WHAT'S ON TAP FOR 2015

2015 is set to be a killer year for music! It‘s already solid for great live performances, with Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, Ariana Grande, and One Direction getting’ ready to tear up the concert circuit. God knows I can’t wait to see Katy Perry’s half-time Super Bowl show featuring a thousand kittens, edible glitter and fire-breathing sharks. You know that girl is going to rock Phoenix and who doesn’t love edible glitter???

Big artists are slated to drop new music in 2015. My decks have been screaming for the much anticipated Rihanna album. Also, Rita Ora’s second album is set for pressing after being delayed since her split from boyfriend/co-writer Calvin Harris. And Fergi, who hasn’t released an album in eight years, will be throwin’ down her sophomore effort. Plus new beats from Imagine Dragons, Charlie XCX and Coldplay are all hittin’ it in 2015! 

I can tell you I'm gonna be hittin' the decks hard and heavy this weekend on In The Mix with HK™!!! Tune in to hear EXCLUSIVE HK REMIXES on Hozier – Take Me To Church, Nick Jonas – Jealous, Maroon 5 – Animals, Taylor Swift – Blank Space, Iggy Azalea featuring MØ – Beg For It and much, much more!

Remember…if it's hot, if it's new and it makes you wanna move…you're In The Mix with HK™.

THE BIGGEST HITS OF 2014 REVISITED & RE-IMAGINED

I like to call it a New Year’s Eve prep party. It’s the last party of 2014 and we’re doin’ it BIG! Get ready for all your fave hits of 2014 remixed, reproduced and re-envisioned HK style!

Over the past year singers, songwriters, musicians and bands pulled out all the stops and I’m going to be givin’ them props with an In The Mix with HK™ 2014 spectacular you don’t wanna miss! I'm focusing on songs that stayed in the TOP 10 for the longest period of time through out the year. 

So rest, hydrate and repeat, you’ll need all your energy! 2015 is bangin’ on the door and I’m gonna be bangin’ out the best beats of 2014 all weekend long!

Remember…if it's hot, if it's new and it makes you wanna move…you're In The Mix with HK™.

IN THE MIX WITH HK™ HOLIDAY STRESS RELIEF

The holiday season brings many a party but anxiety can also creep in with finals, travel, buying gifts that burn a hole in the pocket and the much talked about and oh so special “Family Stress”. Don't worry though, cause In The Mix with HK™ is gonna kick that holiday stress to the curb. I mean, we are here for YOU! And the experts have our back.  Mayo Clinic says in their “Tips To Tame Stress” that “listening to music is a good stress reliever because it provides a mental distraction, reduces muscle tension and decreases stress hormones” they go as far to say “Crank up the volume and let your mind be absorbed by the music”.  Oh yeah …I’m gonna be crankin’ up the volume this weekend with an all out sonic assault on your senses.

Look at what I'm putting under the tree for you. Brand new mixes on Hozier –Take Me To Church, Charli XCX – Break The Rules, Taylor Swift - Shake It Off and Mr Probz – Waves. I'm also filling my Santa sleigh with exclusive never before heard versions of James Newton Howard featuring Jennifer Lawrence – The Hanging Tree, Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk, and Fallout Boy - Centuries. My bounty of musical presents is sure to excite when I unwrap the likes of Ella Henderson, Ariana Grande and The Weeknd, Selena Gomez, Maroon 5 and more.

Don't miss a single second of my Christmas party and consider my HK bangin’ beats an early gift!

Remember…if it's hot, if it's new and it makes you wanna move…you're In The Mix with HK™.

MUSIC IN THE TWITTERSPHERE

We always knew music ruled the world.  Now, according to Twitter, music is the MOST discussed topic on their social media site. The Twitter class of 2014 shapes up like this…Justin Bieber was the most tweeted about artist. Pharell's Happy was the most tweeted about song. Beyonce' had the most tweeted about album. Katy Perry has the most followers, but 2015 is my year to catch her (haha!). Come on people! We can do this! Follow me on twitter @HowardHKKessler and you could walk away with cool limited edition HK swag! Winners are randomly selected monthly.

Your tweeters and woofers are gonna be thumpin’ big time this weekend when I drop the needle on custom HK remixes. Get ready to tweet about my amped up versions of Calvin Harris – Blame, Hozier – Take Me To Church, Nick Jonas – Jealous, Jessie J f/2 Chainz + more! It's gonna get turnt up with new joints from One Republic, The Script, Hoodie Allen, Ella Henderson and Betty Who.

Remember…if it's hot, if it's new and it makes you wanna move…you're IN THE MIX WITH HK™.

RECORDING ARTISTS STILL BANK BIG BUCKS!

Despite record sales continuing to decline some recording artists are still bringing in big bucks. According to Wealth-X’s net worth valuation Madonna is topping the list with a whopping 800 million dollars. Sir Paul McCartney, who used to be on top, dropped to second place with $660m. Dr. Dre came in 3^rd with a not so shabby $650m. I knew I should have invested in headphones. Diddy came in 4^th with $640m and Celine Dion locked up the top 5 with $630m. In case you were wondering there are no financial issues in the Jay Z / Beyoncé house as they rank #8 and #10 with a combined net worth of $950m. Yeah that’s right practically one billion! That’s just a crazy amount of zeros.

Do you think those estimates are right? Well, don't sweat the fact that you and I have smaller bank accounts. Waaaaaay smaller bank accounts! We'll all be living large and in charge when I fire up the decks this weekend. I'm coming at you with non-stop exclusive HK remixes on Fall Out Boy, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Charli XCX, Calvin Harris, Jessie J and One Direction. Plus brand new joints from Fifth Harmony, Lillywood & Robin Schulz and Lights.

There's always some special surprises, so tune in!

Remember…If it's hot, if it's new and it makes you wanna move…you're In The Mix With HK™.

A THANKSGIVING WEEKEND PARTY LIKE NO OTHER!

It's Thanksgiving weekend or as I like to call it …The official kick off of the holiday party season!

After eating way more then I should and visiting with family, I always look forward to the weekend for working off those extra pounds on the dance floor. So put down that drumstick, turn up the volume and get ready for exclusive HK remixes on Jessie J- Ariana Grande- Nicki Minaj - Bang Bang, Taylor Swift – Blank Space, Alesso featuring Tove Lo – Heroes, Ed Sheeran – Don’t,  Selena Gomez – The Heart Wants What It Wants, Nick Jonas – Jealous, One Direction – Steal My Girl and so much more. Like part II of my interview with Echosmith, my Pick To Hit™ and other surprises! 

Remember…if it's hot, if it's new and it makes you wanna move…you're IN THE MIX WITH HK™.

ECHOSMITH ARE THE "COOL KIDS" ON IN THE MIX WITH HK™

Echosmith, the band comprised of four siblings from Southern California has been tearing up the charts with their platinum selling hit Cool Kids. This week I sit down with Sydney the lead vocalist and brother Noah, bass and vocals, to discuss their new found success and more! At some point during this interview we're gonna find out something we've never known about them before and what they like to do for fun. Promise!

I know what my idea of fun is and that's mixing and remixing the latest hits, some sonic classics and brand new epic groundbreakers for your aural excitement. This weekend I'm breaking fast out of the gate with brand new HK remixes on One Direction – Steal My Girl, Meghan Trainor – Lips Are Movin, David Guetta – Dangerous and Taylor Swift – Shake It Off. I've also got totally re-imagined takes on Mr. Probz – Waves, Milky Chance – Stolen Dance, Hozier – Take Me To Church and of course Echosmith's – Cool Kids. 

When it comes to brand spankin' new music get ready for joints from Vicetone, Waze & Odysey, Steve Aoki & will.i.am, Eden XO and Trey Songz feat. Nicki Minaj.

Remember…if it's hot, if it's new and it makes you wanna move…you're IN THE MIX WITH HK™.

PUMP UP THE VOLUME WITH FREE GEAR FROM IN THE MIX WITH HK™

In The Mix with HK™ is best listened to on sick, awesome sounding, amped up gear! That’s why we’re giving away PUNK wireless speakers and RELAY headphones from SOL REPUBLIC.  RELAY is SOL REPUBLIC’s award-winning sports headphone and PUNK is a wireless speaker with fearless sound that is deceptively small. If you're streaming In The Mix with HK™ on your mobile device and connect to PUNK via Bluetooth, two things are gonna happen. First, you'll need to wipe that drool off your face from shock and awe, cause the punch out of PUNK is epic. Second, you are now the mack daddy of the dorm room. Destined to get invites to every party. Just don't forget IN THE MIX WITH HK™ and pack the PUNK .

To enter for your chance to win all this cool gear CLICK HERE!

This weekend I’m breakin’ all the rules when I bust out custom HK remixes on Nick Jonas, David Guetta, Iggy Azalea, Sam Smith, Pitbull, Maroon 5, Calvin Harris and more! Plus insane new music from Cobra Starship, Icona Pop, Bastille, Hoodie Allen & Ed Sheeran, Charli XCX and a few other surprises!

Remember…if it's hot, if it's new and it makes you wanna move…you're IN THE MIX WITH HK™.

TAYLOR SWIFT - BLANK SPACE [VIDEO]

TAYLOR SWIFT CAN'T SHAKE OFF SUCCESS!

There is success and then there’s “Taylor Swift Success”. At a time when album sales are way way down, her new album, 1989, sold over one million copies in its first week of release. To put it in perspective, that is two copies being sold every second!  Making it the biggest album released in 2014. In fact no other single artist album has gone platinum all…year...long, not  even Beyoncé’s secret album or Lord’s Pure Heroine.  And Taylor did it in just a week!!! Hmmmm… I wonder who last rang up that cray zay amount of sales in a mere seven days??? Oh yeah, the last artist to sell one million albums in one week was… what’s her name again… that would be Taylor Swift with her Red album in 2012!!!! Actually it’s a hat trick. Her 2010 album Speak Now also went platinum in a week. Making Ms. Swift the only act EVER to have three albums sell a million copies in a weeks’ time!

Well, so much for feeling good about what I did last week. I guess I'm just gonna have to Shake It Off. That’s right, I’m comin’ in hot this weekend with custom HK remixes on Taylor, Jessie J + company, Calvin Harris, Gwen Stefani, Maroon 5, Nick Jonas, Alesso, Echosmith and a list to long to name here! Plus brand new bangers from David Guetta, Charli XCX, Ella Henderson, Naughty Boy, R3hab + more!.

Remember…if it's hot, if it's new and it makes you wanna move…you're IN THE MIX WITH HK™.

BOO-GIE DOWN BANGERS ON IN THE MIX WITH HK!

I’m givin’ out rhythmic candy this weekend when I grab the wheels of steel out of the casket for a wicked Halloween throw down!

No matter where you are and no matter what you're doing make sure to tune in to IN THE MIX WITH HK™. I'll be spinning a web of insane beats and your speakers will be howling to my spoo-tacular musical mayhem!

I've got brand new EXCLUSIVE HK REMIXES bound to make you and your friends scream, so join me and my musical friends for the ultimate weekend party! Get ready to sink your fangs into these BOO-gie down bangers…One Direction – Steal My Girl, Maroon 5 – Animals, Chris Brown – New Flame and 5 Seconds of Summer – Amnesia. Plus I'm casting a sonic spell and Breaking All The Rules with Charli XCX, Gwen Stefani, Sam Smith, Fergie, Iggy and way more than you can fit in your Trick or Treat bag!

Remember…if it's hot, if it's new and it makes you wanna move…you're IN THE MIX WITH HK™.

BASTILLE TEARS IT UP LIVE! [PHOTOS]

Not all bands can rock the stage as well as the studio but Bastille does it with wicked skill and has been tearin’ up the U.S. on tour! We all know Bastille from their monster hit Pompeii, which climbed to #5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and sold more than three million singles. They’re hoping to hit the charts again with their recently unveiled single, Torn Apart, set to drop November 30^th.  

Between touring gigs Bastille is hard at work on their second album. The group says they made their first album not knowing if anyone would hear it so they made if for themselves. They say the same will be true with their next album stating, “We want to make a record we love. But it’s weird to know that there are potentially a whole load of people waiting to hear it”.

You don’t have to wait to hear sick beats, bangers and all your faves. Tune in all weekend long when I’ll be blowin up the ones and twos with custom HK remixes on Iggy Azalea featuring Rita Ora – Black Widow, Jeremih featuring YG – Don’t Tell Em, Pitbull featuring John Ryan – Fireball, Tove Lo – Habits, Calvin Harris featuring John Newman -  Blame, Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne– Rather Be and so much more! There’s no place I’d Rather Be than with you this weekend, boomin’ out your speakers!

Remember…if it's hot, if it's new and it makes you wanna move…you're In The Mix With HK™.

Click on photos to enlarge…

ARIANA'S EXTRA GRANDE LIFE!

When I think of Ariana a few things come to mind…multi-octave vocalist, international pop star, TV star, composer, Broadway performer, multi award winner and the list goes on. Pretty much…Ariana Grande is having no Problem at anything.

Just this year she’s had three songs in the top 10 at the same time. Making her the second woman to achieve such a feat, the first being Adele. On top of that, Problem broke a record as the fastest song to ever climb to #1 on iTunes, doin’ it in just 37 minutes. It takes me longer to get out of bed in the morning. Then we have Grande’s first two albums. Yeah… they both debuted at #1. She’s the first woman to do that since Susan Boyle in 2010. If all that success isn’t enough Gloria Estefan reportedly wants Ariana to portray her in On Your Feet, the Broadway- bound musical based on Estefan’s life. Then there’s that leading voice-acting role Ariana just landed for the animated film Underdogs, slated to drop in theaters April 10^th, 2015. What’s that? Oh, just the sound of movie star being added to her list. And to top it all off Grande is barely 21!

I know what’s on my list and that’s bringing you non-stop exclusive mixes, epic drops and bodacious beats this weekend on In The Mix With HK™.

Blastin' out your speaks is gonna be Taylor Swift – Shake It Off, Fall Out Boy – Centuries, Maroon 5 – Animals and of course my blazin' remix on Ariana's – Break Free. There's even more EXCLUSIVE HK remixes on Iggy Azalea, Pitbull, Coldplay, Clean Bandit and Echosmith. Speaking of Clean Bandit I've got more of my exclusive interview with them and brand new bangers from Chris Brown, Alesso, Bebe Rexha, Jake Miller, Nico & Vinz and One Republic. WOW!!! you don't want to miss a second of this show!

Remember…if it's hot, if it's new and it makes you wanna move…you're In The Mix With HK™.

CLEAN BANDIT WOULD RATHER BE IN THE MIX WITH HK

Clean Bandit has been on the top of the charts with their infectious international hit Rather Be. This week I chat with Jack Patterson who is credited with the creation of the group as well as Art Direction, Bass, Body Percussion (interesting), Composer, Steel Drums, Keyboards, Mixing, Piano, Producer, Vocals and  Midi-Saxophone. Apparently Jack has some… shall we say…skills? He’ll be telling us about Clean Bandit’s eclectic sound, how the group came to be and much more. Like how they went from studying architecture and history at the University of Cambridge to being  pop stars! 

Also on In The Mix with HK™ find out how the best bangers just got better when I throw down custom HK remixes on …

Nico & Vinz – In Your Arms, Coldplay – A Sky Full Of Stars, Katy Perry – This Is How We Do, and  Nicki (baby got back) Minaj – Anaconda! The sparks will be flying with Pitbull’s– Fireball featuring John Ryan, Alesso – Heroes,  Bebe Rexha – Can’t Stop Drinking About You and Meghan Trainor's – All About That Bass will be blowin’ up your speakers! And that’s just gettin’ the decks warmed up! It’s gonna be an EPIC night you don’t want to miss!

Remember…if it's hot, if it's new and it makes you wanna move…you're In The Mix With HK™.

YOU COULD WIN THE BRAND NEW U2 BIOGRAPHY

It seems like every pop star has a memoir, biography or autobiography these days. Stars like Katy Perry, Pitbull, Nicki Minaj, Kesha, Jason Derulo, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran are not only blowing up the airwaves but bookshelves as well. Adding to that list of pop stars with hardbacks is U2. 

On October 7^th  U2: The Definitive Biography, will be dropping in stores. This unauthorized biography humanizes the band and paints an honest picture of a band’s rise to the top, plunging into the heart and underlying soul of this iconic rock and roll band. And what's better than a good book? A FREE good book!!! That’s right, U2 fans and music fans alike this is your chance to win this page turner hot off the presses. Click HERE to enter for your chance to win a copy today!

While U2 is dropping new albums and books, I’ll be droppin’ the needle on custom remixes of all your favorite hits! It’s going to be All About That Bass,  Shakin’ It Off, Trumpets, getting Wasted, Fireballs and swinging from the Chandelier cause This is How We Do an all-out In The Mix with HK™ party and we Don’t stop!

Remember…if it's hot, if it's new and it makes you wanna move…you're IN THE MIX WITH HK™.

THE NEW ROAD TO STARDOM

It wasn't that long ago a talented singer, songwriter or musician played in every bar, joint, dive and street corner they could  - while simultaneously shopping their demo to every record label on the planet.  The path to musical fame and fortune has always been founded in talent, timing and a little luck. But nowadays  being on a reality TV show or getting millions of views (are they real?) on YouTube sure helps.

We may never have come to love Karmin, Nicki Minaj, Justin Beiber, Adel or even Avicii if they didn’t post their music on social media when they were unknown and unsigned. Would One Direction, Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood be where they are today if it wasn’t for reality music shows? Probably not!

Then you have artists like  Colbie Caillat, Jennifer Hudson and Kat Perkins who were either rejected or lost (for lack of another term) on shows like American Idol and The Voice, but landed record deals or success on their own. Maybe the best route to stardom is do it all as often as possible and then do it again and again and again. One thing I know for sure…social media's influence and music competition shows on TV have changed the musical landscape forever and are not going away anytime to soon. They have also become an undeniable resource in the making of the modern pop star.

This weekend I’ll be doing my part to effect the sonic landscape with exclusive HK remixes on Pitbull, Coldplay, Calvin Harris, Mary Lambert and more of your faves! Plus brand new bangers on Taylor Swift, Fall Out Boy, Ingrid Michaelson, Bastille, Bebe Rexha and Ella Henderson.

Tune in to make sure you don't miss a single second.

Remember…if it's hot, if it's new and it makes you wanna move…you're In The Mix With HK™.

THE REMIX REIGNS ON IN THE MIX WITH HK™

Re∙mix [v. ree-miks; n. ree-miks] verb: remix

To mix and re-record the elements of (a musical recording) in a different way. A song that has been edited or completely recreated to sound different from the original version. To use some of the same materials, allowing the song to reach a different audience. To compose an alternate master recording of a song, adding or subtracting elements, or changing the equalization, dynamics, pitch, tempo, playing time or almost any other aspect of the various musical components. To alter a song for artistic purposes. 

Oh yeahhhhhh we’re going to be altering everything for artistic purposes this weekend when I set the decks on fire with custom HK remixes on Pitbull featuring John Ryan – Fireball, Maroon 5 – Maps, Tove Lo – Habits, Echosmith – Cool Kids, Iggy Azalea featuring Rita Ora – Black Widow, and Katy Perry – This Is How We Do!  I’m also busting out new sonic delights from David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Mary Lambert, Nick Jonas, Mr. Probz and more.

Tune in to hear all that and more of your favorite hits this weekend, and don’t miss a second of the HK remix revolution!

Remember… if it's hot, if it's new and it makes you wanna move…you're In The Mix with HK™.