FEBRUARY 25, 2005: YOUNG AMERICANS

Now that the news has been announced on Bowienet www.davidbowie.com, I can tell you that it hasn't been quiet around our studio in the past month (or two). EMI and DTS are really hot on releasing David Bowie's classic albums in newly mixed 5.1 Surround Sound. I have mixed David Live and Stage, which are available now. I've just finished mixing the amazing Young Americans in 5.1 Surround Sound, too, for its 30th anniversary (has it been that long?). The release will be in a few months. There will be bonus tracks and a surprise.

All the tracks have been mixed from the master tapes to 96khz high definition digital audio. That translates to 'freakin' scary' quality. Mr. Bowie is front and center, but the backing is now spread 360º with Mr. Vandross hovering over your left shoulder for most of the album. John Lennon's six string acoustic is almost entirely in the right rear speaker on "Across The Universe" and you just might hear a comment from him when the song is over. What really brought it home to me was how great David's vocals were, and a lot of them were live takes with him standing in the same room as the band at Sigma Studios in Philadelphia.

You have never heard "Young Americans", "Fame" and "Across The Universe" like this. Oh, don't get excited about young Mr. Springsteen in the photo. He was there only for a visit and we couldn't get him to sing or do anything on "Saint In The City," which was never finished. But it's such a cool photo, isn't it?

WONDERFUL COPENHAGEN!

What does this all mean? I'm off to wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen (how tired are the Danes with that Danny Kaye song?) to record wonderful, wonderful Kashmir. I'll give sparse reports when I'm there, although I'll be working on my studio tan most of the time.

FEBRUARY 21, 2005: KUNG FU TAI CHI MAGAZINE

This is a Brooklyn Karate Kid's dream come true. Master Ren Guang-yi, my taiji teacher, recommended to the publishers of Kung Fu Tai Chi magazine that I might be an interesting subject. I have been buying such magazines since I was knee high to a Shaolin Monk and only remembered reading stories about exalted martial arts masters, so my initial reaction was, "No way!" But the same magazine interviewed Lou Reed last year and that opened the gates for people like us who fall in between amateurs and masters.

Both Lou and I are guys who absolutely love the martial arts, have been practicing for most of our lives, but haven't achieved the title of master due to an abnormal focus on our first love -- music. There are hundreds of millions of people who practice martial arts in this category, who practice hard and often and are content to move ahead slowly. We are not martial arts professionals, like Master Ren, but we love and practice martial arts fervently. I can't imagine the mess I'd be in if I didn't have my daily taiji practice to prop me up for the rest of the insane day my business demands of me. And I've never been healthier in my life. So this article is about just another guy who's life has been changed by martial arts. Okay, so this particular guy is a well-known record producer (which really got me into the magazine), but I think it's a worthwhile story and it shows that you don't have to be an expert to enjoy the benefits of studying a martial art, in this case Chen style taiji. The magazine is out on the news stands in the USA now, February 2005. Here is their website for more information: http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com.