Intro to the joint

I suppose I can start out by introducing myself. My name is Jasmina. I'm 26 years old, born and raised in the greatest city, Chicago. I'm half Serbian, half Mexican...my folks are straight off the boat, which made for an interesting childhood experience. Anyhow, this blog is not intended to be about me. It's about music. The music I love, and the music I hope you too will appreciate.

I have been obsessed with music since I can remember. As a child, I rocked out to Smoky Robinson and The Beatles while my mom did her Saturday chores and I helped. Well I didn't really help, I just danced and kept her entertained.

Fast forward to junior high. I got into my grunge phase, wore flannel shirts and dark nail polish. My favorite bands were Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Nine Inch Nails. Kurt Cobain died when I was in the fifth grade, and I'll never forget that day. I was so young but so affected by this rock icon who I knew so little about at the time. This profound moment inspired me to learn more about the artists who made up the soundtrack of my everyday life.

I don't think it was until about the eighth grade, when I was about 13 years old, that I began regularly listening to dance music. Of course, I tuned into B96 as a child, as we all did...it was the cool thing to do. However, I didn't care much until my early teen years. It was "Music Sounds Better With You" by Stardust that did it for me. I heard that song, immediately went to the mall, and bought the single. I replayed that song over and over and over again until my parents got sick of it and ordered me to knock it off. But I'm so happy I discovered that song at an early age. It made me appreciate house music, and today, I'm a full-fledged house junkie.

Moving forward, I began listening to anything and everything that had a decent beat or inspiring lyrics. The genre never mattered to me; I'll give anything a try.

So here's how the blog is going to work:

I have a ridiculously large music library, and it continues to grow every single day. Since I first learned how to work a CD burner, I have been making compilation CDs for my friends. And they love them. I absolutely love introducing people to new music and getting their feedback. That way, I have a better idea of what to refer to them next time. So this blog is going to function as my compilation CDs have in the past. I am going to post songs, tell you why they're awesome, and you leave me feedback if you'd like. This is a music journal for me, and for you it's a place to learn about artists and songs that you may have never heard before. These days, I don't listen to the radio or watch any mainstream music programs. I get my music from other blogs, internet radio stations and referrals from friends. That being said, I'm going to try to introduce NEW music to you, not replay the song you've been hearing on the radio nonstop for the past two weeks.

As for the music genres you will find on here, I'm not going to lie, I still am a total house junkie. So you will probably find mostly house and electro on here. However, I also plan on sharing some of my more mellow tunes, which range anywhere from jazz to alternative rock to indie to deep house to hip-hop. You'll find it all here. I'll try to do my best labeling each post, so you have some idea what you're about to hear.

One more thing, one of the main reasons I am starting this blog is because I plan on learning how to DJ in the near future. The more aquainted I become with music, artists and producers, the better prepared I will be when the time comes to actually start spinning those records. I have made some industry friends who are already so willing to help me, and I hope to make more. There is one thing I have learned during this whole blog start-up process, and it's that (at least in this industry) people are so willing to network and help each other out. We all have an infatuation with music, so why not share? So if there's anything I can do to help you out, please let me know.

And since this is my first time doing anything like this, please send me all comments, feedback, suggestions, etc. My first official post is on it's way, so be on the lookout!