Friday, March 27, 2009

Dutch Shuffler visits Melbourne

In February 2009 Millie came to visit Melbourne and be interviewed for the Global Shuffle dvd.

Millie is from the Netherlands and has a dance crew called Dance Max. Here's Millie's vid he's made of his visit.

Dutch Shuffler in Down Under

Millie is best known for being in the worlds first commercial shuffle track/video Melbourne Shufflers - The Shuffle, around the beginning of 2008.

Melbourne Shufflers - The Shuffle.

It was great to meet Millie. I took him to a few places in the CBD that were significant oldskool sites.

It's hard to explain the Melbourne underground, it's much easier to show it. We have a lot of back alley's, basements and upper floor buildings that the underground houses itself in. All have obscure nondescript entrances. Often just a simple doorway with stairs.

These are to discourage the mainstream. They look of no interest at first glance, but if you are in the underground, these are passageways into another world, literally in the main street of Melbourne, but unnoticed by most. And that's the way we like it.

The underground has different attitudes to mainstream Melbourne, from the way people dress to their behaviour. The behaviour is most important, it's friendly.

Just finding an underground venue, is like you have completed the first initiation test. We like to think of it as a treasure hunt. You need to put some effort into it, and you are rewarded for your effort.

The Lounge (Swanston st Melbourne) a longtime underground venue was one of these places.

Established in the last global recession of the early 1990's in a disused upstairs retail storage area, Carlos the Lounge owner proudly tells visitors "The Melbourne Shuffle was practically invented on this dance floor", and he's right.

1992 a shuffle club night called Switch commenced, it was renamed a short time later as Filter and became the world's best and longest running shuffle club. Held at The Lounge Wednesday nights every week for 11 years (1992-2003), it was the underground's inner circle club of choice.

It has a concrete floor polished smooth by shufflers feet for 11 years, and it's still exactly the same now, and you can still shuffle on it and the exact same stage as these oldskool shufflers in 1995.

Filter @ Lounge 1995

Here's the 1995 video footage of shufflers on the same Filter stage.

Today the Lounge still operates, but Shufflers may find it a bit ordinary as it is mostly just a sit down day bar with meals these days, catering for an older 20's - 30's mostly mainstream urban crowd.

So say hello to Carlos if you bump into him, tell him Garry/MSO sent you, and if he has the time, he's more than happy to chat about shuffling. After all, he's seen it all from the beginning.

You can still have a bit of a shuffle on the original dance floor and stage though, among the tables, and it's well worth doing as homage to one of the greatest original oldskool shuffle clubs of the world, Filter and it's fantastic crew The Filter Army !

It's the closest you can get to the original oldskoolers these days, by literally shuffling in their footsteps.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Subway Shuffle comp (Aus)

Seems like everybody's gotta do one of these online shuffle comps. The latest is from Subway (the food chain), with some decent prizes too (not just a dj's old turntable) There's $2000 cash and heaps of ipods.

It's not really shuffling as we know it, just Subway cashing in on the Shuffle. But who knows, worth a go the real thing might win :)

http://www.subway.com.au/ifeelgood/Default.asp

TOP PRIZE – STAR IN A SUBWAY® TV COMMERCIAL!
If the voting public like your style and think you’ve got the best SUBWAY® Shuffle, you’ll star in a future SUBWAY® restaurants TV commercial and receive a $2,000 talent fee, plus travel and accommodation expenses to attend the shoot.

Plus 8 and 4 gig ipods for other winners.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Singapore Shuffle MeetUp VivoCity 15 March 2009

Our good shuffle friends in Singapore have got their next Shuffle MeetUp happening. Remember to post lots of vids for us who can't make it ;)

event: SINGAPORE SHUFFLE MEETUP
date: 15 March 2009
site: VivoCity Amphitheatre (Sky Park, Level 3)

Monday, March 2, 2009

SHFL - Australian Shuffler

Some may have noticed the MSO logo appearing on the Australian Shuffler / So You Think You Can Shuffle website and publicity flyers. (pic right)

Dodgy - SHFL and Australian shuffler.com Please note that MSO is in no way involved with the Shuffle Hard For Life (SHFL) event or the So You Think You Can Shuffle contest, mainly because MSO thinks it's too cheesy and sounds dodgy.

Despite rumours, MSO and Garry Shepherd will NOT be screening shuffle videos at the SHFL event, nor associating with Australian Shuffler / So You Think You Can Shuffle, Mark Midro and Bexta (Rebecca Poulson), in any future projects - because I don't trust them.

comments:
Templeth said...

"because I don't trust them"
Love it

March 10, 2009 1:07 AM
Garry Shepherd said...

Thanks Templeth. Yep sad but true, It's not the 'first official' shuffle meet-up at fed sq anyway, there's been plenty. The first official meet-up was Cup Day Nov 2007 and it was free. I was there, it was a great meet-up. These SHFL jokers haven't got a clue, You'd think at least the PHD Dj would know that.

No offense to the shufflers who have entered or the other prize sponsers, but when a dance competition offers a pro DJ turntable as one of the major prizes you know they're not shufflers, how many shufflers even own old vinyl records?.

And who is this video clip for, what act ? - make sure you get a signed contract with them before you appear ;)

And what Malaysian meet-up? It doesn't even have a name, yet it's the main prize !!
All that says to me is...
DODGY DODGY DODGY

March 10, 2009 1:07 PM
Garry Shepherd said...

here's the link to the REAL 1st Official Shuffle Meet-up Melbourne Cup Day November 8 2007. It was arranged by shufflers on the melbshuffle forum. It was a great day. I'm surprised the PHD dj didn't know about it with 1000's of PHD hoodies there. Maybe he does know but he's sold out. dunno

But judge for yourselves, it was a huge successful event run by shufflers on a shuffle forum, all for free. Even the security guards and Fed Sq management were impressed with how well behaved everyone was. There to shuffle, not to cause trouble.

I'm proud to have been there and will defend it's title as the 1st Official Melbourne Shuffle Meet-up to be held in Federation Square.
There's some superb shuffling in this vid, well worth a look.

[CUP DAY] Shuffle Meetup Nov 8 2007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buifqypY2F4

March 10, 2009 2:31 PM
Garry Shepherd said...

Apparently now they're calling it the 'First ever national shuffle comp' Since being caught out with the first fed sq shuffle gaff.

But the title for First national com is laughable seeing they didn't advertise it, or hold local state competitions first. So it don't count, (no offence to whoever was named Australia's top shuffler) but I doubt one small meetup qualifies as a 'National Competition' whereever it's held. Good god, these SHFL people are hopeless
The day was a dud in crowd size. There were 90% empty seats and just a couple of dozen on the dance floor. Pretty poor compared to the other shuffle meet-ups that draw 100+ shufflers.

I've seen a few melb forums horrified at SHFL and they can't believe the dj's were involved in such a shonky event. Some of them ripped right into Bexta and Mark Midro over it, suggesting they go back to sydney...but I wouldn't force them on our sydney shuffle friends either.

April 3, 2009 3:30 PM

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Australian Shuffler - SHFL

Some may have noticed the MSO logo appearing on the Australian Shuffler / So You Think You Can Shuffle website and publicity flyers. (pic right)

Dodgy - SHFL and Australian shuffler.com Please note that MSO is in no way involved with the Shuffle Hard For Life (SHFL) event or the So You Think You Can Shuffle contest, mainly because MSO thinks it's too cheesy and sounds dodgy.

Despite rumours, MSO and Garry Shepherd will NOT be screening shuffle videos at the SHFL event, nor associating with Australian Shuffler / So You Think You Can Shuffle / Mark Midro and Bexta (Rebecca Poulson), in any future projects - because I don't trust them.

comments:
Templeth said...

"because I don't trust them"
Love it

March 10, 2009 1:07 AM
Garry Shepherd said...

Thanks Templeth. Yep sad but true, It's not the 'first official' shuffle meet-up at fed sq anyway, there's been plenty. The first official meet-up was Cup Day Nov 2007 and it was free. I was there, it was a great meet-up. These SHFL jokers haven't got a clue, You'd think at least the PHD Dj would know that.
No offense to the shufflers who have entered or the other prize sponsers, but when a dance competition offers a pro DJ turntable as one of the major prizes you know they're not shufflers, how many shufflers even own old vinyl records?.
And who is this video clip for, what act ? - make sure you get a signed contract with them before you appear ;)
And what Malaysian meet-up? It doesn't even have a name, yet it's the main prize !!
All that says to me is...
DODGY DODGY DODGY

March 10, 2009 1:07 PM
Garry Shepherd said...

here's the link to the REAL 1st Official Shuffle Meet-up Melbourne Cup Day November 8 2007. It was arranged by shufflers on the melbshuffle forum. It was a great day. I'm surprised the PHD dj didn't know about it with 1000's of PHD hoodies there. Maybe he does know but he's sold out. dunno
But judge for yourselves, it was a huge successful event run by shufflers on a shuffle forum, all for free. Even the security guards and Fed Sq management were impressed with how well behaved everyone was. There to shuffle, not to cause trouble.
I'm proud to have been there and will defend it's title as the 1st Official Melbourne Shuffle Meet-up to be held in Federation Square.
There's some superb shuffling in this vid, well worth a look.
[CUP DAY] Shuffle Meetup Nov 8 2007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buifqypY2F4

March 10, 2009 2:31 PM
Garry Shepherd said...

Apparently now they're calling it the 'First ever national shuffle comp' Since being caught out with the first fed sq shuffle gaff.
But the title for First national com is laughable seeing they didn't advertise it, or hold local state competitions first. So it don't count, (no offence to whoever was named Australia's top shuffler) but I doubt one small meetup qualifies as a 'National Competition' whereever it's held. Good god, these SHFL people are hopeless
The day was a dud in crowd size. There were 90% empty seats and just a couple of dozen on the dance floor. Pretty poor compared to the other shuffle meet-ups that draw 100+ shufflers.
I've seen a few melb forums horrified at SHFL and they can't believe the dj's were involved in such a shonky event. Some of them ripped right into Bexta and Mark Midro over it, suggesting they go back to sydney...but I wouldn't force them on our sydney shuffle friends either.

April 3, 2009 3:30 PM

Shuffle Music: The Twist

mix title: The Twist
shuffle music genre: rockin
purpose: to learn The Twist
level: beginners > advanced
speed: slow rock
time: 7 mins

The Twist is a twelve bar blues song that gave birth to the Twist dance craze. The song was written and originally released in 1959 by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters as a B-side to “Teardrops on Your Letter” peaking at 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.


Chubby Checker in Melbourne 1962

The song, and the dance the Twist, was popularized in 1960 when the song was covered by Chubby Checker. His single became a smash hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 19, 1960 and then setting a record by being the only single to reach number one in two different chart runs when it resurfaced and topped the chart again on January 13, 1962.

For Shufflers looking for a slow rockin feel, the twist will suit you fine. And it's easy.

Try shuffling to the music as a warm up/warm down track.

Chubby Checker gives a sophisticated and masterly demonstration of the Twist in this 1960 TV clip.

 

Our good shuffle friend from Russia pcKOT, has sent us this fantastic 1967 Russian movie clip, featuring a short tutorial on how to do the Twist. I wouldn't be surprised if this technique was the inspiration for the Twist in the first place :D  

Сheck it out, Garry, this is the short cut from an old Leonid Gaiday film "Kavkazskaya Plenica" (Kidnapping, Caucasian Style), 1967. Its the first time people in USSR saw this dance, as you can see it also includes a short tutorial =) It was a real cultural breakthrough for those times.

 

Here's the Ray Charles / Blues Brothers brilliant and infectious homage to the Twist, the Fly, the Swim, the Boogaloo, the Monkey, the Mashed potato... See how many of them you can do.

Ray Charles Blues Brothers - Twist it (Shake Your Tail Feather)