FC World Featherweight Champion. Cris is the only MMA fighter in history (male or female) to become a Grand Slam Champion, holding world championships across four major mixed martial arts promotions. Cyborg is widely regarded as one of the greatest female mixed martial artists of all time. I have seen her ascent and I can tell you she takes no prisoner! In fact, I found out an MMA reporter once asked her how long it would take her to get her opponent in submission and Cyborg responded by taking the reporter into a headlock. I was, therefore, on my best behavior for this interview.

Cyborg first rose to prominence when she won the Strikeforce title on August 15, 2009.  She defeated Gina Carano via first-round technical knock-out (TKO). As of March 29, 2021, she is #1 in the Bellator Women’s pound-for-pound Rankings. After earning her first submission victory in a 26-fight MMA career, she was awarded her BJJ Black Belt by Rubens ‘Cobrinha’ Charles.

Cyborg was born Cristiane Justino Venâncio in 1985 in Curitiba to Brazilian parents. Cyborg started her sports career at the age of twelve, playing handball at a national level in Brazil. She won numerous athletic scholarships in private universities and eventually chose to pursue the path of physical education. Later, she planned to become a professional handball player and finish her college studies there before being discovered by Rudimar Fedrigo, a Chute Boxe Academy trainer.

“I was participating in a friendly handball tournament between men and women and one of the boys, called Jorginho, was a friend of Mestre Rafael and Mestre Rudimar. He saw me training handball and asked me if I liked fighting. I replied that I thought it was cool, but I had never done it. He invited me to take a Muay Thai class and I [was hooked]!” – Cyborg

Cyborg was married to fellow mixed martial artist Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos and “adopted” his nickname. The couple split in December 2011. She announced her engagement to longtime boyfriend, trainer, and former MMA athlete Ray Elbe in 2017. In 2018, Cyborg legally adopted her teenage niece, making her historically the first mother to hold a UFC championship belt.

Cyborg is a beast, yes, but she is far more than that. She truly is a “Holy Warrior”. Literally. Twenty minutes into our meeting in newly opened mixed martial arts “Overcome Academy” (www.overcomeorlando.com) located on 300 Countyline Ct. Winter Haven, Florida, it did not take long for her and I to get along just fine and pick-up on things dear to both our hearts. We both laughed at the irony that her brothers are still protective of her. “Heck I could never go out without asking permission from my brothers at one point,” she said chuckling. Dad sold tires for a living, Mom sold fabric, and she is still at it even at 67 years of age. Before and during her morning runs she listens to gospel music. “It feeds my soul. It’s one thing to call yourself a Christian. It’s another to walk the talk,” she says. In fact, when I was in discussion with her agent (Jerry), he told me she was in an Orlando church giving her testimony. “What do you say to those who question your faith because you fight?” I asked. Clearly, she has been asked that question before and was well prepared to answer. The scriptures are filled with violence against evil she declares with confidence. I agree. You don’t fight evil by standing down.

I love Cris’ story. She started with nothing and rose with sheer determination to the very top. She had a thousand reasons on her journey to cave into fear and anxiety. Asking her how she dealt with these she energetically tells me there is no greater liar than fear. Again, she shares her faith in our talk and that she simply prays for peace. She enthusiastically tells me her favorite scripture verses; Joshua 1:9 and Romans 8:28. Ephesians 6:10-18 is displayed on her jersey in a fight. My response to her? “Deuteronomy 6:5,” I said is my top verse. Each one of my children can recite this one I said to her. We both looked at each other in a split moment of silence smiling. Cyborg plays Christian music as her choice of music in her entrances for fights. She recounts a moment when she was leaving a restaurant where a flock of teenagers came to her and circled around her to chant songs of worship. Tears welling in her eyes, you can tell Cris’ faith is genuine. “I can have all the belts in the world or all the money but none of these give peace and freedom as my faith does,” she says.  

I would have loved to see a bout between her and Ronda Rousey who is now in pro-wrestling. The fight never happened. You can tell Cyborg still has the eye of the tiger at the sound of Rousey’s name. “Maybe a wrestling match?” I said mischievously. I still think Cyborg would have taken Rousey down.  

So what’s in store for Cyborg now? She is giving herself another two years of fights then she wants to become a missionary. “I want to plant good seeds and truly make a difference in people’s lives as my legacy,” she says. For now she works with “Fight For The Forgotten” (https://linktr.ee/fightfortheforgotten), a non-profit organization organized by Justin Wren that digs wells to provide drinking water for Ugandan Pygmies.  

Never in her life did she think she would ride a motorcycle, but here she is with a sportster. She wants to ride that thing and enjoy it. At the mere mention of motorcycle, the conversation quickly shifted from fighting and faith to showing pictures of rides, children, family, laughter, and things that truly matter. We closed the conversation praying for each other.  

I made a good friend in Cyborg. This Holy Warrior truly has her priorities straight with a clear sense of reality. I left inspired to continue on my path. Inspired with conviction that in a world which lost its moral compass in a sea of political and business corruption, we must press on even if it means going against the grain taking punches in the jaws, figuratively speaking. Will you join?

Sources: Cris Cyborg, Wikipedia, and internet

https://www.criscyborg.com/ 

Photos: Cris Cyborg, 323 Photography Studio and Florida Night Train


IG: @florida_night_train and @criscyborg

FB: www.facebook.com/floridanighttrain

The KAPPTOR Connection Conference #2

Chicago, IL – April 4, 2023 – The KAPPTOR Connection was born in August 2023 when Juanita Kapp (from South Africa) and Alejandro J Tornato (from Georgia, US) decided to become business partners. Juanita Kapp formulated the name The KAPPTOR Connection and the first slogan ever used for a conference was titled, “Capturing Your Hearts.”

Alejandro J Tornato perceived the name KAPPTOR to sound like “raptor,” and hence the theme of a dinosaur bringing wisdom, knowledge, and understanding was born. Juanita Kapp once mentioned in a live interview that KAPPTORS go to conferences to “meet” you and not to “eat” you.

This year KAPPTOR Connection Conference #2 has hand-selected Rico No Suave from the “Rico No Suave Show” to be one of the most powerful and impacting speakers. Rico’s magnetic personality and high caliber of expertise will bring upliftment and edification. The hosts are excited and pumped to have Rico No Suave on the panel!

All satirical relief aside, the KAPPTOR Connection Conference team is here to make a diligent and positive impact in the world of personal and professional development.

The conference consists of three full days of engaging, six explosive topics of
discussion and eighteen international speakers from across the globe. With this format in place, the KAPPTOR Connection Conference is more than an event; it is an experience not to be missed!

The next upcoming conference is from the 28th to the 30th of April between 9 AM to 5:30 PM EST.

For further queries, please don’t hesitate to contact Juanita Kapp at +27 64 546 0915 or visit www.meticulousmoments.com and register for the conference today. Inquiry emails can be sent to meticulousmacarons@gmail.com for direct contact with the South African KAPPTOR. The theme for the KAPPTOR Connection conference nr 2 is “Elevate you.” We look forward to meeting you.

 

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

The gifted author, Anthony Burgess (1917—1993), is best known for the one book he regretted writing. Published in 1962, A Clockwork Orange might soon have been forgotten had it not been made into a celebrated and notorious Stanley Kubrick movie. As a consequence of the film’s success, Burgess’s novel transformed into a kind of Frankenstein monster insofar as its creator was concerned.

Within a futuristic setting, the plot concerns fifteen-year-old Alex who spends his free time assaulting, robbing, raping and generally terrorizing any vulnerable citizens that he and his three “droogs” happen to encounter. A killing occurs in the course of such activities, and Alex is charged with murder. But he contrives to shorten his fourteen year prison sentence by volunteering for a new treatment purported to render violent criminals harmless. The subject of this Ludovico’s Technique is conditioned—via special drugs combined with viewings of gruesomely violent film footage—to experience agonizing sickness as soon as he feels any impulse to do harm. In the case of Alex, the treatment is judged a success, and his prison sentence is commuted. But his reemergence into free society is dampened by his depressed condition, which intensifies as he begins to reap what he had sown during “those carefree days” of his criminal life.

The novel’s theme—which is, believe it or not, a religious theme—is stated by the Prison Chaplain: “Does God want goodness or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses the bad perhaps in some way better than a man who has the good imposed upon him?”

Alex, the narrator, tells us early on what he has chosen: ‘But what I do I do because I like to do.’

The book has an interesting history. There were two editions: the original British version and an American one. The American edition, which was the version that Kubrick used for his movie, omitted a final chapter that depicted Alex moving in the direction of moral reform. At first glance the British version, which was the one that Burgess preferred, seems more attractive and less cynical than its American counterpart. But there are a number of problems with the optimistic or redemptive ending. In that version, Alex observes that his past behavior was a kind of mechanistic outcome of his youth; that his brutality toward others was something that he could not help or stop—as if raping and killing were as natural to adolescence as the growth of pubic hair. Plus, doesn’t this undermine the novel’s thematic affirmation of free will? Finally, if the author insisted that Alex change for the better, the process required something more dramatic than mere boredom with his thuggish life or a run of the mill realization that he should finally grow up!

Notwithstanding these and other objections, I like A Clockwork Orange. It is a book that I have read many times over the years, and I continue to find it fascinating, brilliant and even funny—darkly so, of course.       

Humor After Death

The other day my friend and I went to visit my late husband’s grave, may he rest in peace. While there, we looked at the other gravestones. Gravestones or headstones (unless one is buried the wrong way and then it would be Feetstones) sound so much better than tombstones, which reminds me of the word doom or doomstones, all three of which are depressing as hell. Not that I’ve ever been to hell, mind you, but I’ve heard from holier than thou types, who claim to have more knowledge about sin than I ever will experience, that it’s hot (as hell) there. I don’t mind hot, but I gather there’s no air conditioning. So although I’m sometimes tempted to sin, I’m really a wimp, even when it comes to camping. So, no air conditioning? Fuhgeddaboudit!!

In any event, we began to talk about why grave/head/feet stones have to be so serious and wouldn’t it be fun to have headstones that make visitors laugh. Then we began to think of humorous messages from down under (but not necessarily just Australia) we’d want on our humor-stones. Hope you’ll enjoy reading the ones below (pun intended) that gave us much needed laughter, on what otherwise could have been a somber day and hope you’ll want to think of your own when you visit your loved one. So that your good memories of him or her will make the trips uplifting rather than letting you down (there I go again with the puns).  

Thanks for bringing the sheet cake (plus gooey frosting) with the saw baked in it. If you can’t work the saw before “they” see you, act natural until you can try again. _________________________

Forget the damn flowers!!

Get me out of here! 

_____________________

Do you feel guilty yet?

If not, return when you do. 

Your Nemesis

______________________

I just wanted to take a peek…I didn’t mean to fall in.

______________________

Preparing for my demise, I fell ill…I guess I mean in. 

______________________

If the good die young, just chalk my morals up to lying about my age a lot.

________________________

I’m here because, ___________, the _____________ insurance company and, ___________, their idiot adjuster,  practiced medicine without a license. If the company and the adjuster don’t like their names being etched in stone, they can sue me. 

_________________________

I enjoyed life so much I died laughing…

When you’re ready to go, try it, you’ll like it. 

__________________________

If what I’m suggesting is a sin, I’ll ask your forgiveness. Because although I can still fit into the earrings I wore in high school (eat your hearts out, sisters) given the extreme heat in hades, I’d rather not try on my bikini.

Copyright 2023, Audrey Biloon

*Photo credit: Pixabay.com

SAVAGE BARBIE Black Rose

SAVAGE BARBIE

Black Rose

By Florida Night Train

2-12-2023

The meaning of black roses varies from death, mourning and tragedy, to a rebirth or a major change. It can also represent optimism and hope or eternal love. Black roses are rare. The growing process is very complex and lengthy, taking up to more than a year.

I want to introduce you to a “black rose”, “SavageBMWBarbie” (Ashley). Having seen Ashley’s feed on social media for the past two years, I observed quite a unique, colorful, mystical, and resilient-quality persona. In a world where gold-digging twerkers, silicone, and botox bags are hoping to get rich off click-baiting by cheapening their souls, I found this black rose (Ashley). At the time, Ashley was in the process of losing her father (RIP). Through all her posts, she shared positive inspirational moments with thousands of her followers. She did that by showing artistic creativity, raw vulnerability, depth, fun, and quality content.

With bloodlines from native American tribes, Greece, Hungary and Poland, Ashley was born in Michigan. Ashley’s absolute hero was her father. This army infantry badass biker took her everywhere. Hunting trips, NASCAR racing, and tinkering was all part of the bond. Sadly, Mom and Dad did not understand each other. Like many of us, they failed to “listen to understand” each other. Ashley admits to having been rebellious towards her father and his expectations. Today she gets teary eyed, she is filled with gratitude for it all. No one can tell me fathers aren’t important in a child’s development stages! I mean, look at stats. The percentage difference of inmates from single mother homes versus single father homes is shocking. It’s been suggested now that because of that, single dads seem to be better parents than single moms! A mother’s love is sweet to a child’s heart, but a father’s love is fuel to a child’s spirit.

Ashley worked for Ford Motors as a team leader. She was a tattoo artist for 10+ years. Today, she is a full-time welder and pursuing an underwater welding career. This young lady currently owns two BMW S 1000 RR(s) and a Raptor truck. She is absorbed by wildlife and the environment. Make no mistake, she is not a “Greta” environmentalist hellbent on making everyone feel guilty.

Ashley’s addiction for speed on two wheels started after she crashed a car drag racing doing a ¼ mile run. “They put me on a bike right after and the rest is history. I was hooked,” said the Savage Barbie in her. Her top speed is 207mph. I think one of her IG posts shows her speedometer at 199mph. When I saw that, I knew this savage was not just a pretty Barbie face. She has more balls than many of us and her dad would be proud of her today.

This wild and fearless black rose is and will always be fueled by passions screaming her affectionate tenderness for her father. Let’s be honest, don’t we all do that? Even for those who actually dislike or hate their dad, deep down it is the need for a father’s love that gives birth to these emotions (dislike and hate) as a desperate scream for it. The ego in us denies that, but that’s for another story. When I think of it, this column would have been perfect for a Father’s Day piece. Ashley’s entire life and story is a shrine honoring her father’s love. He was far from being perfect. She grew up in the midst of hardships, but he never gave up on her. He never ceased to say, “I love you” in words and also in actions.

This black rose lost her dad but she goes on carrying his flame with all her might. Within her own identity, apart from her dad, she developed her own fascinating journey. She is fearlessly discovering all that life has to offer. She desires to inspire her fans and followers to live outside the box; to believe in themselves even if it is against all odds; treat others as you want to be treated; cherish your family; respect others; and be loyal. Ashley is patient with herself, she learned that through anger management therapy. She is on her journey now, discovering and defining her values, recognizing she is not always her own best friend. She claims a still nebulous Christianity as her faith and considers the growth available to her through it. It is not all clear to her, but at least she is willing and open to learn.

Black roses are rare. They evoke deep intrigue and respect. Their meaning goes from death, mourning and tragedy, to a rebirth or a major change, optimism, hope, and eternal love. SavageBMWBarbie’s life journey mirrors all that—like all of us in a sense. Hardships do not define us unless we want to live like victims. It is what we choose to do with the good and the not so good that defines us. I can’t wait to see this black rose in full bloom.

Photos: courtesy of SavageBMWBarbie

IG and TikTok: savagebmwbarbie 

www.facebook.com/savagebmwbarbiemoto 


www.facebook.com/FloridaNightTrain

IG: Florida_Night_Train

TikTok: floridanighttrain

Gutting Versus Kindness

I’ve been thinking of friendships lately and so an essay, by Gemma Hartley, on the unexpected loss of someone she thought had been a good friend piqued my interest. Since that same sudden shock happened to me, I was struck by Ms. Hartley’s astute observation that our culture doesn’t offer a way to grieve such a loss.

The loss of the person I thought was a friend came so suddenly that it was emotionally gutting and a shock that is taking me a long time to overcome. The better side of that loss is that I’m learning to view all friendships as potentially temporary (if longer, that’s a bonus) and as lessons to be learned, including kindness in closure… a pox upon me if I ever leave a friendship, as my “friend” did, without a kind explanation and a door left open.

There are no songs to help you weep the loss of a friendship (only romance), so you’re left to absorb the deep sadness, sans musical overtones. Therapy can add insult to injury, in that those who have suffered have to pay to talk and, since the cause may never be understood, there may not be any resolution except to be forced to face feelings of abandonment.

From my perspective, there’s no reason right enough, nor season cold enough, to end a friendship in such a way. Lessons can and should be shared (on both sides of the divide) before and from the cutting without anesthesia.

The idea of lessons on both sides of a divide brings my thoughts to a book of essays by Max Hastings, on Vietnam (An Epic Tragedy: 1945-1975), that has changed my opinion of the war and hammers home the point that both sides need to be heard.

By denying access to reporters and photographers who were not “ideologically sympathetic” to the North Vietnamese regime, the North carefully crafted how their side was viewed at the time and historically. On the flip side, American democracy allowed for almost complete access to the South Vietnamese and American fighting.

What was happening (but neither reported nor photographed) by the North Vietnamese left only our side open to criticism. Balanced reporting and photography might have shown that South Vietnamese and American actions and responses were warranted and could have possibly changed the outcome of that war.

Instead, such one-sided prejudicial renderings led to (deferred) students rioting on college campuses here, hurled and undeserved anger at troops there who couldn’t afford such luxuries here (and so were drafted to go), and hastened a withdrawal, without honor, rendering the sacrifices of those troops, essentially, (and very sadly), meaningless.

Putting aside your thoughts on whether we should have been there, one-sided access led to very unpopular reporting and photography that made the US and the South Vietnamese appear more barbaric than the North.

It’s only with the benefit of authors like Hastings that we can begin to understand how one-sided self-serving narratives can lead to lost, rather than learned, lessons which might have constructed a better outcome and future.

Speaking of constructive learning, I read recently that the Dutch have discovered a sane way not only to dine with friends (Dutch Treat), but also, along that same (and sane) line of thinking, to be considerate of bike riders or other drivers while exiting a car as a driver. The idea, called the Dutch Reach, is simple and brilliant or simply brilliant!

After parking the car, instead of using the left hand to open the driver’s door, to exit, reaching over to open the driver’s door with the right hand will force the driver to turn his or her head around to see if another vehicle is coming. If a vehicle is approaching, the Dutch Reach will stop the driver from opening the driver’s door to get out of the car before he or she has all of the information needed to make a decision to exit.

On that note, I’ll end here with a wish for all of us to have only good lessons with the best people and to see all situations (including if it’s really necessary, a decision to “exit” a friendship) from the best Dutch Reach perspective.

Copyright 2022, Audrey Biloon

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Bernard Moore, Ph.D. Discusses His Family History and the Importance of Discovering One’s Own Black History

The sun barely peeked through the window as Dr. Bernard Moore rose and prepared for his day. His first obligation is to his best friend and companion, a faithful bull terrier named April May. After taking her for a vigorous walk, they settle into his book-filled library/office. Although one can hear CNN in the background, Dr. Moore’s focus today is on showing me the ancestry book that outlines so much of his family history and talking about the process of gathering the incredible amount of information, that was the inspiration, behind writing a compelling story about his family’s legacy beginning with his great-great-great grandfather, Tal Jones. His fascinating story includes members of his family who chose the academic route and became civic leaders in the community and others who prospered financially through a series of not-so-legal encounters.

In the midst of his family research, Dr. Moore has begun to write a book that combines his love of genealogy, history, and political science to bring his great-great-great family’s story to life as well as a screenplay. In fact, the current screenplay has been recognized as “Best” in over 20 highly competitive film festivals.

While moving from his office to his living room to discuss his upbringing, I notice a beautifully framed photo of his mother sitting prominently next to one of the treasured and rare photographs of Tal. Speaking in soft narrative tones, Dr. Moore describes his mother’s journey in 1950, traveling from Muskogee, Oklahoma, to Los Angeles with one suitcase and $25 (the average weekly wage for a domestic worker in the 50s). Throughout her life, she was a businesswoman and caregiver who endured the pressure of raising two boys. Dr. Moore saw in his mother a strong, buoyant, self-contained black woman, providing protection against a prejudiced and biased world against blacks. Even as she worked to establish a business that would provide security for her family, she still found the time to share much of the family’s oral history. What contributed to her resilience against an unfair society? One can only surmise that it was the strength of her ancestors who prevailed against all odds.

Dr. Moore grew up in California. He recalls a loving and stable childhood, although his parents were divorced by the time he was in second grade. However, they both played an integral role in his upbringing. When he was eight years old, his family moved from Compton to Inglewood. Neither parent was prepared for school integration which caused racial tensions in their community. He remembers only minor incidences but would occasionally hear about major violence related to busing in other areas of the city in adult conversations.

He enjoyed school and began his love of history by listening to his mother, grandmother, and aunts’ oral recollections. The pride of his family legacy compelled him to tell the proud history of Tal Jones and his descendants, from slave to oilman, at a time when the odds were clearly stacked against Blacks.

He listened and he learned. He retained much of the family’s oral history, a contrast of great, interesting, and what is often called “Messy.” But it is all a part of his family’s drama of the human experience, undoubtedly worthy of historical consideration.

Dr. Moore has uncovered not only a complex and controversial story behind his family but the pride of claiming relatives like Wallace Willas, who wrote the popular American songs “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”, “Steel Away to Jesus”, “The Angels are Coming”, and “I’m a Rollin”.

“As a Black person,” said Dr. Moore, “we cannot change the fact that we are descendants of either the slave or the master, and for many, both. We come from a complex history where impeccable records of slaves as chattel were kept related to ownership. But, keeping slave families together and recording their birth, death, and lineage was of no consequence to the slave owner. This is why oral history is vital to the legacy of the Black family.”

Dr. Moore believes that in today’s political climate, disallowing students from learning about Black history is now being challenged and opens the door to inaccurate information.

As a historian and genealogist, Dr. Moore’s personal family history will hopefully empower others to begin to discover that which will lead to the truth.

He is currently in the process of planning a series of lectures related to his own genealogy and how to begin to research family history.

About Dr. Moore

Bernard Moore earned a Ph.D. degree in Political Science in the discipline of American Politics – Public Law – Black Politics at Howard University and a Master of Arts degree in American Politics from Claremont Graduate University. Dr. Moore has taught undergraduates at Williams College, Howard University, and the University of Oxford.  Professionally, Dr. Moore has been a political strategist and a recognized academic scholar in Black Politics and African American Genealogy. He is a recognized authority in the U.S. Congress and legislative affairs and an academic scholar in American Politics. He served as a Senior Policy Advisor/Fellow to the U.S. House of Representatives and as a Principal Policy Fellow for members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Dr. Moore is also an expert in criminal justice reform issues that pertain to reducing recidivism by evidence base practices.

Inside DJ Audioprism’s Library: A Groovy Valentine’s

A sneak peek at a working DJ’s library

By Vanessa Hundley, aka DJ Audioprism

Entertainment and Life Scrivener

There is no angle of the experience of love that has been left unexplored in the musical realm. From that first crush to a full relationship implosion, musicians and lyricists bring forth the deepest of emotions and hold them up to the light. The number of ways people interpret love rival the variety of musical styles and, like music, love is always evolving and changing.

There are, of course, an enormous selection of ballads professing eternal love and desire. As a DJ, I mostly play those songs at weddings or private events, though sometimes as a slow dance highlight for galas and social events where having a few moments to really enjoy one’s date are welcome. The world of Pop music is also awash in many amazing “first sight” moments. In the last section of this list I will share some of my favorites from these areas, but first –a sampling of love songs from my library that lift your heart (or hackles) as well as your feet!

(Click the links below for the full Spotify and YouTube playlists of all these songs – new tracks already added!)

Spotify       YouTube

20 NEW LOVE SONGS FROM THE 2020s!!!

Love never stops, no matter what else is going on! Check out some of my favorite new love jams that have been released in recent years!

Bob Sinclair feat. Robbie Williams – Electrico Romantico

Kylie Minogue & Jessie Ware – Kiss Of Life

DJ Katch feat. Sean Kingston – One By One

Momoland feat. Natti Natasha – Yummy Yummy Love

Bob Moses – Love Brand New
Leon Bridges – Steam

John Newman – Waiting For A Lifetime

Cole Swindell – She Had Me At Heads Carolina

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – I’m On Your Side

Neil Pierce – Wonderful You

Quarterhead feat Camylio – Is It Love

Mary J. Blige – Here With Me (Feat. Anderson .Paak)

James Vickery feat Musiq Soulchild – Come To Me

Carly Pearce – Heart’s Going Out Of It’s Mind

Coline Creuzot – For Love

Sia – Hey Boy

Blxst – About You

Ghost – Call Me Little Sunshine

Machine Gun Kelly feat Willow – Emo Girl

Weezer – A Little Bit Of Love

First Crush and Infatuation:

Every relationship starts somewhere! Butterflies and bravery come up against each other in these songs that capture that first strike from Cupid’s arrow. 

The Jets  – Crush On You          

Sam Cooke – Cupid

Selena Gomez  – Bad Liar           

Avril Lavigne  – Girlfriend

Ronettes – Be My Baby

Prince – I Wanna Be Your Lover

Usher  – U Got It Bad (Soulpower Remix)

Clairy Brown and the Bangin’ Rackettes – Love Letter

Mario – Just A Friend 2002

Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe

The Early Days of Love:

So after a little (or a lot) of flirting, you snagged that love interest. The world is bright and beautiful place! The birds are singing! You are entranced by all their little quirks!  And maybe a little nervous too…

The Pointer Sisters  – I’m So Excited

Katrina & The Waves –Walking On Sunshine

Janelle Monae  – Make Me Feel

Michael Jackson – The Way You Make Me Feel

Goldfrapp – Ooh La La

Dusty Springfield  – Son of a Preacher Man

Alabama Shakes – I Found You

Counting Crows  – Accidentally In Love

Walk The Moon – Shut Up and Dance

The Darkness – I Believe In A Thing Called Love

Going In Deep:

You’ve made it past the early days, now it’s for real. 

The Spencer Davis Group – Gimme Some Lovin’

Foster The People – I Would Do Anything For You

High Valley – Single Man

The Cure – Love Song

John Legend – Love Me Now

Drake – Hold On, We’re Going Home

Tegan and Sara  – Closer

Diana King – I Say A Little Prayer

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello – Senorita

The Zombies  – This Will Be Our Year

Let’s Get Married!:

It’s the one! Say it in a love song as you sweep your intended off their feet.

Jagged Edge – Let’s Get Married (Remarqable Remix)

The Dixie Cups  – Going to the Chapel of Love

Bruno Mars – Marry You

Paula Abdul – Will You Marry Me

Jason DeRulo – Marry Me

K-Ci and JoJo – All My Life

The Five Satins – To the Aisle

Tina Turner – The Best

Magic! – Rude

Aloe Blacc- I Wanna Be With You

Highs and Lows:

Some relationships thrive on drama. We all know them, or have been part of them – where it just doesn’t make sense to anyone besides them that they are still together. Opposites attract is just one way to put it! 

Orianthi – Shut Up and Kiss Me

John Cougar Mellencamp  – Hurts So Good

Paula Abdul  – Opposites Attract

Rihanna – We Found Love

Katy Perry – Hot N Cold 

Britney Spears – Toxic

311 – Beautiful Disaster

Lauryn Hill – Ex Factor

Betty Who – Heartbreak Dream

The Police – Every Breath You Take

End of the Road:

Some people break up to make up, and some just break up. But even heartbreak comes with a chance of dance, and getting some groovy moves in on the floor can help you get back into the rhythm of love!

Cee Lo – Forget You

Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

Leslie Gore  – It’s My Party

Ariana Grande – Thank U Next

The Weeknd  – Blinding Lights

Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive

Beyonce – Why Don’t You Love Me

Amy Winehouse  – Back to Black

Grimes – Flesh Without Blood

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – Tears of a Clown

Single Again:

What’s a singleton to do? Get out and dance in all your solo glory!

Trina – Single Again 

Beyonce – Single Ladies

The Mowgli’s – I’m Good

Nick Jonas – Bacon

Cher – Believe

Hailee Steinfeld – I Love Myself

Seryah – L.B.D.T. (Look But Don’t Touch)

TLC – No Scrubs 

Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Lady Antebellum – Bartender

Undercover Lovers:

A quick bonus section of songs that encompass love and deception all at once.

The All-American Rejects – Dirty Little Secret

Heart – All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You

Billy Paul – Me & Mrs. Jones 

Amy Winehouse – Me & Mr. Jones

Anuel AA – China

Robyn – Call Your Girlfriend

Beyonce & Shakira – Beautiful Liar

The Outfield – Your Love

Dion – Runaround Sue

Naughty By Nature – O.P.P.

Slow It Down A Bit:

As promised, my favorite slower selections! 

Mazzy Star – Fade Into You

Leon Bridges – Here In My Arms

Etta James – At Last

Chi Lites – Oh Girl

Jessie J – Casualty Of Love

INXS  – Never Tear Us Apart

Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight

Gary Wright – Dream Weaver

Bobby Caldwell – What You Won’t Do For Love

Mark Knopfler – Storybook Love

A final toast to love, for yourself and others – start the playlist below and enjoy all these songs for your Valentine’s experience! And be sure to like and follow everything @djaudioprism for new music commentary, taped interviews with personalities from around the world and updates on future public performances!

Vanessa Hundley aka DJ Audioprism is  owner of Audioprism Entertainment,  is a full time DJ/VJ/KJ/MC, Web and TV Personality, and Wonder Woman who incorporates her love of music and everything entertainment into all facets of her life. She resides in Atlanta, GA, with her amazing daughter, fabulous partner and a variety of fuzzy friends intent on taking over the world one clump of fur at a time. Follow her on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Mixcloud for everything

 DJ Audioprism!

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