This is the latest video from Little Boots (Victoria Hesketh), Earthquake.

Hesketh showed a great deal of promise with her bedroom synth jams – but the production of her EP and her videos seem to have largely homogenized her sound & look, Casio SK5 notwithstanding.

Let me know what you think of Little Boots’ latest in the comments!

via littlebootsvideos

Electro pop artist Little Boots‘ career is going to get a boost from this ad.

Victoria’s Secret has paired the song Meddle, from Little Boots’ forthcoming debut album Hands. with supermodels to demonstrate a bra you can wear seven ways.

A bra you can wear seven ways is way too complicated for us – but at least the appeal of Meddle is obvious.

Check out this performance of Meddle from last year by Little Boots, aka Victoria Hesketh, on Tenori On, Stylophone and piano.

Charissa Saverio, aka DJ Rap is the latest in our series of Chicks that Mix – some of the exceptional women of electronic, dance and experimental electronic music. 

DJ Rap has been voted Shejay’s #1 female DJ in the world. She owns, records for, runs and A&Rs two labels Proper Talent and Improper Talent. She’s a producer, recording artist and an actress.

She’s also worked with BT several times, contributing vocals to Giving Up The Ghost, and appearing in videos for his Never Gonna Come Back Down and Simply Being Loved. 

Rolling Stone Magazine gave her CD Learning Curve three and a half stars, saying “this is the record Madonna wanted to make.”

Learning Curve went on to sell over a million copies, bringing her total sales to over 3000,000 copies worldwide. Since Learning Curve, Saverio has focused more on DJ set CDs, including Touching Bass, a 2-CD set with drum and bass and breaks tracks.

DJ Rap has also written extensively about DJing professionally on her blog. Here are her tips on gear:

Decks: Although I still own the one and only pair of turntables I’ve ever bought, SL-1200’s the Pioneer CDJ-1000 or DVJ-1000 is my weapon of choice. I simply LOVE Pioneer. [yes I love vinyl, no I haven't abandoned it. but you try carrying 20 20lb. crates to Ibiza only to find the crates nicked when you get there!] So CD’s are what I spin. 

Mixer: Now, I’m really fussy about this shit. It HAS to be a Pioneer-800 for me.  I don’t care what anyone else says, it’s the best. For me the effects, are stellar. The Pioneer-600 sounded a little too woody and muffled, if you like, often there were feedback problems. But the 800 is crystal clear. I love the fact that you can mix and blend effortlessly without too much tuning concerns due to the filter effect.

As I travel with a VJ, if you ever get the chance, check out Pioneer’s new SVM 1000. [pioneerdj.com] I went to the warehouse and they let me at it, needless to say I got a little excited and wet my pants. I feel visuals are very important to a DJ show, but let’s take it one step at a time… we’ll get into that a bit later.

Monitors: In my home studio I use the M-Audio BX5’s and the 10-inch sub that goes with it.[m-audio.com] I find they are incredibly accurate and really translate well to the dancefloor. I also use a pair of NS-10’s which help me with what I call the “car radio mix test.” In other words, if it sounds good in my car, it sounds good anywhere. For my mains, when I’m writing and producing I just got a hold of a pair of VXT-8’s which have a MASSIVE sound. [krksys.com]

Headphones: I only ever use Sony-MDRV700DJ’s. They’re solid. And I haven’t gone deaf yet. [sonystyle.com]

Of course you don’t need these items exactly to start with as I realize we’re all on our own budgets, however, you’ll only need it once and you get what you pay for. In the long run you’ll pay more to replace things if you’re buying shit equipment. Trust me, been there, done that. 

So, if there’s anybody out there that still thinks that female DJs can’t keep up with the guys, DJ Rap has a message for you:

DJ Rap Releases:

• Intelligence (1995)
• Journeys Through the Land of Drum N Bass (1995)
• Learning Curve (1999)
• Propa Talent Classics, Volume 1 (2001)
• Touching Bass (2003)
• Bulletproof (2005)
• Up All Night (2006)
• A Propa History, Volume 1 (2008)
• Synthesis (2008)

It’s been awhile since we highlighted any Chicks That Mix.

There’s probably no better way to remedy that situation than drawing your attention to Little Boots‘ Victoria Hesketh.

Hesketh is the former lead singer with Dead Disco, and now she does her own electronic dance music as Little Boots.

“Little Boots is just me, Victoria,” says Hesketh. “Well, it’s the name for my music project. I write and play stuff and sing and DJ and remix and do covers…Whatever I can get my hands on really!”

And she does analog:

There’s a fully produced mix of this on her MySpace page, but this solo version has its own charms.

Check out her Moroder-esque single, Stuck On Repeat, below. You can also sign up for a free mixtape from Little Boots at her site.

Last year, we asked the question “Is Colleen Shannon The World’s Sexiest DJ?”

Colleen Shannon’s website proudly proclaims that she is the world’s sexiest DJ.

At the time, we noted that, while Colleen Shannon obviously has sexy down, “she’s got some stiff competition for the title of world’s sexiest DJ from women with clearly evident DJ skills.”

When we checked around the Web for a Colleen Shannon DJ mix, we came up empty handed.

Since then, Shannon’s updated her site and she contacted us to let us know that she’s got some free DJ mixes up now at her site. You can preview or download her Casa Caliènte (MP3):

Let me know what you think – does this back up Shannon’s claim to being the world’s sexiest DJ?

More on DJ Colleen Shannon after the break.

Colleen Shannon’s Official Bio

Playboy Magazine’s 50th Anniversary Playmate – Colleen Shannon – ” The World’s sexiest DJ” has been popping up all over the place these day’s, starring in major motion pictures, television, magazine covers, major print modeling campaigns, and DJing the biggest superclubs, venues, and events all over the world.

In addition to prominent roles in the motion pictures “Sci-Fighter” and “Miss Castaway”, Colleen is the female lead in the upcoming theatrical release “The Passing”, which also stars Paul Gleason (Van Wilder, Not Another Teen Movie, Die Hard). Colleen has also just completed her role as a DJ in the new Shannyn Sossamon (40 Days and 40 Nights, Rules Of Attraction, The Order, A Knights Tale), Gary Busey, Michael Madsen motion picture “Chasing Ghosts”. Her next role will be in the Film “The Gene Generation”, being produced by Dean Devlin (Independence Day, The Patriot), and Kim Winther (The Day After Tomorrow, Daredevil, We Were Soldiers, Freddy got Fingered), and directed by two time New York Film Festival winner Pearry Teo. And in very hush hush news Colleen has been tapped to play a featured role in a new major motion picture based on a 80’s-90’s hit television series. More on this to come.

In the way of television, Colleen has wrapped shooting her role in superproducer Barry Josephson’s (”Like Mike”, Tom Hank’s “The Lady Killers”, “Hide and Seek”, Wild Wild West) new TV project “FCR”. Colleen has also been hosting several shows such as the Showtime Network’s new series “VIP Access”, and “The Red Carpet”, interviewing some of the biggest stars in the world, and will be hosting several episodes of “Wild On E!”. She has also been appearing on numerous television shows ranging from ABC, MTV and FOX, through ESPN, HBO, and the Style networks, and has shot several shows for Much Music in Canada, as well as many music shows in Mexico.

Over in the UK she has become a hit sensation due to her staring role on the hit television show “Love Island”. She has also been appearing on and will continue to make appearances on dozens of TV series in the UK. She has just started shooting her roll as the new host of the brand new network series “VIP Passport”. She can also be seen as the lead in several TV commercial campaigns ranging from AT&T to Bacardi, and music videos from Dido to Smashmouth.

There is big modeling news as well. Since being named Playboy Magazine’s 50th Anniversary Playmate, a lot has been happening.

Colleen has just signed with the prestigious European Premiere Modeling Agency who also represents super models such as Naomi Campbell and Vendela, as well as movie star/celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Kate Hudson, Lucy Liu, Kelly Brooke, Nikki Hilton, and many, many others, and Identity One PR for PR in the UK. She will be releasing a 2007 and 2008 worldwide distributed calendar and poster with the same company that produces calendars for sexy stars such as Tera Patrick, and musical giants such as Bob Marley. She has shot a 6 page feature for Maxim, and will be featured on the magazine’s cover insert, and she will be the featured model on the cover of Maxim’s “Behind the Scenes” DVD that will be releasing attached to the issues cover. She has just been featured in Zoo Magazine’s (FHM’s sister mag in the UK) 100 Sexiest Women in the World pictorial along with superstars such as Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, Pam Anderson, and Carmen Electra. Colleen actually debuted in the top 20 along with stars such as Halle Berry and Christina Aguilera! Add to that full features in several international mags such as “Loaded” Magazine “OK” Magazine, “Playboy”, and “FHM”, and many covers including “SuperStreet” (making history as the first female ever to grace the magazine’s cover), “IN”, Canada’s “MUM”, and a major event’s deal with Mac Cosmetics, and it safe to say that you will see her gorgeous face and physique just about everywhere you look.

And as if that all wasn’t enough, Playboy will even be releasing a Colleen Shannon, stand alone, International Special Edition magazine, to be followed by an International tour early next year!!! On the musical side of things, there is a lot going on. Having become known as “The World’s Sexiest DJ”, Colleen has been receiving features in some of the music industries top magazines, including “XXL”, and “Music Connection” just to name a few. She has headlined with Sting in Atlantic City, Snoop Dogg in Vegas, Fat Joe in Trinidad, and Lloyd Banks in Barbados among others, and has shared the stage with some of the biggest DJ’s in the industry including: The Crystal Method, Paul Oakenfold, DJ Rap, Donald Glaude, Funk Master Flex, Jazzy Jeff, Beej, Bad Boy Bill, and many, many others.

She has become the industries foremost female celebrity DJ, headlining events coast to coast ranging from the Beverly Hills star studded gala launch of the new fashion line by top designer Joyann with DJ AM covered by every one from Entertainment Tonight, to Access Hollywood, to star studded events thrown by entertainment giants such as Warner Bros. Colleen was the headline DJ at this years Pamela Anderson hosted Mac Cosmetics Fashion Week launch party in New York.

Speaking of DJ AM, Colleen has just joined AM, Mark Ronson, Samantha Ronson, and GrandMaster Flash, as the newest resident DJ at the #1 rated celebrity hot spot in the US, Las Vegas’s Pure Night Club. Colleen was the focus of several entire episodes of the new Spike TV series “The Club”. This show goes behind the scenes of club life. Colleen was the focus of the “DJ episode” in which the cameras followed her from the moment in which she got off the plane in the morning, until she performed at the Vegas superclub “ICE” that night. During the episode, 15 of the worlds best DJ’s were flown in to participate in a DJ battle/contest. Colleen judged the contest for world famous producer/DJ Paul Oakenfold and chose the three finalist. Colleen then returned to the show to introduce the finalists to Paul Oakenfold, and she and Paul judged the finals together. The cameras followed Colleen and Paul as they talked business deals, hung out at the club and judged the finals. The winner of the contest opened up for Paul and Sandra Collins at the club in a later episode.

The newest major development is that Colleen has just accomplished something that no other female DJ in history has ever done before. She has just inked a deal with top Performance DJ cartridge and needle/stylus manufacturer ORTOFON to release her very own signature cartridge. To date only a couple of the industries biggest superstar male DJ’s have ever had this honor.

Last year, Ortofon (who reps legendary DJ’s such as Grandmaster Flash, and is the official and only cartridge used yearly during the prestigious DMC DJ World Championships) released the “Q” signature cartridge designed and endorsed by Iconic World Champion DJ and turntablist DJ Q-bert. This year Ortofon will unveil the “CS” co-designed and endorsed by Colleen. The set will feature Colleen on the box, and a special surprise inside. In addition, ortofon plans an extensive marketing campaign that will include an international tour, major print campaign, TV spots, and cross promotions with some of their other superstars including Q-bert. The deal is even more impressive when you note that her deal with Ortofon is exclusive, meaning that Colleen and her DGI Artist labelmate/touring partner Tamara Sky will be the only North American based female DJ’s to be given endorsement deals by Ortofon for some time to come. They will also be the only female DJ’s to be repped by ortofon on a world wide level!!!

At this years Winter Music Conference in Miami, Colleen was seen everywhere (literally). Her new deal with Mackie meant that her image and name (along with DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill on the other side) was used in all it’s glory on no less than 100 taxis which ran up and down the city for the duration of the conference and beyond. Billboards and posters of Colleen representing the brand were also all over the city, and on the backdrop of the stage during the International Dance Music Awards, where Colleen presented along with other lady DJ’s of note including Kelly Rowland (Destiny’s Child), Rhiannon, Sandra Collins and DJ Rap. In addition to shooting her new roll as the host and DJ of the brand new network series “VIP Passport”, Colleen is currently working on the title track to two motion pictures with her producing partner “Poet Name Life” (Black Eyed Peas, Fergie’s solo album, Justin Timberlake, Travis Barker/Blink-182, Will.i.am., Mya, David Foster), and is in the middle of negotiating her first major record deal with one of the industries biggest labels. Her 1st album, which features superstars like Will.i.am (of Black Eyed Peas), Seth AKA Shifty Capone (Crazytown), Bad Boy Bill, Donald Glaude, and many others soon to be announced. Colleen was also a headline performer along with many major recording artist’s and DJ’s at this years ESPN X-Games. Colleen recently presented an award along with the Crystal Method, world famous producers Don Was (Rolling Stones), and JJP (No Doubt) at the DTS Surround Sound Awards, honoring such artists as Beck, BT, Elton John, and Herbie Hancock. Colleen has just returned from the UK where she played 7 of the hottest clubs in London including a performance at China White attended by many celebs including Janet Jackson and Jermaine Duprie, and several venues in Ireland. The press was enormous. She will even be presenting an award at one of the UK’s biggest and most prestigious award ceremonies, the MOBO Awards which will feature performances by Beyonce and Justin Timberlake.

You’ll be able to see her spin at DJ dates throughout the new Year that include Japan, Australia, Germany, Spain, Paris, London, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Sweden, Puerto Rico, Europe, Switzerland, Indonesia, Ireland, Ibiza, Mexico, South Africa, as well as the US. Exclusively managed worldwide by DGI Artist Management, who has enlisted many of the world’s top agencies, including Chaotica (Paul Okenfold, The Chemical Bros, Prodigy, Roger Sanchez, Dirty Vegas, Sandra Collins, Perry Farrell, Adam Freeland) out of the US, Concorde (The Prodigy, Above and Beyond, Girls Aloud) out of the UK, and Brad Entertainment (Armin Van Buren, Beyonce, Usher, Pink, Benny Banassi, Darude, Mark Oliver, Warp Bros, BK, BT, Remy, Tommy Lee, Funk Master Flex, DJ Whoo Kid, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Pink, 50 Cent, Method and Red, Chingy, D12, Outkast, Fat Joe, Twista, Kanye West, Ludacris, Black Eyed Peas, Ja Rule, P Diddy, Ciara, Lou Bega) out of Canada, Colleen looks to be going places where none of her peers have gone before.

All this, and it’s been less than 2 years. Can you imagine the possibilities.

Liz McLean Knight, aka Liz Revision, describes herself as “a multi-websited busybody, experimental electronic musician, and jewelry designer, with a love of all things technologically innovative and geek-chic.”

We found her site while checking out some dj-geek wear and were impressed. Knight’s got one of the coolest portfolios of projects that we’ve seen:

• Produces experimental / ambient electronic music as Quantazelle
• Founder and manager of subVariant Recordings
• Designer and owner of Zelle, a design company featuring jewelry and accessories, right, created from computer and electronic components.
• Manager of Fractalspin.com, an online store selling Zelle accessories, subVariant music, and other fashionably-geek gear. Check out their “Your beats are weak” shirts, and their electronic musician gear.
• Designer of the Electronic Musicians’ Emergency Adapters, an all-encompassing kit of adapters intended specifically for laptop-based and other electronic musicians. Looks like it would be a great idea to throw one of these in the back of your car, in case you show up at a gig without a crucial connector missing.
• Founder and editor-in-chief of Modsquare.com, which she calls “Chicago’s premiere online resource for experimental electronic music / IDM (intelligent dance music).” Unfortunately, their site got hacked – hopefully it will be back up soon.

In other words, if there’s something cool related to electronic music, she’s probably doing it.

You can get a taste of Liz Revision’s mixes below. She’s got more DJ mix MP3’s at her site, and you can also check out her podcast.

The latest in our series of Chicks That Mix is Viktoria Rebeka Kokalj, aka DJ Viktoria Rebeka. Originally from Croatia, Viktoria Rebeka is known for mixing house tracks, ranging from progressive house to electro-house.

She’s worked around the world, including Austria, Vienna, The Netherlands, Barcelona & Slovenia.

You can get a taste of Viktoria Rebeka’s work with the DJ mix below, or find out more about her at the Underground Connections site.

Colleen Shannon’s website proudly proclaims that she is the world’s sexiest DJ.

She’s probably got as much right as anybody to make the claim. Shannon was chosen to be Playboy’s 50th Anniversary Playmate, she’s very active as a model, she’s appeared in music videos and she has had roles in several motion pictures.

She also happens to look pretty good in a belt buckle.

But, while Colleen Shannon’s got obvious hottie cred, she’s got some stiff competition for the title of world’s sexiest DJ from women with clearly evident DJ skills.

Shannon does have a deal with DJ manufacturer Orotofon to release a signature “CS” cartridge, but it’s hard to find any examples of her work as a DJ. When we checked around the Web for a Colleen Shannon DJ mix, we came up empty handed.

As a result, Shannon may have locked in a top spot in the topless DJ category, but the jury’s still out on whether she qualifies as one of the chicks that mix.

And that means that the title of world’s sexiest DJ is still wide open.

Here’s what we could find for Shannon:

The latest DJ in our series of Chicks that Mix is producer, model and actress DJ Loli.

Loli has multiple intersecting careers, including acting in television and films, music and film production, modeling and DJing.

You can get a taste of Loli’s electro style with her free DJ mix, below, from Voodoo Radio.

Loli was born in the Ukraine, in the city Kiev. After she graduated from high school, she moved to England to study psychology and film history at Oxford Brookes University in the city of Oxford. There she pursued a year of university, after which she transferred herself into the London Institute of film Art in London.

Her career as a DJ started in a night club in Oxford called The Bridge, where she came up to the DJ, amazed with how bad the music was, and asked him what was the deal with that. He told her to get her CD’s and demonstrate “whats good”.The next week, she came back with a set of her music and soon she was on the decks.

In 4 years spent in London, she pursued her modeling, DJing, and hosting careers, appeared on several TV shows and gaining some notoreity. While her career seemed to be going well, she missed the sun and warm weather.

She moved to LA, was soon offered a residency at the Avalon night club in LA and has been touring the United States since. Recently, she’s performed in England, Israel, Australia, Ukraine, Russia, Brazil, Portugal and Japan. She’s working on her first CD.

DJ/producer Reid Speed began career in the New York City drum & bass underground in the nineties, when it was still a bit of a novelty for a woman to be DJing. She quickly built a reputation, though, in the word of drum and bass.

Since then, she’s toured the world spinning drum and bass, speed garage and 2-step, she’s released several mix CDs and been the house DJ for the Jamie Kennedy Experiment television show.

Check out her Filthy Nasty Breaks mix below for a taste of her work. She’s also got a collection of free MP3s at her site to introduce you to her work, including DJ mixes and original productions.

She bought turntables in early 1996, and began playing out less than a year later. By the summer of ‘97 she was a resident of rave promoters Stuck on Earth and the following year a member of the Direct Drive crew. At their numerous events she cut her teeth playing alongside some of the biggest & the best in the business.

At the same time Reid was serving as her college radio station’s RPM director and also working at drum & bass store Breakbeat Science. Capitalizing on their large and widespread customer base, her demos soon spread across the country, which led to her travelling to many new cities around the US and Puerto Rico, as well as Ireland, Canada, and Mexico.

She visited England that summer and developed a love for Speed Garage, which inspired her to throw her own events, pushing the music she had grown to love. This movement morphed into a love for many other genres from 2 step to nu skool breaks to house and beyond.

In 1998 she distributed her first speed garage/2 step/house tape and in 2000, Reid, DB and 4.0 Marketing came together to do a successful series of 2 step events, including the first 2 step showcase at the 2000 Winter Music Conference.

Reid had also begun working on original production, releasing “SIMPLOT” with FS on Jungle Sky, and assisting Datcyde with a remix of NYC jungle anthem “Naughty Ride” featuring MC Blaise, which was released on Taciturn.

In 2001, after thirteen self released mix tapes and one animated short movie for Showtime’s Shonext channel, her debut mix CD Resonance was released by Breakbeat Science. In support of the release, a 40 date tour sponsored by Mixer magazine introduced her sound to an even wider audience. After wrapping that tour, Reid came home to NYC only to do another tour, this time with Madhattan breakbeat kings Ming & FS. They did 28 dates in 30 days across America in an RV. Warming the crowd up for an average of 3 hours a night, Reid developed her signature genre-busting style for the increasingly larger audiences.

After that month on the bus Reid was primed for a massive change. She decided to move to Los Angeles. She started Rude Sound, a party showcasing 2 step and nu skool breaks. In the summer of 2003, Breakbeat Science came calling for their second mix, entitled Life After Dark . Inspired by 9/11 and the decline of the NYC scene (no thanks to Mr Giuliani, Mr Bloomberg, or the darkness pervading the drum & bass scene at the time).

During that summer, Reid also recieved a call from a TV show looking for a special DJ to provide on-air flavor to the show. After competing against hundreds of male scratch/hip hop DJs, Reid was chosen by Jamie Kennedy to play drum & bass for one season on his show, the Jamie Kennedy Experiment which aired on the WB network. She went on to appear as the DJ in an episode of Spike TV’s MDN.

After completing the tour for Life After Dark in late 2004, Ms Speed got back to business with production of original tracks. Her & Sense’s track Bring it Up was recently featured on Richard Vission/ Swedish Egil’s Power Tools.

Images: DogsOnAcid, Maven of Mekka

The latest DJ in our series of Chicks that Mix is 23-year-old Montreal native Vivie-Ann.

Vivie-Ann says her sets cover everything house with a hint of ping or pong – anything that makes hands fly in the air. When asked to describe her sound, Vivie-Ann says it’s “bump in the night with a little dynamite,” adding that her sets could also be called “morally immoral.”

A six-year student of conservatory piano and a graduate of McGill University’s computer science program, she currently holds residencies at Palladium in Acapulco, Hulala in Rome Mokai in Miami, and last year in Ibiza @ Penelope.

Vivie-Ann released her first major remix release in 2006, an amped-up version of Kobbe & Austin Leed’s Bodyshaker. Vivie-Ann is now concentrating on production with her partner, DJ Kevin Barnett for their DJ collective, 02music, and the launch of their new DJ-inclined clothing line, ADD (Addicted DJ Designs).

You can preview Vivie-Ann’s work below, or download free MP3 mixes at her management site.

Dj Anastasia was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1985. Since she was a child, she has loved music, dancing, playing piano and guitar.

When she was 16, Anastasia fell in love with electronic music and made her first attempts to mix vinyl.

Since then, DJ Anastasia has played with Felix da Housecat; DJ Diamond, Dj Dan, Deep Dish, Tiest and others.

Anastasia DJs regularly in clubs in the Ukraine. She also had played clubs in Milan, Madrid Allegoria, Zenith, Athens Venue, island Miconos Space (Greece), Georgia FTV and Night Office, Moscow and Ibiza Privilege.

You can get a taste of DJ Anastasia with her house music dj mix, below.

Amber Nixon is a San Francisco-based techno and tech-house DJ and producer with a taste for driving beats and aggressively risky mixing.

Aggressive and risky is good.

Her unique approach to mixing is featured on her three CD releases, Live with Friends and Family (2004), Gold (2002), and CityDweller (2001), and her latest track, Your Love, is featured on the CD Altered Evidence (2004).

In 2003, Amber co-founded NorCal DJ and Music Production Academy in San Francisco, where she develops and instructs DJ courses. She is also a recurring guest lecturer for the UCLA Graduate School of Musicology course on The History of Electronic Music.

Amber is a resident with the San Francisco branch of Sister USA, a cross-genre, all-female DJ collective. Amber and her projects have been featured in Remix Magazine (US), XLR8R (US), Etc. Magazine (US), Karma Magazine (US), Szene (Germany), the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine and numerous online publications.

You can preview Amber’s aggressive and risky mixing style with her grinding, feverish acid trance mix, CityDweller. Amber’s got more mix MP3s at her site, along with her performance schedule.

Misstress Barbara, a DJ best known for her love of hard beats, was born in Sicily in 1975. She moved to Montreal at age 8, where she has lived ever since.

When she first began performing, she described her main style as Drummy Funky Pumpin’ Techno. Her most important musical influences came from jazz and the grooves of Latin music. Regardless of the influences, her hard beats have always been the driving force in her sets.

These days, she is playing a techy, minimal and electro-funk sound. As she puts it, she still has love for techno, but she also wants to play new sounds and rhythms from a multitude of different genres.

You can preview one of Misstress Barbara’s mixes below, and check out her site for more free mixes and information about her and her work.

Misstress Barbara DJ Profile

She holds a degree in Communication Studies, specialized in Film, and obtained a license to fly gliders and Cessna airplanes at age 16. Her creative involvement with music began when she picked up the drums at age 12 and started playing in bands. For the next seven years she was into classic rock, punk music, and all the hard music of the time.

In 1994 her musical interests shifted to electronic music. While attending numerous events, she fell in love with watching DJs work. A year later she traded in her drum kit for two turntables and a mixer.

In the spring of 1996, she got her first booking and hasn’t looked back since; playing all the major cities from North to South America, Europe and Asia along with Australia.

Misstress Barbara has played alongside the most respected artists such as Bjork, Prodigy, Carl Cox, Richie Hawtin, Masters at Work, Tiesto, Sven Vaeth and many others. Her various musical tastes have led her to play many important clubs worldwide like Twilo, Crobar (NYC, USA), Velvet Underground, The End (London, UK), The Womb (Tokyo, Japan), Fuse (Brussels, Belgium), Stereo (Montreal, Canada), Florida 135 (Fraga, Spain), Loft (Barcelona, Spain), Zouk (Singapore), Rex (Paris, France), Aloca and Lov.E (Sao Paulo, Brazil). She is also a resident at the Ibiza Meganite Events at club Privilege, alongside Mauro Picotto.

She has also played many big events like SONAR (Spain), AWAKENINGS (Holland), I LOVE TECHNO (Belgium), MONEGROS (Spain), and one of her highlights from the beginnings of her DJ career was playing at “Fashion Cares” in Toronto; a 5000 people AIDS-Benefit fashion show party, hosted by K.D. Lang and Rupaul.

Barbara began buying studio equipment shortly after the beginning of her DJ career and spent the next twelve months familiarizing herself with the equipment and working on original tracks without really finishing them. The real work started once she finished university and dedicated herself full time to a solid studio work.She created her techno label Relentless Music in 1999, which name had to be changed in the beginning of 2003 to avoid legal issues with another company holding the same name in the UK. This is when she created ITURNEM.

Barbara has a weakness for House Music and for that, she created the alias name of Barbara Brown, to produce and play House Music without confusing her fans and the people who buy her Techno tunes. Now when she reflects on this difference in identity, she wishes that instead of creating an alias to play different styles of music to lessen the confusion of her fans, it might have been a better choice to remain always as Misstress Barbara, and just be known for playing good music of all genres. It is a given that she built her career on Techno, but as all people do, she evolved and wanted to open her record box to all genres of fantastic music, stepping outside the techno sound she is branded for.

As a producer, Barbara has released records on some of the most respected labels on the planet, like Border Community, Bedrock and Intec to name a few, and she also had a few of her tracks licensed for films and videogames. In 2002, her track Never Could Have Your Heart was been licensed for the Play Station 2 videogame Midnight Club II, she also has had her track ?Crash and Burn? licensed to the film ?Saved By The Belles? and ?Effett Karma? licensed to Montreal film ?Pure? that is being presented at Cannes.

She plans on doing more music for all forms of media and focusing on more cross-over oriented projects in the future, to advance her career as a producer.

Source: Misstress Barbara (remember the 4 s’s!)

Electronica acts Goldfrapp (right) & Depeche Mode lost out to Justin Timberlake for Best Dance Recording. Best Electronic/Dance Album went to Madonna for Confessions on a Dance Floor, over Goldfrapp, Paul Oakenfold, Pet Shop Boys and Zero 7. Even the Remix category was weak.

When the Grammies added an electronica category a couple of years ago, we had higher hopes than this.

Complete list of winners below:

For recordings released during the Eligibility Year
October 1, 2005 through September 30, 2006

General Field

Category 1

Record Of The Year
(Award to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s), if other than the artist.)

* Be Without You
Mary J. Blige
Bryan-Michael Cox & Ron Fair producers; Danny Cheung, Tal Herzberg, Dave “Hard-Drive” Pensado & Allen Sides, engineers/mixers
Track from: The Breakthrough
[Geffen Records]

* You’re Beautiful
James Blunt
Tom Rothrock, producer; Tom Rothrock & Mike Tarantino, engineers/mixers
Track from: Back To Bedlam
[Custard/Atlantic]

* Not Ready To Make Nice
Dixie Chicks
Rick Rubin, producer; Richard Dodd, Jim Scott & Chris Testa, engineers/mixers
Track from: Taking The Long Way
[Open Wide/Columbia]

* Crazy
Gnarls Barkley
Danger Mouse, producer; Ben H. Allen, Danger Mouse & Kennie Takahashi, engineers/mixers
Track from: St. Elsewhere
[Downtown/Atlantic]

* Put Your Records On
Corinne Bailey Rae
Steve Chrisanthou, producer; Steve Chrisanthou & Jeremy Wheatley, engineers/mixers
Track from: Corinne Bailey Rae
[Capitol]

Category 2

Album Of The Year
(Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s)/Mixer(s) & Mastering Engineer(s), if other than the artist.)

* Taking The Long Way
Dixie Chicks
Rick Rubin, producer; Richard Dodd, Jim Scott & Chris Testa, engineers/mixers; Richard Dodd, mastering engineer
[Open Wide/Columbia]

* St. Elsewhere
Gnarls Barkley
Danger Mouse, producer; Ben H. Allen, Danger Mouse & Kennie Takahashi, engineers/mixers; Mike Lazer, mastering engineer
[Downtown/Atlantic]

* Continuum
John Mayer
Steve Jordan & John Mayer, producers; John Alagia, Michael Brauer, Joe Ferla, Chad Franscoviak, Manny Marroquin & Dave O’Donnell, engineers/mixers; Greg Calbi, mastering engineer
[Aware/Columbia]

* Stadium Arcadium
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rick Rubin, producer; Ryan Hewitt, Mark Linett & Andrew Scheps, engineers/mixers; Vlado Meller, mastering engineer
[Warner Bros.]

* FutureSex/LoveSounds
Justin Timberlake
Nate (Danja) Hills, Jawbreakers, Rick Rubin, Timbaland & Justin Timberlake, producers; Jimmy Douglass, Serban Ghenea, Padraic Kerin, Jason Lader, Andrew Scheps, Timbaland & Ethan Willoughby, engineers/mixers; Herb Powers, Jr., mastering engineer
[Jive Records/Zomba Label Group]

Category 3

Song Of The Year
(A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parenthesis.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Be Without You
Johnta Austin, Mary J. Blige, Bryan-Michael Cox & Jason Perry, songwriters (Mary J. Blige)
Track from: The Breakthrough
[Geffen Records; Publishers: Chrysalis Music, Mary J. Blige Music, Naked Under My Clothes Music, Universal Music Corp., Babyboy's Little Publishing, Jason's Lyrics, Noontime South, Reach Global Tunes, WB Music.]

* Jesus, Take The Wheel
Brett James, Hillary Lindsey & Gordie Sampson, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
Track from: Some Hearts
[Arista/Arista Nashville/19; Publishers: Dimensional Music of 1091/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, Raylene Music/BPJ Administration, No Such Music, Passing Stranger Music/1609 Songs/Music of Windswept.]

* Not Ready To Make Nice
Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison & Dan Wilson, songwriters (Dixie Chicks)
Track from: Taking The Long Way
[Open Wide/Columbia; Publishers: Scrapin' Toast Music, Woolly Puddin' Music, Chrysalis Music, Sugar Lake Music.]

* Put Your Records On
John Beck, Steve Chrisanthou & Corinne Bailey Rae, songwriters (Corinne Bailey Rae)
Track from: Corinne Bailey Rae
[Capitol; Publisher: Global Talent Publishing.]

* You’re Beautiful
James Blunt, Amanda Ghost & Sacha Skarbek, songwriters (James Blunt)
Track from: Back To Bedlam
[Custard/Atlantic; Publishers: EMI Blackwood Music, David Platz Music.]

Category 4

Best New Artist
(For a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist.)

* James Blunt

* Chris Brown

* Imogen Heap

* Corinne Bailey Rae

* Carrie Underwood

Field 1 — Pop

Category 5

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Ain’t No Other Man
Christina Aguilera
Track from: Back To Basics
[RCA Records]

* Unwritten
Natasha Bedingfield
Track from: Unwritten
[Epic/Phonogenic]

* You Can Close Your Eyes
Sheryl Crow
Track from: Sheryl Crow Artist’s Choice Deluxe Edition
[Hear Music/Universal Music]

* Stupid Girls
Pink
Track from: I’m Not Dead
[LaFace/Zomba Label Group]

* Black Horse And The Cherry Tree
KT Tunstall
[Relentless/Virgin]

Category 6

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* You’re Beautiful
James Blunt
Track from: Back To Bedlam
[Custard/Atlantic]

* Save Room
John Legend
Track from: Once Again
[Columbia/GOOD/Sony Urban]

* Waiting On The World To Change
John Mayer
Track from: Continuum
[Aware/Columbia]

* Jenny Wren
Paul McCartney
Track from: Chaos And Creation In The Backyard
[Capitol]

* Bad Day
Daniel Powter
Track from: Daniel Powter
[Warner Bros.]

Category 7

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal
(For established duos or groups, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* My Humps
The Black Eyed Peas
Track from: Monkey Business
[A&M Records]

* I Will Follow You Into The Dark
Death Cab For Cutie
Track from: Plans
[Atlantic Records]

* Over My Head (Cable Car)
The Fray
Track from: How To Save A Life
[Epic]

* Is It Any Wonder?
Keane
Track from: Under The Iron Sea
[Interscope Records]

* Stickwitu
The Pussycat Dolls
Track from: PCD
[A&M Records]

Category 8

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
(For a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)

* For Once In My Life
Tony Bennett & Stevie Wonder
Track from: Duets: An American Classic
[RPM Records/Columbia]

* One
Mary J. Blige & U2
Track from: The Breakthrough
[Geffen/Matriarch Records]

* Always On Your Side
Sheryl Crow & Sting
Track from: Wildflower
[A&M Records]

* Promiscuous
Nelly Furtado & Timbaland
Track from: Loose
[Geffen/Mosley Music Group]

* Hips Don’t Lie
Shakira & Wyclef Jean
Track from: Oral Fixation Vol. 2
[Epic]

Category 9

Best Pop Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Mornin’
George Benson (& Al Jarreau)
Track from: Givin’ It Up
[Concord Records/Monster Music]

* Drifting
Enya
Track from: Amarantine
[Reprise]

* Subterfuge
Béla Fleck & The Flecktones
Track from: The Hidden Land
[Columbia/Legacy]

* Song H
Bruce Hornsby
Track from: Intersections: 1985 – 2005
[RCA Legacy]

* My Favorite Things
The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Track from: Dig That Crazy Christmas
[Surfdog Records]

Category 10

Best Pop Instrumental Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

* New Beginnings
Gerald Albright
[Peak Records]

* Fire Wire
Larry Carlton
[Bluebird/RCA Victor]

* X
Fourplay
[Bluebird/RCA Victor]

* Fingerprints
Peter Frampton
[A&M Records/New Door Records]

* Wrapped In A Dream
Spyro Gyra
[Heads Up International]

Category 11

Best Pop Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Back To Basics
Christina Aguilera
[RCA Records]

* Back To Bedlam
James Blunt
[Custard/Atlantic]

* The River In Reverse
Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint
[Verve Forecast]

* Continuum
John Mayer
[Aware/Columbia]

* FutureSex/LoveSounds
Justin Timberlake
[Jive Records/Zomba Label Group]

Field 2 — Dance

Category 12

Best Dance Recording
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances. Vocal or Instrumental. Singles or tracks only.)

* Suffer Well
Depeche Mode
Ben Hillier, producer; Steve Fitzmaurice & Ben Hillier, mixers
Track from: Playing The Angel
[Sire/Reprise/Mute]

* Ooh La La
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp, producers; Mark “Spike” Stent, mixer
Track from: Supernature
[Mute]

* Get Together
Madonna
Madonna & Stuart Price, producers; Mark “Spike” Stent, mixer
Track from: Confessions On A Dance Floor
[Warner Bros.]

* I’m With Stupid
Pet Shop Boys
Trevor Horn, producer; Robert Orton, mixer
Track from: Fundamental
[Rhino Entertainment]

* Sexy Back
Justin Timberlake & Timbaland
Nate (Danja) Hills, Timbaland & Justin Timberlake, producers; Jimmy Douglass, mixer
[Jive Records/Zomba Label Group]

Category 13

Best Electronic/Dance Album
(For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.)

* Supernature
Goldfrapp
[Mute]

* Confessions On A Dance Floor
Madonna
[Warner Bros.]

* A Lively Mind
Oakenfold
[Maverick]

* Fundamental
Pet Shop Boys
[Rhino Entertainment]

* The Garden
Zero 7
[Atlantic]

Field 3 — Traditional Pop

Category 14

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Duets: An American Classic
Tony Bennett
[RPM Records/Columbia]

* Caught In The Act
Michael Bublé
[143-Reprise]

* Wintersong
Sarah McLachlan
[Arista Records/Nettwerk]

* Bette Midler Sings The Peggy Lee Songbook
Bette Midler
[Columbia]

* Timeless Love
Smokey Robinson
[New Door Records]

Field 4 — Rock

Category 15

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Nausea
Beck
[Interscope Records]

* Someday Baby
Bob Dylan
Track from: Modern Times
[Columbia]

* Route 66
John Mayer
Track from: Cars — Soundtrack (Various Artists)
[Disney]

* Saving Grace
Tom Petty
Track from: Highway Companion
[American]

* Lookin’ For A Leader
Neil Young
Track from: Living With War
[Reprise]

Category 16

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal
(For duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Talk
Coldplay
Track from: X&Y
[Capitol]

* How To Save A Life
The Fray
Track from: How To Save A Life
[Epic]

* Steady, As She Goes
The Raconteurs
Track from: Broken Boy Soldiers
[V2/Third Man Records]

* Dani California
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Track from: Stadium Arcadium
[Warner Bros.]

* The Saints Are Coming
U2 & Green Day
[Interscope Records/Warner Bros.]

Category 17

Best Hard Rock Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Crazy B****
Buckcherry
[Eleven Seven Music]

* Every Day Is Exactly The Same
Nine Inch Nails
Track from: With Teeth
[nothing/Interscope Records]

* Lonely Day
System Of A Down
Track from: Hypnotize
[American/Columbia]

* Vicarious
Tool
Track from: 10,000 Days
[Volcano/Zomba Label Group]

* Woman
Wolfmother
Track from: Wolfmother
[Modular/Interscope Records]

Category 18

Best Metal Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Redneck
Lamb Of God
Track from: Sacrament
[Epic]

* Colony Of Birchmen
Mastodon
Track from: Blood Mountain
[Reprise/Relapse Records]

* Lies, Lies, Lies
Ministry
Track from: Rio Grande Blood
[13th Planet Records/Megaforce Records]

* Eyes Of The Insane
Slayer
Track from: Christ Illusion
[American]

* 30/30-150
Stone Sour
[Roadrunner Records]

Category 19

Best Rock Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Includes Rock, Hard Rock and Metal. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Chun Li’s Flying Bird Kick
Arctic Monkeys
[Domino Recording]

* The Wizard Turns On…
The Flaming Lips
Track from: At War With The Mystics
[Warner Bros.]

* Black Hole Sun
Peter Frampton
[A&M Records/New Door Records]

* Castellorizon
David Gilmour
Track from: On An Island
[Columbia]

* Super Colossal
Joe Satriani
Track from: Super Colossal
[Epic]

Category 20

Best Rock Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Rock, Hard Rock & Metal songs. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parenthesis.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Chasing Cars
Nathan Connolly, Gary Lightbody, Jonny Quinn, Tom Simpson & Paul Wilson, songwriters (Snow Patrol)
Track from: Eyes Open
[A&M Records; Publisher: Big Life Music.]

* Dani California
Flea, John Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis & Chad Smith, songwriters (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Track from: Stadium Arcadium
[Warner Bros.; Publisher: Moebetoblame Music.]

* Lookin’ For A Leader
Neil Young, songwriter (Neil Young)
Track from: Living With War
[Reprise; Publisher: Silver Fiddle Music.]

* Someday Baby
Bob Dylan, songwriter (Bob Dylan)
Track from: Modern Times
[Columbia; Publisher: Bob Dylan.]

* When You Were Young
Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer & Ronnie Vannucci, songwriters (The Killers)
[Island Records; Publisher: Universal-Polygram Int.]

Category 21

Best Rock Album
(Vocal or Instrumental. Includes Hard Rock and Metal.)

* Try!
John Mayer Trio
[Aware/Columbia]

* Highway Companion
Tom Petty
[American]

* Broken Boy Soldiers
The Raconteurs
[V2/Third Man Records]

* Stadium Arcadium
Red Hot Chili Peppers
[Warner Bros.]

* Living With War
Neil Young
[Reprise]

Field 5 — Alternative

Category 22

Best Alternative Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
Arctic Monkeys
[Domino Recording]

* At War With The Mystics
The Flaming Lips
[Warner Bros.]

* St. Elsewhere
Gnarls Barkley
[Downtown/Atlantic]

* Show Your Bones
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
[Interscope Records]

* The Eraser
Thom Yorke
[XL Recordings]

Field 6 — R&B

Category 23

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Ring The Alarm
Beyoncé
Track from: B’Day
[Sony Urban Music/Columbia]

* Be Without You
Mary J. Blige
Track from: The Breakthrough
[Geffen Records]

* Don’t Forget About Us
Mariah Carey
Track from: The Emancipation Of Mimi (Ultra Platinum Edition)
[Island Records]

* Day Dreaming
Natalie Cole
Track from: Leavin’
[Verve Records]

* I Am Not My Hair
India.Arie
Track from: Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
[Motown Records]

Category 24

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Heaven
John Legend
Track from: Once Again
[Columbia/GOOD/Sony Urban Music]

* So Sick
Ne-Yo
Track from: In My Own Words
[Def Jam Recordings]

* Black Sweat
Prince
Track from: 3121
[Universal Records]

* I Call It Love
Lionel Richie
Track from: Coming Home
[Island Def Jam Recordings]

* Got You Home
Luther Vandross
[J Records/Epic/Legacy Recordings]

Category 25

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Breezin’
George Benson & Al Jarreau
Track from: Givin’ It Up
[Concord Records/Monster Music]

* Love Changes
Jamie Foxx Featuring Mary J. Blige
Track from: Unpredictable
[J Records]

* Everyday (Family Reunion)
Chaka Khan, Gerald Levert, Yolanda Adams & Carl Thomas
Track from: Madea’s Family Reunion — Music From The Motion Picture
[Motown Records]

* Family Affair
(Sly & The Family Stone), John Legend, Joss Stone With Van Hunt
Track from: Different Strokes By Different Folks
[Epic/Legacy Recordings]

* Beautiful, Loved And Blessed
Prince & Támar
Track from: 3121
[Universal Records]

Category 26

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Christmas Time Is Here
Anita Baker
Track from: Christmas Fantasy
[Blue Note Records]

* God Bless The Child
George Benson & Al Jarreau Featuring Jill Scott
Track from: Givin’ It Up
[Concord Records/Monster Music]

* I Found My Everything
Mary J. Blige Featuring Raphael Saadiq
Track from: The Breakthrough
[Geffen Records]

* You Are So Beautiful
Sam Moore Featuring Billy Preston, Zucchero, Eric Clapton & Robert Randolph
Track from: Overnight Sensational
[Rhino Entertainment]

* How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
The Temptations
Track from: Reflections
[New Door Records]

Category 27

Best Urban/Alternative Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Crazy
Gnarls Barkley
Track from: St. Elsewhere
[Downtown/Atlantic]

* That Heat
Segio Mendes Featuring Erykah Badu & Will.i.am
Track from: Timeless
[Concord Records/Hear Music]

* Mas Que Nada
Sergio Mendes Featuring The Black Eyed Peas
Track from: Timeless
[Concord Records/Hear Music/Will.i.am music]

* Idlewild Blue (Don’t Chu Worry ‘Bout Me)
Outkast
Track from: Idlewild
[La Face Records/Zomba Label Group]

* 3121
Prince
Track from: 3121
[Universal Records]

Category 28

Best R&B Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parenthesis.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Be Without You
Johnta Austin, Mary J. Blige, Bryan-Michael Cox & Jason Perry, songwriters (Mary J. Blige)
Track from: The Breakthrough
[Geffen Records; Publishers: Chrysalis Music, Mary J. Blige Music, Naked Under My Clothes Music, Universal Music Corp., Babyboy's Little Publishing, Jason's Lyrics, Noontime South, Reach Global Tunes, WB Music.]

* Black Sweat
Prince, songwriter (Prince)
Track from: 3121
[Universal Records; Publisher: Controversy Music.]

* Deja Vu
Shawn Carter, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Beyoncé Knowles, Makeba Riddick, Keli Nicole Price, Delisha Thomas & John Webb songwriters (Beyoncé Featuring Jay-Z)
[Sony Urban Music/Columbia; Publishers: Beyoncé Publishing, EMI Blackwood Music, 23000 Music Publishing, Makeba Yoga Flames Music/Janice Combs Publishing/EMI Blackwood, Price Tag, EMI April Music/Carter Boys Publishing.]

* Don’t Forget About Us
Johnta Austin, Mariah Carey, Bryan-Michael Cox & Jermaine Dupri, songwriters (Mariah Carey)
Track from: The Emancipation Of Mimi (Ultra Platinum Edition)
[Island Records; Publishers: Rye Songs, Shaniah Cymone Music, EMI April Music, Babyboy's Little Publishing Company, Noontime South, Naked Under My Clothes, Chrysalis Music.]

* I Am Not My Hair
Drew Ramsey, Shannon Sanders & India Arie Simpson, songwriters (India.Arie)
Track from: Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
[Motown Records; Publishers: Gold & Iron Music, Wang Out Music Sony, Combustion Windswept, Noka International/Famous Music.]

Category 29

Best R&B Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* The Breakthrough
Mary J. Blige
[Geffen Records]

* Unpredictable
Jamie Foxx
[J Records]

* Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
India.Arie
[Motown Records]

* 3121
Prince
[Universal Republic]

* Coming Home
Lionel Richie
[Island Def Jam Recordings]

Category 30

Best Contemporary R&B Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* B’Day
Beyoncé
[Sony Urban Music/Columbia]

* Chris Brown
Chris Brown
[Jive Records/Zomba Label Group]

* 20 Y.O.
Janet Jackson
[Virgin Records]

* Kelis Was Here
Kelis
[Jive Records/Zomba Label Group/Dope Entertainment]

* In My Own Words
Ne-Yo
[Def Jam Recordings]

Field 7 — Rap

Category 31

Best Rap Solo Performance
(For a solo Rap performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Touch It
Busta Rhymes
Track from: The Big Bang
[Aftermath/Interscope Records]

* We Run This
Missy Elliott
Track from: The Cookbook
[Goldmind/Atlantic]

* Kick, Push
Lupe Fiasco
Track from: Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor
[1st & 15th/Atlantic]

* Undeniable
Mos Def
[Geffen Records]

* What You Know
T.I.
Track from: King
[Grand Hustle/Atlantic]

Category 32

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group
(For duo, group or collaborative performances of Rap only. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Ridin
Chamillionaire Featuring Krayzie Bone
[Universal Records]

* Georgia
Ludacris & Field Mob (Featuring Jamie Foxx)
Track from: Ludacris Presents…Disturbing Tha Peace And From Field Mob — Light Poles And Pine Trees
[DTP/Geffen/Def Jam Recordings]

* Grillz
Nelly Featuring Paul Wall, Ali & Gipp
Track from: Sweatsuit
[Universal Records]

* Mighty “O”
Outkast
[La Face/Zomba Label Group]

* Don’t Feel Right
The Roots
[Def Jam Recordings]

Category 33

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
(For a Rap/Sung collaborative performance by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Smack That
Akon Featuring Eminem
[SRC/Universal Records]

* Deja Vu
Beyoncé Featuring Jay-Z
[Sony Urban Music/Columbia]

* Shake That
Eminem Featuring Nate Dogg
Track from: Curtain Call — The Hits
[Aftermath/Shady/Interscope Records]

* Unpredictable
Jamie Foxx Featuring Ludacris
Track from: Unpredictable
[J Records]

* My Love
Justin Timberlake Featuring T.I.
Track from: FutureSex/LoveSounds
[Jive Records/Zomba Label Group]

Category 34

Best Rap Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parenthesis.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* It’s Goin’ Down
Chadron Moore & Jasiel Robinson, songwriters (Yung Joc)
Track from: New Joc City
[Bad Boy South; Publishers: Granny Man Publishing, Malik/Mekhi Music, Basement Funk, Regina's Son Music.]

* Kick, Push
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, songwriter (Lupe Fiasco)
Track from: Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor
[1st & 15th/Atlantic; Publishers: Hey Lu Chill Music/Heavy as Heaven, 1st & 15th Publishing/Mr. Lopez Music.]

* Money Maker
Christopher Bridges & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (Ludacris Featuring Pharrell)
Track from: Release Therapy
[Disturbing The Peace/Def Jam Recordings; Publishers: EMI Blackwood Music, Waters of Nazareth Publishing.]

* Ridin
Anthony Henderson, Juan Carlos Salinas, Oscar Salinas & Hakeem Seriki, songwriters
(Chamillionaire Featuring Krayzie Bone)
[Universal Records; Publishers: Chamilitary Camp Music, Play-N-Skilz Music, EMI Publishing.]

* What You Know
Gabriel Arillo, Aldrian Davis & Clifford Harris, songwriters; (Donny Hathaway, Leroy Hutson, Curtis Mayfield & Billy Roberts, songwriters) (T.I.)
Track from: King
[Grand Hustle/Atlantic; Publishers: Club Crown Publishing, Toomp Stone Publishing, Careers-BMG Music, WB Music Corp., Warner-Tamerlane Publishing.]

Category 35

Best Rap Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor
Lupe Fiasco
[1st & 15th/Atlantic]

* Release Therapy
Ludacris
[Disturbing Tha Peace]

* In My Mind
Pharrell
[Star Trak/Interscope Records]

* Game Theory
The Roots
[Def Jam Recordings]

* King
T.I.
[Grand Hustle/Atlantic]

Field 8 — Country

Category 36

Best Female Country Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Kerosene
Miranda Lambert
Track from: Kerosene
[Epic]

* I Still Miss Someone
Martina McBride
[RCA Nashville]

* Something’s Gotta Give
LeAnn Rimes
Track from: This Woman
[Curb Records]

* Jesus, Take The Wheel
Carrie Underwood
Track from: Some Hearts
[Arista/Arista Nashville/19]

* I Don’t Feel Like Loving You Today
Gretchen Wilson
[Epic Nashville]

Category 37

Best Male Country Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Every Mile A Memory
Dierks Bentley
[Capitol Records Nashville]

* The Reason Why
Vince Gill
[MCA Nashville]

* The Seashores Of Old Mexico
George Strait
Track from: Somewhere Down In Texas
[MCA Nashville]

* Would You Go With Me
Josh Turner
Track from: Your Man
[MCA Nashville]

* Once In A Lifetime
Keith Urban
[Capitol Records Nashville]

Category 38

Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal
(For established duos or groups with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Not Ready To Make Nice
Dixie Chicks
Track from: Taking The Long Way
[Open Wide/Columbia]

* Heaven’s My Home
The Duhks
Track from: Migrations
[Sugar Hill Records]

* Boondocks
Little Big Town
Track from: The Road To Here
[Equity Music Group]

* What Hurts The Most
Rascal Flatts
Track from: Me And My Gang
[Lyric Street Records]

* Leave The Pieces
The Wreckers
Track from: Stand Still — Look Pretty
[Maverick]

Category 39

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals
(For a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Who Says You Can’t Go Home
Bon Jovi & Jennifer Nettles
Track from: Have A Nice Day
[Island]

* Tomorrow Is Forever
Solomon Burke & Dolly Parton
Track from: Nashville
[Shout! Factory]

* Calling Me
Kenny Rogers & Don Henley
Track from: Water & Bridges
[Capitol Records Nashville]

* Midnight Angel
Rhonda Vincent & Bobby Osborne
Track from: All American Bluegrass Girl
[Rounder]

* Love Will Always Win
Trisha Yearwood & Garth Brooks
Track from: Jasper County
[MCA Nashville]

Category 40

Best Country Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Jerusalem Ridge
Casey Driessen
Track from: 3D
[Sugar Hill Records]

* Gameshow Rag/Cannonball Rag
Tommy Emmanuel
Track from: The Mystery
[Favored Nations Acoustic]

* Whiskey Before Breakfast
Bryan Sutton & Doc Watson
Track from: Not Too Far From The Tree
[Sugar Hill Records]

* The Eleventh Reel
Chris Thile
Track from: How To Grow A Woman From The Ground
[Sugar Hill Records]

* Nature Of The Beast
Jim VanCleve
Track from: No Apologies
[Rural Rhythm Records]

Category 41

Best Country Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parenthesis.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Every Mile A Memory
Brett Beavers, Dierks Bentley & Steve Bogard, songwriters (Dierks Bentley)
[Capitol Records Nashville; Publishers: Big White Tracks Music, Home with the Armadillo Music, Ensign Music, Rancho Papa Music.]

* I Don’t Feel Like Loving You Today
Matraca Berg & Jim Collins, songwriters (Gretchen Wilson)
[Epic Nashville; Publishers: Songs of Universal, Hannaberg Music, Warner-Tamerlane Publishing, Hope-N-Cal Music.]

* Jesus, Take The Wheel
Brett James, Hillary Lindsey & Gordie Sampson, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
Track from: Some Hearts
[Arista/Arista Nashville/19; Publishers: Dimensional Music of 1091/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, Raylene Music/BPJ Administration, No Such Music, Passing Stranger Music/1609 Songs/Music of Windswept.]

* Like Red On A Rose
Melanie Castleman & Robert Lee Castleman, songwriters (Alan Jackson)
Track from: Like Red On A Rose
[Arista Nashville/Sony BMG; Publishers: Farm Use Only Music, Cassamel Music.]

* What Hurts The Most
Steve Robson & Jeffrey Steele, songwriters (Rascal Flatts)
Track from: Me And My Gang
[Lyric Street Records; Publishers: Gottahaveable Music, Songs of Windswept Pacific, Almo Music.]

Category 42

Best Country Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Taking The Long Way
Dixie Chicks
[Open Wide/Columbia]

* Like Red On A Rose
Alan Jackson
[Arista Nashville/Sony BMG]

* The Road To Here
Little Big Town
[Equity Music Group]

* You Don’t Know Me: The Songs Of Cindy Walker
Willie Nelson
[Lost Highway]

* Your Man
Josh Turner
[MCA Nashville]

Category 43

Best Bluegrass Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Long List Of Heartaches
The Grascals
[Rounder]

* Bluegrass
Jim Lauderdale
[Yep Roc]

* Instrumentals
Ricky Skaggs And Kentucky Thunder
[Skaggs Family Records]

* Live At The Ryman
Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives
[Superlatone Records/Universal South Records]

* All American Bluegrass Girl
Rhonda Vincent
[Rounder]

Field 9 — New Age

Category 44

Best New Age Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* A Posteriori
Enigma
[Virgin Records]

* Amarantine
Enya
[Reprise]

* Beyond Words
Gentle Thunder With Will Clipman & AmoChip Dabney
[Delvian Records / GT Productions]

* Elements Series: Fire
Peter Kater
[Real Music]

* The Magical Journeys Of Andreas Vollenweider
Andreas Vollenweider
[Kin Kou/SLG Records]

Field 10 — Jazz

Category 45

Best Contemporary Jazz Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

* The Hidden Land
Béla Fleck & The Flecktones
[Columbia]

* People People Music Music
Groove Collective
[Savoy Jazz Worldwide]

* Rewind That
Christian Scott
[Concord Jazz]

* Sexotica
Sex Mob
[Thirsty Ear Recordings, Inc.]

* Who Let The Cats Out?
Mike Stern
[Heads Up]

Category 46

Best Jazz Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Footprints
Karrin Allyson
[Concord Jazz]

* Easy To Love
Roberta Gambarini
[Groovin' High/Kindred Rhythm]

* Live At Jazz Standard With Fred Hersch
Nancy King
[Maxjazz]

* From This Moment On
Diana Krall
[Verve]

* Turned To Blue
Nancy Wilson
[MCG Jazz]

Category 47

Best Jazz Instrumental Solo
(For an instrumental jazz solo performance. Two equal performers on one recording may be eligible as one entry. If the soloist listed appears on a recording billed to another artist, the latter’s name is in parenthesis for identification. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Some Skunk Funk
Michael Brecker, soloist
Track from: Some Skunk Funk (Randy Brecker w/Michael Brecker)
[Telarc Jazz/BHM]

* Paq Man
Paquito D’Rivera, soloist
Track from: From The Heart (Hilario Duran And His Latin Jazz Big Band)
[Alma Records]

* Freedom Jazz Dance
Taylor Eigsti, soloist
Track from: Lucky To Be Me
[Concord Jazz]

* Hippidy Hop (Drum Solo)
Roy Haynes, soloist
Track from: Whereas
[Dreyfus Jazz]

* Hope
Branford Marsalis, soloist
Track from: Braggtown
[Marsalis Music/Rounder]

Category 48

Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

* Sound Grammar
Ornette Coleman
[Sound Grammar]

* The Ultimate Adventure
Chick Corea
[Stretch Records]

* Trio Beyond — Saudades
Jack DeJohnette, Larry Goldings & John Scofield
[ECM]

* Beyond The Wall
Kenny Garrett
[Nonesuch]

* Sonny, Please
Sonny Rollins
[Doxy Records]

Category 49

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
(For large jazz ensembles, including big band sounds. Albums must contain 51% or more INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

* Some Skunk Funk
Randy Brecker With Michael Brecker, Jim Beard, Will Lee, Peter Erskine, Marcio Doctor & Vince Mendoza conducting The WDR Big Band Köln
[Telarc Jazz/BHM]

* Spirit Music
Bob Brookmeyer — New Art Orchestra
[ArtistShare]

* Streams Of Expression
Joe Lovano Ensemble
[Blue Note Records]

* Live In Tokyo At The Blue Note
Mingus Big Band
[Sunnyside/Sue Mingus Music]

* Up From The Skies — Music Of Jim McNeely
The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
[Planet Arts Recordings]

Category 50

Best Latin Jazz Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Codes
Ignacio Berroa
[Blue Note Records]

* Cubist Music
Edsel Gomez
[Zoho]

* Simpático
The Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project
[ArtistShare]

* Absolute Quintet
Dafnis Prieto
[Zoho]

* Viva
Diego Urcola, Edward Simon, Avishai Cohen, Antonio Sanchez & Pernell Saturnino
[CAM Jazz]

Field 11 — Gospel

Category 51

Best Gospel Performance
(For solo, duo, group as collaborative performances. Singles or tracks with vocal containing Gospel lyrics. All genres of Gospel music are eligible.)

* Victory
Yolanda Adams
Track from: The Gospel — Soundtrack
[Verity Records]

* Not Forgotten
Israel & New Breed
Track from: Alive In South Africa
[Integrity Gospel]

* The Blessing Of Abraham
Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers
Track from: Finale Act One
[EMI Gospel]

* Made To Worship
Chris Tomlin
Track from: See The Morning
[sixstepsrecords/Sparrow Records]

* Victory
Tye Tribbett & G.A.
Track from: Victory Live!
[Columbia, Sony Urban]

Category 52

Best Gospel Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parenthesis.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* The Blessing Of Abraham
Donald Lawrence, songwriter (Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers)
Track from: Finale Act One
[EMI Gospel; Publishers: QW Songs, Zomba Publishing.]

* Imagine Me
Kirk Franklin, songwriter (Kirk Franklin)
[Fo Yo Soul/Verity/Zomba; Publishers: Zomba Songs, Kerrion Publishing, Lilly Mack Music.]

* Mountain Of God
Brown Bannister & Mac Powell, songwriters (Third Day)
Track from: Wherever You Are
[Essential Records; Publishers: Vandura 2500 Songs, New Spring (Zomba), Banistuci Music.]

* Not Forgotten
Israel Houghton & Aaron Lindsey, songwriters (Israel & New Breed)
Track from: Alive In South Africa
[Integrity Gospel; Publishers: Sound of the New Breed, Integrity's Praise! Music, Aaron Lindsey Publishing.]

* Victory
Tye Tribbett, songwriter (Tye Tribbett & G.A.)
Track from: Victory Live!
[Columbia, Sony Urban; Publisher: G.A.S. Music.]

Category 53

Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* DecembeRadio
DecembeRadio
[Slanted Records]

* Where The Past Meets Today
Sarah Kelly
[Gotee Records]

* Turn Around
Jonny Lang
[A&M Records]

* End Of Silence
Red
[Essential Records]

* Bone-A-Fide
T-Bone
[Bone Yard/Flicker Records]

Category 54

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Sound Of Melodies
Leeland
[Essential Records]

* Coming Up To Breathe
MercyMe
[INO Records]

* Wherever You Are
Third Day
[Essential Records]

* See The Morning
Chris Tomlin
[sixstepsrecords/Sparrow Records]

* Introducing Ayiesha Woods
Ayiesha Woods
[Gotee Records]

Category 55

Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Kenny Bishop
Kenny Bishop
[Daywind Records]

* Give It Away
Gaither Vocal Band
[Gaither Music Group]

* Precious Memories
Alan Jackson
[ACR Records/Arista Nashville]

* The Promised Land
The Del McCoury Band
[McCoury Music]

* Glory Train
Randy Travis
[Word Records/Curb/Warner Bros.]

Category 56

Best Traditional Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* An Invitation To Worship
Byron Cage
[Zomba/Gospocentric]

* Paved The Way
The Caravans
[Malaco Records]

* Still Keeping It Real
The Dixie Hummingbirds
[MCG Records]

* Alive In South Africa
Israel & New Breed
[Integrity Gospel]

* Finalé Act One
Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers
[EMI Gospel]

Category 57

Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Set Me Free
Myron Butler & Levi
[EMI Gospel]

* Hero
Kirk Franklin
[Fo Yo Soul/Zomba]

* A Timeless Christmas
Israel And New Breed
[Integrity Gospel]

* This Is Me
Kierra Kiki Sheard
[EMI Gospel]

* Victory Live!
Tye Tribbett & G.A.
[Columbia, Sony Urban]

Field 12 — Latin

Category 58

Best Latin Pop Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Adentro
Arjona
[Norte/Sony BMG]

* Lo Que Trajo El Barco
Obie Bermúdez
[EMI/Televisa]

* Individual
Fulano
[FM Records]

* Trozos De Mi Alma 2
Marco Antonio Solis
[Fonovisa Records]

* Limón Y Sal
Julieta Venegas
[Norte/Sony BMG]

Category 59

Best Latin Rock, Alternative Or Urban Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Lo Demás Es Plástico
Black:Guayaba
[OLE Music]

* The Underdog/El Subestimado
Tego Calderón
[Jiggiri/Atlantic]

* Calle 13
Calle 13
[Norte/Sony BMG]

* Superpop Venezuela
Los Amigos Invisibles
[Gozadera Records]

* Amar Es Combatir
Maná
[Warner Music Latina]

Category 60

Best Tropical Latin Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Fuzionando
Oscar D’Leon
[Norte/Sony BMG]

* Salsatón: Salsa Con Reggaetón
Andy Montañez
[Univision Music Group]

* Hoy, Mañana Y Siempre
Tito Nieves
[Univision Music Group]

* Directo Al Corazón
Gilberto Santa Rosa
[Norte/Sony BMG]

* What You’ve Been Waiting For — Lo Que Esperabas
Tiempo Libre
[Shanachie Entertainment]

Category 61

Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Historias De Mi Tierra
Pepe Aguilar
[Norte/Sony BMG]

* No Es Brujería
Ana Bárbara
[Fonovisa Records]

* 25 Aniversario
Mariachi Sol De Mexico De José Hernández
[Venemusic]

* A Toda Ley
Pablo Montero
[Univision Records]

* Orgullo De Mujer
Alicia Villarreal
[Universal]

Category 62

Best Tejano Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Sigue El Taconazo
Chente Barrera y Taconazo
[Q-Vo Records]

* It’s…All Right
Jimmy Edward
[On The Edge]

* Live In Session
Bob Gallarza
[On The Edge]

* All Of Me
Jay Perez
[Tejas Records]

* Rebecca Valadez
Rebecca Valadez
[AMI Records Latin]

Category 63

Best Norteño Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Algo De Mí
Conjunto Primavera
[Fonovisa Records]

* Puro Pa’ Arriba
Los Huracanes Del Norte
[Univision Records]

* Historias Que Contar
Los Tigres Del Norte
[Fonovisa Records]

* Piénsame Un Momento
Pesado
[Warner Music Latina]

* Prefiero La Soledad
Retoño
[JB Records]

Category 64

Best Banda Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* 20 Mil Heridas
Banda Machos
[Warner Music Latina]

* Mas Fuerte Que Nunca
Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga
[Fonovisa Records]

* Amor Gitano
Cuisillos
[Musart]

* A Mucha Honra
Ezequiel Peña
[Fonovisa Records]

* Más Allá Del Sol
Joan Sebástian
[Musart]

Field 13 — Blues

Category 65

Best Traditional Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Brother To The Blues
Tab Benoit With Louisiana’s Leroux
[Telarc Blues]

* Bronx In Blue
Dion
[Razor & Tie / The Orchard]

* People Gonna Talk
James Hunter
[Go Records/Rounder]

* Guitar Groove-A-Rama
Duke Robillard
[Stony Plain Records]

* Risin’ With The Blues
Ike Turner
[Zoho Roots]

Category 66

Best Contemporary Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Live From Across The Pond
Robert Cray Band
[Vanguard Records/Nozzle Records]

* Sippiana Hericane
Dr. John & The Lower 911
[Blue Note Records]

* Suitcase
Keb’ Mo’
[Epic/One Haven/Red Ink]

* Hope And Desire
Susan Tedeschi
[Verve Forecast]

* After The Rain
Irma Thomas
[Rounder]

Field 14 — Folk

Category 67

Best Traditional Folk Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* I Stand Alone
Ramblin’ Jack Elliott
[Anti]

* Gonna Let It Shine
Odetta
[M.C. Records]

* Adieu False Heart
Linda Ronstadt & Ann Savoy
[Vanguard Records]

* We Shall Overcome — The Seeger Sessions
Bruce Springsteen
[Columbia]

* A Distant Land To Roam
Ralph Stanley
[Columbia/DMZ]

Category 68

Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Solo Acoustic Vol. 1
Jackson Browne
[Inside Recordings]

* Black Cadillac
Rosanne Cash
[Capitol]

* Workbench Songs
Guy Clark
[Dualtone Music Group]

* Modern Times
Bob Dylan
[Columbia]

* All The Roadrunning
Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
[Warner Bros./Nonesuch]

Category 69

Best Native American Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Voice Of The Drum
Black Eagle
[Soar]

* Heart Of The Wind
Robert Tree Cody & Will Clipman
[Canyon Records]

* American Indian Story
Jana
[Soar]

* Long Winter Nights
Northern Cree & Friends
[Canyon Records]

* Dance With The Wind
Mary Youngblood
[Silver Wave Records]

Category 70

Best Hawaiian Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Generation Hawai’i
Amy Hanaiali’i
[Hanaiali'i Records]

* Grandmaster Slack Key Guitar
Ledward Ka’apana
[Rhythm And Roots Records]

* The Wild Hawaiian
Henry Kapono
[Eclectic Records]

* Hawaiian Slack Key Kings
Various Artists
Chris Lau & Milton Lau, producers
[Rhythm And Roots Records]

* Legends Of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar — Live From Maui
Various Artists
Daniel Ho, George Kahumoku, Jr., Paul Konwiser & Wayne Wong, producers
[Daniel Ho Creations]

Field 15 — Reggae

Category 71

Best Reggae Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Too Bad
Buju Banton
[Gargamel Music, Inc.]

* Love Is My Religion
Ziggy Marley
[Tuff Gong Worldwide]

* Youth
Matisyahu
[Epic/Or/JDub]

* Rhythm Doubles
Sly & Robbie
[Taxi Records]

* Who You Fighting For
UB40
[Rhino Entertainment]

Field 16 — World Music

Category 72

Best Traditional World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Music Of Central Asia Vol. 2: Invisible Face Of The Beloved: Classical Music Of The Tajiks And Uzbeks
The Academy Of Maqâm
[Smithsonian Folkways Recordings]

* Endless Vision
Hossein Alizadeh & Djivan Gasparyan
[World Village]

* Hambo In The Snow
Andrea Hoag, Loretta Kelley & Charlie Pilzer
[Azalea City Recordings]

* Golden Strings Of The Sarode
Aashish Khan & Zakir Hussain
[Moment Records]

* Blessed
Soweto Gospel Choir
[Shanachie]

Category 73

Best Contemporary World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Tiki
Richard Bona
[Decca]

* M’Bemba
Salif Keita
[Decca]

* Wonder Wheel – Lyrics by Woody Guthrie
The Klezmatics
[Jewish Music Group]

* Long Walk To Freedom
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
[Heads Up International]

* Savane
Ali Farka Toure
[World Circuit/Nonesuch]

Field 17 — Polka

Category 74

Best Polka Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Batteries Not Included
Eddie Blazonczyk’s Versatones
[Bel-Aire Records]

* As Sweet As Candy
Lenny Gomulka & Chicago Push
[Push Records]

* Party Dress
LynnMarie & The Boxhounds
[Squeeze Record]

* Good Friends Good Music
Walter Ostanek & Fred Ziwich
[Ranch Recordings]

* Polka In Paradise
Jimmy Sturr And His Orchestra
[Rounder]

Field 18 — Children’s

Category 75

Best Musical Album For Children
(For albums consisting of predominantly music or song vs. spoken word.)

* Baby Einstein Meet The Orchestra
Various Artists
Ted Kryczko & Ed Mitchell, producers
[Walt Disney Records]

* Beethoven’s Wig 3: Many More Sing Along Symphonies
Beethoven’s Wig
[Rounder]

* Catch That Train!
Dan Zanes And Friends
[Festival Five Records]

* My Best Day
Trout Fishing In America
[Trout Records]

* The Sunny Side Of The Street
John Lithgow
[Razor & Tie]

Category 76

Best Spoken Word Album For Children
(For albums consisting of predominantly spoken word vs. music or song.)

* Blah Blah Blah: Stories About Clams, Swamp Monsters, Pirates & Dogs
Bill Harley
[Round River Records/Empyrean Records]

* Christmas In The Trenches
John McCutcheon
[Peachtree Press]

* Disney’s Little Einsteins Musical Missions
Various Artists
Ted Kryczko & Ed Mitchell, producers
[Walt Disney Records]

* Peter Pan
Jim Dale
[Listening Library]

* The Witches
Lynn Redgrave
[Harper Children's Audio]

Field 19 — Spoken Word

Category 77

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)
(Narrated/dramatized books include authors’ names in parenthesis for identification.)

* I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This! (Bob Newhart)
Bob Newhart
[Hyperion Audiobooks]

* New Rules — Polite Musings From A Timid Observer
Bill Maher
[Phoenix Audio]

* Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis (Jimmy Carter)
Jimmy Carter
[Simon & Schuster Audio]

* The Truth (With Jokes) (Al Franken)
Al Franken
[Brilliance Audio]

* With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together (Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee)
Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee
[Time Warner]

Field 20 — Comedy

Category 78

Best Comedy Album
(For comedy recordings, spoken or musical)

* Blue Collar Comedy Tour — One For The Road
Bill Engvall, Ron White, Jeff Foxworthy & Larry The Cable Guy
[Warner Bros.]

* The Carnegie Hall Performance
Lewis Black
[Comedy Central Records]

* Life Is Worth Losing
George Carlin
[Atlantic]

* Straight Outta Lynwood
“Weird Al” Yankovic
[Volcano/Zomba Label Group]

* You Can’t Fix Stupid
Ron White
[Image Entertainment]

Field 21 — Musical Show

Category 79

Best Musical Show Album
(Award to the Album Producer(s), and to the Lyricist(s) & Composer(s) of 51% or more of a new score. (Artist, Lyricist & Composer names appear in parenthesis.))

* The Color Purple
Jay David Saks, producer; Stephen Bray, Brenda Russell & Allee Willis, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast With LaChanze, Elisabeth Withers-Mendes & Others)
[Angel Records]

* The Drowsy Chaperone
Kurt Deutsch, Joel Moss & Phil Reno, producers; Lisa Lambert & Greg Morrison, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast With Bob Martin, Sutton Foster, Beth Leavel & Others)
[Ghostlight]

* Jersey Boys
Bob Gaudio, producer (Bob Gaudio, composer; Bob Crewe, lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast With Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, J. Robert Spencer, John Lloyd Young & Others)
[Rhino]

* The Pajama Game
Harry Connick, Jr. & Tracey Freeman, producers (Richard Adler & Jerry Ross, composers/lyricists) (New Broadway Cast With Harry Connick, Jr., Kelli O’Hara & Others)
[Columbia]

* Sweeney Todd — The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tommy Krasker, producer (Stephen Sondheim, composer/lyricist) (Broadway Cast With Patti LuPone, Michael Cerveris & Others)
[Nonesuch]

Field 22 — Film/TV/Visual Media

Category 80

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
(Award to the Artist(s) and/or Producer(s) of a majority of the tracks on the album, or to the individual(s) actively responsible for the concept and musical direction and for the selection of artists, songs and producers, as applicable.)

* Brokeback Mountain
Various Artists
Gustavo Santaolalla, producer
[Verve Forecast]

* Cars
Various Artists
Chris Montan & Randy Newman, producers
[Walt Disney Records/Pixar]

* Grey’s Anatomy — Volume 2
Various Artists
Mitchell Leib & Alexandra Patsavas, producers
[Hollywood Records]

* Little Miss Sunshine
Devotchka (& Various Artists)
Mychael Danna, producer
[Lakeshore Records]

* Walk The Line
Joaquin Phoenix (& Various Artists)
T Bone Burnett, producer
[Wind-Up Records]

Category 81

Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
(Award to Composer(s) for an original score created specifically for, or as a companion to, a current legitimate motion picture, television show or series or other visual media.)

* The Chronicles Of Narnia — The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe
Harry Gregson-Williams, composer
[Walt Disney Records]

* The Da Vinci Code
Hans Zimmer, composer
[Decca]

* Memoirs Of A Geisha
John Williams, composer
[Sony Classical]

* Munich
John Williams, composer
[Decca]

* Pirates Of The Caribbean — Dead Man’s Chest
Hans Zimmer, composer
[Walt Disney Records]

Category 82

Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
(A Songwriter(s) award. For a song (melody & lyrics) written specifically for a motion picture, television or other visual media, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parenthesis.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Can’t Take It In (From The Chronicles Of Narnia — The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe)
Imogen Heap, songwriter (Imogen Heap)
[Walt Disney Records; Publishers: Walt Disney Music, Rondor Music.]

* I Need To Wake Up (From An Inconvenient Truth)
Melissa Etheridge, songwriter (Melissa Etheridge)
[Island Def Jam; Publisher: Songs of Ridge Road.]

* Our Town (From Cars)
Randy Newman, songwriter (James Taylor)
[Walt Disney Records/Pixar; Publishers: Walt Disney Music, Pixar Talking Pictures.]

* There’s Nothing Like A Show On Broadway (From The Producers)
Mel Brooks, songwriter (Nathan Lane & Matthew Broderick)
[Sony Classical; Publisher: Mel Brooks Music.]

* Travelin’ Thru (From Transamerica)
Dolly Parton, songwriter (Dolly Parton)
[Nettwerk Records; Publisher: Velvet Apple Music.]

Field 23 — Composing/Arranging

Category 83

Best Instrumental Composition
(A Composer’s Award for an original composition (not an adaptation) first released during the Eligibility Year. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Argument
Taylor Eigsti, composer (Taylor Eigsti)
Track from: Lucky To Be Me
[Concord Jazz]

* A Concerto In Swing
Patrick Williams, composer (The Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra & Big Band)
Track from: Elevation
[Concord Records]

* A Prayer For Peace
John Williams, composer (John Williams)
Track from: Munich — Soundtrack
[Decca Records]

* Sayuri’s Theme And End Credits
John Williams, composer (John Williams, Yo-Yo Ma & Itzhak Perlman)
Track from: Memoirs Of A Geisha — Soundtrack
[Sony Classical]

* Valentine
Fred Hersch, composer (Fred Hersch)
Track from: In Amsterdam: Live At The Bimhuis
[Palmetto Records]

Category 84

Best Instrumental Arrangement
(An Arranger’s Award. (Artist names appear in parenthesis.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes
Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band)
Track from: The Phat Pack
[Immergent]

* Three Ghouls
Chick Corea, arranger (Chick Corea)
Track from: The Ultimate Adventure
[Stretch Records]

* Three Women
Gil Goldstein, arranger (Gil Goldstein)
Track from: Under Rousseau’s Moon
[Half Note]

* Tom & Eddie
Patrick Williams, arranger (The Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra & Big Band)
Track from: Elevation
[Concord Records]

* Up From The Skies
Jim McNeely, arranger (The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra)
Track from: Up From The Skies — Music Of Jim McNeely
[Planet Arts Recordings]

Category 85

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
(An Arranger’s Award. (Artist names appear in parenthesis.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* For Once In My Life
Jorge Calandrelli, arranger (Tony Bennett & Stevie Wonder)
Track from: Duets: An American Classic
[RPM Records/Columbia]

* Good Morning Heartache
Gil Goldstein & Greg Phillinganes, arrangers (Chris Botti & Jill Scott)
Track from: To Love Again — The Duets
[Columbia Records]

* My Flame Burns Blue (Blood Count)
Vince Mendoza, arranger (Elvis Costello With The Metropole Orkest)
Track from: My Flame Burns Blue
[Deutsche Grammophon]

* Stardust
Slide Hampton, arranger (Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band)
Track from: Dizzy’s Business
[MCG Jazz]

* Suninga
Gil Goldstein, arranger (Gil Goldstein)
Track from: Under Rousseau’s Moon
[Half Note]

Field 24 — Package

Category 86

Best Recording Package

* The Best Worst-Case Scenario
Ryan Clark, art director (Fair)
[Tooth & Nail Records]

* Personal File
Randall Martin, art director (Johnny Cash)
[Columbia/Legacy Recordings]

* Reprieve
Ani DiFranco & Brian Grunert, art directors (Ani DiFranco)
[Righteous Babe Records]

* 10,000 Days
Adam Jones, art director (Tool)
[Tool Dissectional/Volcano/Zomba Label Group]

* Versions
Neal Ashby & Matthew Curry, art directors (Thievery Corporation)
[ESL Music]

Category 87

Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package

* The Cellar Door Sessions 1970
Howard Fritzson, Dan Ichimoto & Seth Rothstein, art directors (Miles Davis)
[Columbia/Legacy Recordings]

* Fonotone Records
Susan Archie & Henry Owings, art directors (Various Artists)
[Dust-To-Digital]

* A Life Less Lived — The Gothic Box
Hugh Brown & Jean Krikorian, art directors (Various Artists)
[Rhino Entertainment]

* One Kiss Can Lead To Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost & Found
Hugh Brown, Sheryl Farber & Maria Villar, art directors (Various Artists)
[Rhino Entertainment]

* Stadium Arcadium
Flea, John Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith & Matt Taylor, art directors
(Red Hot Chili Peppers)
[Warner Bros.]

Field 25 — Album Notes

Category 88

Best Album Notes

* Good For What Ails You: Music Of The Medicine Shows, 1926-1937
Marshall Wyatt, album notes writer (Various Artists)
[Old Hat Records]

* If You Got To Ask, You Ain’t Got It!
Dan Morgenstern, album notes writer (Fats Waller)
[Bluebird/Legacy Recordings]

* Lost Sounds: Blacks And The Birth Of The Recording Industry 1891-1922
Tim Brooks, album notes writer (Various Artists)
[Archeophone Records]

* Pirate Radio
Ben Edmonds, album notes writer (Pretenders)
[Rhino Entertainment/Warner Bros./Sire Records]

* There Is A Season
David Fricke, album notes writer (The Byrds)
[Columbia/Legacy Recordings]

Field 26 — Historical

Category 89

Best Historical Album

* Good For What Ails You: Music Of The Medicine Shows, 1926-1937
Marshall Wyatt, compilation producer; Christopher King & Robert Vosgien, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
[Old Hat Records]

* Lost Sounds: Blacks And The Birth Of The Recording Industry 1891-1922
Meagan Hennessey & Richard Martin, compilation producers; Tim Brooks, David Giovannoni & Richard Martin, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
[Archeophone Records]

* One Kiss Can Lead To Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost & Found
Sheryl Farber & Gary Stewart, compilation producers; Dan Hersch, Bill Inglot & Dave Schultz, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
[Rhino Entertainment]

* Poetry On Record: 98 Poets Read Their Work (1888-2006)
Rebekah Presson Mosby, compilation producer; Randy Perry, mastering engineer (Various Artists)
[Shout! Factory]

* Rockin’ Bones: 1950’s Punk & Rockabilly
James Austin & Cheryl Pawelski, compilation producers; Bill Inglot & Dave Schultz, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
[Rhino Entertainment]

Field 27 — Production, Non-Classical

Category 90

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
(An Engineer’s Award. (Artists names appear in parenthesis.))

* Adieu False Heart
Gary Paczosa, engineer (Linda Ronstadt & Ann Savoy)
[Vanguard Records]

* At War With The Mystics
The Flaming Lips & Dave Fridmann, engineers (The Flaming Lips)
[Warner Bros. Records]

* Like Red On A Rose
Brandon Bell, Terry Christian & Gary Paczosa, engineers (Alan Jackson)
[Arista Nashville]

* The Phat Pack
Marcelo Pennell, Dean Sharenow & Tommy Vicari, engineers (Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band)
[Immergent]

* Suitcase
Rik Pekkonen & John Porter, engineers (Keb’ Mo’)
[Epic/One Haven/Red Ink]

Category 91

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
(A Producer’s Award. (Artists names appear in parenthesis.))

* Howard Benson
o Every Man For Himself (Hoobastank) (A)
o Flyleaf (Flyleaf) (A)
o In With The Out Crowd (Less Than Jake) (A)
o One-X (Three Days Grace) (A)
o The Paramour Sessions (Papa Roach) (A)
o Popaganda (Head Automatica) (A)
o Saosin (Saosin) (A)

* T Bone Burnett
o Thunderbird (Cassandra Wilson) (A)
o The True False Identity (T Bone Burnett) (A)
o Walk The Line — Soundtrack (Joaquin Phoenix & Various Artists) (A)

* Danger Mouse
o Pieces Of The People We Love (The Rapture) (T)
o St. Elsewhere (Gnarls Barkley) (A)

* Rick Rubin
o American V: A Hundred Highways (Johnny Cash) (A)
o God’s Gonna Cut You Down (Johnny Cash) (T)
o Stadium Arcadium (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (A)
o Taking The Long Way (Dixie Chicks) (A)
o 12 Songs (Neil Diamond) (A)

* Will.i.am
o About You (Mary J. Blige Featuring Will.i.am) (T)
o Big Girls Don’t Cry (Fergie) (T)
o Damn Girl (Justin Timberlake Featuring Will.i.am) (T)
o I Am Somebody (Santana Featuring Will.i.am) (T)
o I Love My B**** (Busta Rhymes Featuring Kelis & Will.i.am) (T)
o Mas Que Nada (Sergio Mendes Featuring The Black Eyed Peas) (T)
o Timeless (Sergio Mendes) (A)

Category 92

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
(A Remixer’s Award. (Artists names appear in parenthesis for identification.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Be Without You (Moto Blanco Vocal Mix)
Moto Blanco, remixer (Mary J. Blige)
[Geffen Records]

* Damage Thorn (Buick Project Remix)
Buick Project, remixers (Tiefschwarz & Tracey Thorn)
[Fine/Four Music Productions]

* Deja Vu (Freemasons Club Mix – No Rap)
Russell Small & James Wiltshire, remixers (Beyoncé)
[Columbia/Sony Urban Music]

* Talk (Thin White Duke Mix)
Jacques Lu Cont, remixer (Coldplay)
Track from: Talk Remix EP
[Capitol Records]

* World Hold On (E-Smoove Remix)
E-Smoove, remixer (Bob Sinclar)
[Tommy Boy Entertainment, LLC]

Field 28 — Surround Sound

Category 93

Best Surround Sound Album
(For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.)

* Immortal Nystedt
Morten Lindberg & Hans Peter L’Orange, surround mix engineers; Morten Lindberg, surround mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround producer (Ensemble 96 Conducted By Øystein Fevang)
[2L]

* Long Walk To Freedom
Martin Walters, surround mix engineer; Martin Walters, surround mastering engineer; Martin Walters, surround producer (Ladysmith Black Mambazo)
[Heads Up International]

* Morph The Cat
Elliot Scheiner, surround mix engineer; Darcy Proper, surround mastering engineer; Donald Fagen, surround producer (Donald Fagen)
[Reprise Records]

* Straight Outta Lynwood
Tony Papa, surround mix engineer; Bernie Grundman, surround mastering engineer; Al Yankovic, surround producer (”Weird Al” Yankovic)
[Volcano/Zomba Label Group]

* A Valid Path
P.J. Olsson & Alan Parsons, surround mix engineers; Bob Michaels, surround mastering engineer; Alan Parsons, surround producer (Alan Parsons)
[Immergent]

Field 29 — Production, Classical

Category 94

Best Engineered Album, Classical
(An Engineer’s Award. (Artist names appear in parenthesis.))

* Elgar: Enigma Variations; Britten: The Young Person’s Guide To The Orchestra, Four Sea Interludes
Michael Bishop, engineer (Paavo Järvi & Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)
[Telarc]

* Látigo
Leslie Ann Jones & Judy Kirschner, engineers (Quartet San Francisco)
[Violinjazz Recordings]

* Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Wolf-Dieter Karwatky & Rainer Maillard, engineers (Pierre Boulez, Wiener Philharmoniker, Christine Schäfer, Michelle DeYoung & Wiener Singverein)
[Deutsche Grammophon]

* Requiem
John Newton, engineer (Craig Hella Johnson & Conspirare)
[Clarion Records]

* Vaughan Williams: Mass In G Min., And Other A Cappella Works
Jack Renner, engineer (Norman Mackenzie & Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus)
[Telarc]

Category 95

Producer Of The Year, Classical
(A Producer’s Award. (Artist names appear in parenthesis.))

* Manfred Eicher
o Honegger/Martinù/Bach/Pintscher/Ravel (Frank Peter Zimmermann & Heinrich Schiff)
o Kurtág: Kafka-Fragmente (Juliane Banse & András Keller)
o Nuove Musiche (Rolf Lislevand, Arianna Savall, Pedro Estevan, Bjørn Kjellemyr, Guido Morini, Marco Ambrosini & Thor-Harald Johnsen)
o Schubert: String Quartet G Maj. (Gidon Kremer & Kremerata Baltica)
o Silvestrov/Pärt/Ustvolskaya: Misterioso (Alexei Lubimov, Alexander Trostiansky & Kyrill Rybakov)

* Stephen Johns
o Angel Dances (12 Cellists Of Berliner Philharmoniker)
o Holst: The Planets (Sir Simon Rattle & Berliner Philharmoniker)
o Schubert: Symphony No. 9 ‘The Great’ (Sir Simon Rattle & Berliner Philharmoniker)
o Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1; Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 (Sarah Chang & Simon Rattle)
o Vivaldi: Flute Concertos (Emmanuel Pahud & Richard Tognetti)

* James Mallinson
o Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1-9 (Bernard Haitink & London Symphony Orchestra)
o Elgar: The Dream Of Gerontius (Sir Colin Davis, Anne Sofie Von Otter, Alastair Miles, David Rendall, London Symphony Chorus & London Symphony Orchestra)
o Prokofiev: The Complete Symphonies (Valery Gergiev & London Symphony Orchestra)
o Sibelius: Kullervo (Sir Colin Davis, Monica Groop, Peter Mattei, London Symphony Chorus & London Symphony Orchestra)
o Smetana: Má Vlast (Sir Colin Davis & London Symphony Orchestra)

* Elaine Martone
o Del Tredici: Paul Revere’s Ride; Theofanidis: The Here And Now; Bernstein: Lamentation (Robert Spano, Norman Mackenzie, Hila Plitmann & Atlanta Symphony Orchestra And Chorus)
o Elgar: Enigma Variations; Britten: The Young Person’s Guide To The Orchestra, Four Sea Interludes (Paavo Järvi & Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)
o Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue (Michel Camilo, Ernest Martinez Izquierdo & Barcelona Symphony Orchestra)
o Mahler: Symphony No. 1, Songs Of A Wayfarer (Benjamin Zander, Christopher Maltman & Philharmonia Orchestra)
o Renaissance Favorites For Guitar (David Russell)

* Sid McLauchlan
o Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 (Gustavo Dudamel & Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra Of Venezuela)
o Golijov: Ainadamar: Fountain Of Tears (Robert Spano, Kelley O’Connor, Women Of The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Dawn Upshaw)
o Italia, Ti Amo (Plácido Domingo, Eugene Kohn & Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra)
o Simple Gifts (Bryn Terfel)
o Wagner: Excerpts From ‘The Ring Of The Nibelung’ (Ben Heppner, Peter Schneider, Burkhard Ulrich & Staatskapelle Dresden)

Field 30 — Classical

Category 96

Best Classical Album
(Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) if other than the Artist.)

* Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1-9
Bernard Haitink, conductor; James Mallinson, producer (London Symphony Orchestra)
[LSO Live]

* Lieberson: Rilke Songs, The Six Realms, Horn Concerto
David Starobin, producer (Justin Brown & Donald Palma; Michaela Fukacova, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson & William Purvis; Peter Serkin; The Odense Symphony Orchestra)
[Bridge Records, Inc.]

* Mahler: Symphony No. 7
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Andreas Neubronner, producer (San Francisco Symphony)
[San Francisco Symphony]

* Martha Argerich And Friends: Live From The Lugano Festival 2005
Martha Argerich And Friends; Ulrich Ruscher, producer
[EMI Classics]

* Mozart: La Clemenza Di Tito
René Jacobs, conductor; Marie-Claude Chappuis, Bernarda Fink, Sergio Foresti, Sunhae Im, Mark Padmore & Alexandrina Pendatchanska; Martin Sauer, producer (Freiburger Barockorchester)
[Harmonia Mundi]

Category 97

Best Orchestral Performance
(Award to the Conductor and to the Orchestra.)

* Bax: Tone Poems
Vernon Handley, conductor (BBC Philharmonic)
[Chandos]

* Glazunov: Symphonies 4 & 7
José Serebrier, conductor (Royal Scottish National Orchestra)
[Warner Classics]

* Mahler: Symphony No. 6 In A Min.
Iván Fischer, conductor (Budapest Festival Orchestra)
[Channel Classics]

* Mahler: Symphony No. 7
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)
[San Francisco Symphony]

* Prokofiev: The Complete Symphonies
Valery Gergiev, conductor (London Symphony Orchestra)
[Philips]

Category 98

Best Opera Recording
(Award to the Conductor, Album Producer(s) and Principal Soloists.)

* Bennett: The Mines Of Sulphur
Stewart Robertson, conductor; Brian Anderson, Dorothy Byrne, Beth Clayton, Kristopher Irmiter, Brandon Jovanovich, James Maddalena, Michael Todd Simpson & Caroline Worra; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra)
[Chandos]

* Golijov: Ainadamar: Fountain Of Tears
Robert Spano, conductor; Kelley O’Connor, Jessica Rivera & Dawn Upshaw; Valérie Gross & Sid McLauchlan, producers (Women Of The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus; Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)
[Deutsche Grammophon]

* Mozart: La Clemenza Di Tito
René Jacobs, conductor; Marie-Claude Chappuis, Bernarda Fink, Sergio Foresti, Sunhae Im, Mark Padmore & Alexandrina Pendatchanska; Martin Sauer, producer (RIAS Kammerchor; Freiburger Barockorchester)
[Harmonia Mundi]

* Smetana: The Bartered Bride
Sir Charles Mackerras, conductor; Yvette Bonner, Paul Charles Clarke, Neal Davies, Susan Gritton, Kit Hesketh-Harvey, Yvonne Howard, Robin Leggate, Diana Montague, Geoffrey Moses, Timothy Robinson & Peter Rose; Brian Couzens, producer (The Royal Opera Chorus; Philharmonia Orchestra)
[Chandos Opera In English]

* Verdi: La Traviata
Carlo Rizzi, conductor; Thomas Hampson, Anna Netrebko & Rolando Villazón; Rainer Maillard, producer (Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor; Wiener Philharmoniker)
[Deutsche Grammophon]

Category 99

Best Choral Performance
(Award to the Choral Conductor, and to the Orchestra Conductor if an Orchestra is on the recording, and to the Choral Director or Chorus Master if applicable.)

* Immortal Nystedt
Øystein Fevang, conductor (Bærum Vokalensemble & Ensemble 96)
[2L]

* Mozart: Great Mass In C Min.
Paul McCreesh, conductor (Sarah Connolly, Neal Davies, Timothy Robinson & Camilla Tilling; Gabrieli Consort; Gabrieli Consort & Players)
[Deutsche Grammophon]

* Pärt: Da Pacem
Paul Hillier, conductor (Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir)
[Harmonia Mundi]

* Requiem
Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Conspirare)
[Clarion Records]

* Whitacre: Cloudburst And Other Choral Works
Stephen Layton, conductor (Thomas Guthrie, Elin Manahan Thomas & Simon Wall; Polyphony)
[Hyperion]

Category 100

Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)
(Award to the Instrumental Soloist(s) and to the Conductor.)

* Brahms: The Piano Concertos
Riccardo Chailly, conductor; Nelson Freire (Gewandhausorchester)
[Decca]

* Henze: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 And 3
Christopher Lyndon-Gee, conductor; Peter Sheppard Skaerved (Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra)
[Naxos]

* Messiaen: Oiseaux Exotiques (Exotic Birds)
John McLaughlin Williams, conductor; Angelin Chang (Cleveland Chamber Symphony)
Track from: Cleveland Chamber Symphony: Music That Dares To Explore, Vol. 6
[TNC]

* Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos 1 & 2
Antonio Pappano, conductor; Leif Ove Andsnes (Berliner Philharmoniker)
[EMI Classics]

* Schmidt: Concertos
Ole Schmidt, conductor; Ulla Miilmann (Danish National Symphony Orchestra / DR)
[Dacapo Records]

Category 101

Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra)
(Award to the Instrumental Soloist.)

* Bach: The Sonatas And Partitas For Violin Solo
Gidon Kremer
[ECM New Series]

* Bacheler: The Bachelar’s Delight
Paul O’Dette
[Harmonia Mundi]

* Beethoven: The Piano Sonatas, Vol. II
András Schiff
[ECM New Series]

* Chopin: Nocturnes
Maurizio Pollini
[Deutsche Grammophon]

* Primrose: Viola Transcriptions
Roberto Díaz (Robert Koenig)
[Naxos]

Category 102

Best Chamber Music Performance
(Award to the Artists.)

* Chamber Works For Winds And Strings By Mozart
The Chicago Chamber Musicians
[Summit Records]

* Corigliano: Violin Sonata, Etude Fantasy
Andrew Russo (Corey Cerovsek & Steven Heyman)
[Black Box]

* Intimate Voices
Emerson String Quartet
[Deutsche Grammophon]

* Martha Argerich And Friends: Live From The Lugano Festival 2005
Martha Argerich And Friends
[EMI Classics]

* Shostakovich: Piano Trios 1 & 2, Seven Romances On Verses By Alexander Blok
Beaux Arts Trio
[Warner Classics]

Category 103

Best Small Ensemble Performance
(Award to the Ensemble (and to the Conductor.))

* Angel Dances
12 Cellists Of Berliner Philharmoniker
[EMI Classics]

* Ikon
Harry Christophers, conductor; The Sixteen
[Decca]

* Miguel De Cervantes — Don Quijote De La Mancha — Romances Y Músicas
Jordi Savall, conductor; Hespèrion XXI & La Capella Reial De Catalunya
[Alia Vox]

* Padilla: Sun Of Justice
Peter Rutenberg, conductor; Los Angeles Chamber Singers’ Cappella
[RCM — Rubedo Canis Musica]

* Shostakovich/Sviridov/Vainberg: Chamber Symphonies
Yuri Bashmet; Moscow Soloists
[Onyx Classics]

Category 104

Best Classical Vocal Performance
(Award to the Vocal Soloist(s).)

* Britten: Song Cycles
Ian Bostridge (Sir Simon Rattle; Radek Baborák; Berliner Philharmoniker)
[EMI Classics]

* Canciones Argentinas
Bernarda Fink & Marcos Fink (Carmen Piazzini)
[Harmonia Mundi]

* Consider, My Soul
Thomas Quasthoff (Sebastian Weigle; Staatskapelle Dresden)
[Deutsche Grammophon]

* Rilke Songs
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (Peter Serkin)
Track from: Lieberson: Rilke Songs, The Six Realms, Horn Concerto
[Bridge Records, Inc.]

* Songs Of Amy Beach
Patrick Mason (Joanne Polk)
[Bridge Records, Inc.]

Category 105

Best Classical Contemporary Composition
(A Composer’s Award. (For a contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year.))

* Boston Concerto
Elliott Carter (Oliver Knussen)
Track from: The Music Of Elliott Carter, Vol. Seven
[Bridge Records, Inc.]

* Golijov: Ainadamar: Fountain Of Tears
Osvaldo Golijov (Robert Spano)
[Deutsche Grammophon]

* The Here And Now
Christopher Theofanidis (Robert Spano)
Track from: Del Tredici: Paul Revere’s Ride; Theofanidis: The Here And Now; Bernstein: Lamentation
[Telarc]

* Paul Revere’s Ride
David Del Tredici (Robert Spano)
Track from: Del Tredici: Paul Revere’s Ride; Theofanidis: The Here And Now; Bernstein: Lamentation
[Telarc]

* A Scotch Bestiary
James MacMillan (James MacMillan)
Track from: MacMillan: A Scotch Bestiary, Piano Concerto No. 2
[Chandos]

Category 106

Best Classical Crossover Album
(Award to the Artist(s) and/or to the Conductor.)

* The Film Music Of Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Rumon Gamba, conductor (BBC Philharmonic)
[Chandos]

* Invention & Alchemy
David Lockington, conductor; Deborah Henson-Conant (The Grand Rapids Symphony)
[Golden Cage Music]

* Látigo
Quartet San Francisco (John Santos)
[Violinjazz Recordings]

* Simple Gifts
Bryn Terfel (London Voices; London Symphony Orchestra)
[Deutsche Grammophon]

* Song Zu Ying: The Diva Goes To The Movies
Song Zu Ying (China National Symphony Orchestra)
[JB Audiophile]

Field 31 — Music Video

Category 107

Best Short Form Music Video
(For an individual track or single promotional clip. Award to the Artist and to the Video Director/Producer.)

* 8th Of November
Big & Rich
Robert Deaton, George Flanigen & Marc Oswald, video directors; Robert Deaton, George Flanigen, Steve Lamar & Marc Oswald, video producers
[Warner Bros.]

* When You Were Young
The Killers
Anthony Mandler, video director; Everardo Gout, Gina Leonard, video producers
[Island Def Jam]

* Here It Goes Again
OK Go
Dan Konopka, Damian Kulash, Jr., Timothy Nordwind, Andy Ross & Trish Sie, video directors; Dan Konopka, Damian Kulash, Jr., Timothy Nordwind, Andy Ross & Trish Sie, video producers
[Capitol]

* Dani California
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Tony Kaye, video director; Rachel Curl, video producer
[Warner Bros.]

* Writing On The Walls
Underoath
Anders Forsman, Ragnar Granstrand & Linus Johansson, video directors; Maria Berggren, Anders Forsman, Ragnar Granstrand & Linus Johansson, video producers
[Solid State/Tooth & Nail]

Category 108

Best Long Form Music Video
(For video album packages consisting of more than one song or track. Award to the Artist and to the Video Director/Producer of at least 51% of the total playing time.)

* Flow: Living In The Stream Of Music
Terence Blanchard
Jim Gabour, video director; Robin Burgess & Jim Gabour, video producers
[Jazziz Music & Video]

* Directions
Death Cab For Cutie
Noah Gelb, Nicholas Harmer, Jill Kaplan & Aaron Stewart,video producers
[Atlantic]

* Demon Days — Live In Manchester
Gorillaz
Damon Albarn, David Barnard, Grant Gee & J.C. Hewlett, video directors; Kersti Bergstrom, Stefan Demetriou, Simon Jones & Claire Oxley, video producers
[Virgin]

* I’m Going To Tell You A Secret
Madonna
Jonas Akerlund, video director; Susan Applegate, Angela Becker, Keeley Gould, Shelli Jury & David May, video producers
[Warner Bros.]

* Wings For Wheels: The Making Of Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen
Thom Zimny, video director; Thom Zimny, video producer
[Columbia]

DJ Irene

She began mixing in the mid eighties, while she was in college, and her hobby quickly turned into her passion and her career. She has established herself as a fixture of the West Coast dance scene, initially focusing on hard house, and more recently moving into trance and techno into her sets.

Irene tends to be eclectic and frenetic with her mixes. It’s not unusual for her to mix twenty or thirty tracks into a mix album, many more than most DJs. Her mixes tend towards a harder and edgier sound, and she has adopted a style to match.

Recently, she’s toured with another top female DJ, DJ Rap, on their “Chicks with Decks” tour.

DJ Irene has a fearless, take-no-prisoners attitude which has helped rise to the top. To anyone that has stood in her way, she’s had one thing to say: “Here I am, kiss my ass, I’m one bad ass bitch that can mix!!!”

Links:

• DJ Irene Forum – discuss the Diva
• Official site
• An interview with DJ Irene