PAULA BRION #120 | Al "HOTMIX" HOLMES - DA TESTIMONY WITH PAULA BRION

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Mm hmmm, mm hmmm, m h m hm, m hm
m hm, m h m hmmm, mm hmmm, m m

(00:23):
mm hmmm, mm hmmm, mm hmmm.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
H The testimony, the testimony, the testimony with Paula Fria,
the Diama for Christ Day.

Speaker 3 (00:45):
Wattle youtuning every Tuesday and not he's since then the.

Speaker 4 (00:54):
Time you are listening to the testimony with Hostel aka
Deeper four.

Speaker 5 (01:05):
Crimes And in case you don't know what that stands for,
it's divinely inspired.

Speaker 3 (01:10):
Vessel appoints it and anointed for a time such as this. Hey,
every Tuesday at nine pm Eastern.

Speaker 5 (01:19):
You don't want to miss scause.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Now.

Speaker 4 (01:33):
Whoo, God, bless you, God, bless you, God bless you.
We are live.

Speaker 6 (01:40):
Whoo.

Speaker 4 (01:40):
I'm so happy and excited. Oh, I tell you nothing
like live on our podcast. And again, yes, this is
Paul Lebrion, the Diva for Christ. And again you know,
like every Tuesday. It hasn't changed since I started this platform.
We do nothing before we go to the Throne of

(02:02):
God in prayer, Father God, I just thank you just
for another opportunity through all the trials and tribulations that's
been going on in this world. But we praise God
that we are still standing yet on this platform. Yes,
it is a new season, we are on a new platform,

(02:23):
but praise God you allowing this to go through for
another Tuesday in twenty twenty five. Thank you, Lord, Thank
you Lord, just for all that you do for your
people and allowing this platform to be used to uplift
and inspire your people. Lord, we thank you again on

(02:45):
today for allowing me to open up my eyes on
today to be able to bring this platform for your people. Again.
Thank you, Lord, thank you, thank you, and many blessings,
many blessings to all the wonderful people that you are
allowing him to be able to listen to this platform
because we've got so much to offer them. Father God,

(03:07):
we ask all this in a precious name above all names,
Jesus Christ.

Speaker 7 (03:12):
A man.

Speaker 4 (03:13):
Amen, Amen, who Yes, Yes, we are here and we
are live and oh my gosh, we're on a new
platform Jerry Royce live, you know, at the mix andlr
dot com platform. And I'm just so blessed to know
that we are here on today, February of twenty twenty five. Yes, wonderful,

(03:39):
wonderful platform that has shown me so much love. So
I want to thank Jerry Royce and a Positive Hour
twenty one family once again just for having me back.
Father God is just in the building. He is doing bigger,
bigger things on today. But we have a wonderful show life.
We always bring you on a Tuesday, bring you an

(04:00):
uplifting and inspiring show for you on today, and this
day would be no different. We bring to the platform
on today a husband, our father, just all around, a videoographer.
He just I mean photographer. He just does everything. Not

(04:24):
to mention, he is a mixed master is what I
call him, a mixed master on today, and he just
does what he does, but of course without a shadow,
without he is a man of God and he is
a gospel DJ. So we've got so much to talk
about with the gentleman coming on and we call him

(04:45):
our hot miant home and he is in the building.

Speaker 6 (04:49):
Alice, you're there, Yes, I am here. How you doing follow?

Speaker 4 (04:56):
I'm so so glad to be live and to be
able to bring you to the listeners. Thank you so
much for taking time out of your business schedule to
allow for this interview. And I just thank you, my brother, God.

Speaker 6 (05:10):
Bless you, God, bless you, thank you for having me
thank you.

Speaker 4 (05:17):
Well, you well deserving of it. I mean, you've been
around for a minute. You are a Chicago baby, and
I'm just so orded to bring you to the platform
because I ain't had too many folks from Chicago, so
it's a blessing for me to be able to bring
you on. And you know, again, you know with this platform,
a lot of this is your first time with me.

(05:38):
So I just got to introduce you to the folks
that are listening and ask you the question that I
ask everyone that comes on and show how did it
begin for you? You've done, you do so much. What
was it that started you on this whole music in
god platform? How did it begin for you?

Speaker 6 (06:02):
It definitely was high school. And my journey is long
and weird because I'm actually I was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas,
but I was raised in Chicago. So I always have
this running joke where I say I'm a city boy
with country boy tendencies because of that.

Speaker 4 (06:29):
The huge thing right there? You different, like like explain
that one that that's what heavy on?

Speaker 6 (06:41):
Yeah, my my uh, my parents was actually part of
the the black migration as they called it, from the South.
Uh he my father actually got wind, you know, from
the Chicago Defender, because Chicagoder actually used to deliver their

(07:04):
papers down to the South via the Pullman trains which
were stationed in Chicago. So the Chicago Defender would give
these new bundles of newspapers to the Pullman cartment and
as they're going through the South, they would dump these
papers off to the side, and that's how the people

(07:25):
would get get the papers. So my father was one
of those people that got the news and learned about
all these opportunities happening in Chicago, and he decided. And
I think one of the things that really helped him
is he he he went to the service. He was
a marine, and one of the things he always told

(07:48):
me was that when he went to different countries and places,
you there was never this color thing. He never felt
that anywhere else he went. He was a person and
he only felt the color thing when he came back
to the States. So I think by having that experience,

(08:09):
you know, going to different places he's never been. Don't
know anybody, you know, he was comfortable with leaving the
South because you know, you have some people that get
so comfortable being in a place and they may have
a fear of getting outside their comfort zone, they'll usually
stay where they at. But you know, I think by

(08:30):
him being a military sort of helped make that decision, like, well,
we're going to Chicago, and that's exactly what he did.
We went to Chicago, and of course when we got
to Chicago, you know, there's this black great black migration.
So in other words, that we had. Another thing happened

(08:51):
in Chicago called white flight. White people started moving out.
So that was my experience. I pretty much started first
grade and Chicago, and because of the white flight, a
lot of the Catholic schools were sending out recruiters to
the grammar schools. So when I was in eighth grade,

(09:11):
a recruiter came to our school from Mendo and they
had an open house. So they invited us, and I
told my parents about it and they said, oh sure.
So I went out there and I was blown away,
you know, because with the Archdiocese and everything, this Mendo,
which is for people not from Chicago, became a very

(09:35):
very popular school on the South side of Chicago because
of our parties. And when I went there and went
to my first homecoming party, that was the first time
I heard house music. And then experiencing the parties at
this school and the culture around it. That's when I

(09:59):
sort of got hooked to music because I loved that
the music was different, it was energetic because I never
heard it. And then to the culture where it was
just so all inclusive, you know, black, white, Latinos. You know.
Then as I got older as an adult, you know,
and started going to clubs, the culture expanded, so I'm

(10:20):
seeing business people, you know, street people, e collected people.
So it definitely started in high school because Mendo was
a very musical school, which I hope to do a
I really want to do a sort of a document
on that school because a lot there's so many people

(10:41):
that came out of that school that people don't realize,
like Peter Setera, the lead singer for Chicago, he came
out Mendel.

Speaker 4 (10:51):
Then you have.

Speaker 6 (10:54):
You know, Then you have DJ Wayne Williams of the
Chosen Few, who was also an R at Jive Records,
who was responsible for bringing r Kelly to Jive Records.
He was also responsible for when Jasey Jeffery Fresh Princess
with Jive and they did that ring My Bell Saw

(11:15):
that House remixed done by mister Lee. That was his
suggestion because it was an r But he's from Mendel.
Then a lot of people may remember E Smooth who
was part of the collective with Steve Silk, Curly Maurice,
Joshua and Dat Smooth. His name is Eric Miller. We

(11:37):
were classmates, we ran tracked together. So he's from Mendel.
Then you go to the gospel side. You have Mark
Hubbard and the voices. Mark Cupboard's a year older me.
He's class eighty four. He's from Mental So it's you know,
music was a really big part of that school, and
that's sort of how I got wrapped up into it.

Speaker 1 (12:00):
Ah.

Speaker 4 (12:01):
You you throwing some heavyweights out there. I'll tell you.
That's what I love about you, because you definitely know
your history. I mean, but I didn't know you was historic.
This is like such a welcomed interview, especially for Black
History Month. I mean, I want to thank you because
I didn't even I mean, I didn't even expect that.
You know what I'm saying, You are historic and your family,

(12:24):
you know, just for for the way that transition, you
know you It's very rare you speak to someone on
an interview level that has this kind of rich history
that goes back and you know as to you know
the travelers and you know, moving from Plateau to Plateau,
and you know migration pretty much. So I really thank you.

(12:45):
This is this is like a history lesson right here.
So I thank you so much for that. But I
definitely hear that you you got your start and in
a place that welcomed you, which is of course is
truly what black history is all about.

Speaker 7 (13:02):
People.

Speaker 4 (13:02):
Is just wonderfully hear that everybody came together. I realized
that white folks might have ran a little bit, but
I know they didn't run that far, you know, not
that fast, you know, so you was definitely in the
midst of the whole thing. And praise God, you don't
have those horrible stories, you know, to tell. And it's
wonderful to hear that it was a great experience for you,

(13:24):
because for most it might have been you know, went
left right here we as we know all that always.

Speaker 6 (13:31):
Said my most I've always said my most enjoyable time
in my life was my years in high school.

Speaker 7 (13:40):
Wow.

Speaker 6 (13:40):
So they were just so instrumental for it. I just
had so much fun, you know, that's it. I just
had the most fun during my high school years. And
then Mendel was a college preparatory school, so even though
it's high schools preparing you for college. So everything was
set up like the college. You have the different classes

(14:01):
that you go to, you're doing college entry level type classes.
So what that said, you know, with all the graduates,
we are still tight to this day because just like
in college you have fraternities. Well just coming out of Mendo.
Anybody who comes out of Mendo is like a fraternity, like,

(14:22):
oh wow, you you know blue Smoke, You're you're a
Mendel Man, you know. So that camaraderie is still in
place from a high school level, which is you know,
another testament in itself.

Speaker 7 (14:37):
Wow.

Speaker 6 (14:37):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (14:37):
That and and Nick, you know, I've come across a
lot of schools like that ladder on uh in my
my days, I mean, you know, just teaching. You know,
as a teacher, there was a lot of charter schools.
More so they just started doing that or realizing that,
you know, to say children up for success, you know,

(14:58):
to do those kind of different departments was instrumental and
made such a difference, you know. So it's good to
hear that back even back then, it really you know
that took precedence of that school, so that's just a
blessing before God. I mean you you said they music
was like like instrumental for you. And I realized, like

(15:21):
I said that, you you you, I know your house head,
you know as we call it in the house community.
But was it house that you started off with? Was
it gospel even that you started off with, or it
was just all kinds of music? I know that you
know that, you know, you had influences around you, So
how did it actually like was it house that you

(15:43):
grabbed onto immediately? You know, being Chicago based, you know
that's where where it started from. So I'm just trying
to figure out, you know, it was that uh something
that you started with or did you gradually evolve into
house music?

Speaker 6 (15:59):
Well, my parents parents love music, So you know my parents,
you know, had records and everything which they allowed me
to listen to. So I've always been in music. And
even while I was in grammar school, I would do
chores and get allowance that I would buy forty fives.
So that's how much I love music. But it was

(16:22):
but it was the same shared same share love for
music as my parents was because I listened to everything,
and even back then radio was pretty segregated, I guess
that's the best word, because you didn't have, you know,

(16:43):
like an R and B station in Rocketer. Everything was
sort of getting played on the same stations, right. So
I came up, you know, listening to everything, pop, rock,
funk and all those things. But definitely when I got to, uh,
got to high school, and I heard house music for
the first time, and to experience that culture, that that

(17:08):
definitely was the hook. That's why you know, I play everything.
I listen to everything because I just appreciate music, but
house is definitely my heart, my favorite. That that that's
why I lean into and and once again, the culture
of house really segued me into the gospel house because

(17:31):
one I went to a Catholic school my mother. My
father wasn't really religious, but my mom is definitely a believer,
so we always went to church. She was Baptist, so
and well, that was a crazy dynamic coming up Baptist
going to a Catholic church, I mean Catholic school. And
to this day, I still don't know what each fell

(17:55):
means because I still don't know when to niel, when
to stand up, when to sit, I got look out
to the person to decide. I never learned that part,
so I'm admitting that right now I've never learned that part.
So but yeah, but but that it was definitely the segue.
So God has always been lingering around. But that, like

(18:20):
I said, house music and the culture, it has the
same culture as a believer's culture. So that segue, uh,
it really it was there. But the main segue was
definitely when it, like for most people, when I started
having kids, and the kids is what really pushed me

(18:41):
over because at that point, you know, I'm older, I'm
spinning at the clubs by them. And then I always
knew like at some point the kids may be like,
well what do you do? And da da da, and
I'm like, well, I can't take them to the clubs
to show them what I do. So that moment where

(19:02):
I say, you know what, let me sort of switch
my direction, and that's when I started leaning heavier to
to the gospel house.

Speaker 4 (19:12):
Understand I truly understand that's you know, that the word,
you know, and and making sure that the annoying is around,
you know, or especially as a father, and you know,
I definitely understand that and could relate to that as
a single mom, uh, just raising my daughter. I started out,
you know, in the in the house arena when house

(19:35):
wasn't even a full word yet, you know. So I'm
in that eighties house here, you know. So my first
deal was with Tommy Boy Records when hip hop was prominent,
So they didn't really even know what to do with
me as an house as a house artist, but they
knew that it was something that was coming, you know
what I'm saying. But like you said, I felt led

(19:57):
to stay there and deal with my daughter.

Speaker 7 (20:00):
Family meant a lot.

Speaker 4 (20:01):
To me, just like you said, Uh, being I was
brought up in the Catholic Church, so I truly understand.
I went to Catholic school all my life, you know,
and I and I had stopped at high school. I
just kept going college, you know. I just had that
that you know, uh thing my mother felt that that
was a better education, you know, and and I just
ran with it. I just ran with that. But yeah,

(20:23):
it's it's it's a it's something about wanting to be
there for your children and you know, uh, having making
a difference in what they would be listening to, you know,
and and trying to give it more of a positive
spill uh on music, you know, and trying to take

(20:43):
back what the devil has tried to steal and taint,
you know, in the music industry. But I also like you,
you know, because we're around the same age to kind
a sort of kind of so it's like, you know,
we we had those like W A DC, you know,
where you listen to every kind of music. And who, yeah,

(21:06):
who attracted me was Mahelia Jackson. My mother used to
play Mahellia all the time, you know, and that kind
of helped me in bridging you know, my music influence
as far as on gospel level. But I too, like
you say, with the house arena, you know, just just
it's freeing, uh. And that's when people ask me, well,

(21:26):
why do you sing house music? And you know it's
a freeing It's it's liberating because there's no set uh
should I say, uh, there's no set uh format for
house music. You know, like R and B had a
platform a certain way. You did the intro, you did
the verse, you did the chorus, you know, you did

(21:47):
the bridge, you know, you know, all that kind of stuff.
But when it came down to house music, like I
was one of those that they said, come on in
the studio and just scream, just scream they call a scream,
you know, just ad lib and that's my and that's
my I'm a a's that that adlban thing because of it.
But it's what you feel, it's what God has given you,
you know, as a gospel uh house artist, you know,

(22:10):
it's it's all about what God is given and that
and that's what ends up displayed on the recordings. And
there's none it's just like the dancing, you know, there's
it's known for dance, you know, for people to come
out there and do their thing, you know, But like
you said, it's it's a freeing thing. It's it's liberating.
It's not so confining like a lot of the other music,

(22:32):
even gospel, even gospel, I gotta say it, sometimes that
could be very very very all yeah, stagnant, you know
what I'm saying. And a lot of people don't appreciate
the house music most times, because you can incorporate dance
as well as you know the gospel. Right, But we
know better, we know better.

Speaker 6 (22:52):
We're here to make a different right out exactly. Matter
of fact, I will add another layer to what you're
talking about, because like especially with the genre house music,
I'll always call it, you know, I always call house
music the offspring of disco, and just like disco, part

(23:14):
of the gou disco crossed over the house and part
of that culture is to get the LGTV cute community,
and so they're they're always present, you know, in these
in these circles. But the sort of talk about you know,
the add on which was talking about, you know, where

(23:34):
there's there's these there it's open, there's no constraint, there's
a frame. The other level to that is that in
these environments you are in a non non judgment zone,
which is the part that I picked up on every
time I go to a house event, because like I said,

(23:55):
the crowd was very very mixed, all types of cultures,
all types of raceists, all types of backgrounds. But no,
you know, you even had Gothic people when that was
a thing coming into a house party. Long long as
everybody in that room came there to listen to house music.

(24:16):
And because that there was no judgment, nobody looked at
you sideways. Everybody was there for the music. So that
that element is one of the strongest elements that really
attached me to house music because it is a and
and for anybody who our house heads, I think that

(24:37):
is one of the major factors that makes that such
uh a likable genre because you are in a non
judgment zone.

Speaker 7 (24:49):
Yes, yes, right, you're right.

Speaker 4 (24:53):
There was no color code, there was no color color cold.
You know, you just was who you were was. I mean,
even down to the to the to the bathrooms. It
was unisex.

Speaker 2 (25:04):
You know.

Speaker 4 (25:04):
That was the first time I was to a unisex bathroom.
You know, when you go in the bathroom and everybody
went in the bathroom, you know, which was kind of traumatizing,
you know for someone you know who's never been there.
But you know, but it was just like you said,
it was that freeing. And unfortunately, you know, the name
house or dance, it just gets stigmat you know, I

(25:27):
I you know, some people just don't appreciate it, don't
welcome it because of the reputation of like you said,
just how free it was. Right it has. But a
lot of things happened in that world, you know what
I'm saying. A lot of things are made such a
difference and and and and and kind of uh. I know,
so many that that got saved on them very you

(25:51):
know clubs, you know, in them clubs and on those floors.
You know, many folk I know and like clubs like
garage and all these you know, people change, It changed
their life, you know what I'm saying. And but you
you know, unfortunately they don't see that. They don't know that,
you know what I'm saying, and and you know, they
it's just got a bad rap. You know, it's got

(26:13):
a bad rap for so many years. So it's definitely
up to us, as you know, a house people, to
just make the difference and and and spread the good
news that you know, God is everywhere, right, God is everywhere,
even in the clubs, you know, because you have I
have sang gospel songs during one club and days, and

(26:35):
you know, I mean, I'm gonna take God everywhere I go.
You know, That's what we do, right, That's what we do. So,
you know, for people to be.

Speaker 6 (26:46):
Very crazy, you said that because, like like I said,
being going especially back in the day the early eighties
when you know, you had the warehouse parties and literally
you have three, four, five, eight hundred people all in
this building, all different backgrounds, and like I said, it
takes you out this bubble, and it's an eye opener,

(27:08):
you know, like I said, because you just to see
that and experience that, you know, it's it's it's very powerful.
And as you know, a lot of people in the
house community, you know, there's this saying, you know, house it,
you know is a spiritual thing because there is a
spituality element involved in house is it because of this

(27:32):
community and sharing this time and space at the same time,
and there's no judgment, you know, So it's it's just
a very it's just such a freeing and powerful non
judgment environment and it's very eye opening. And and there
somebody had a saying where once you once you learn something,

(27:57):
you can't go back to the way you were her meaning,
once you get exposed to something, you can't go back
to the way you was. So and that's that's a
very powerful thing to understand where if more people had

(28:17):
experiences like that, you know, we might be living in
a way more different world today having those experiences.

Speaker 4 (28:27):
Yes, I agree, I agree, it was, it was, it
was wonderful. It was a wonderful experience.

Speaker 6 (28:33):
Then when when I got married with my first wife,
we had we got divorced and everything, and she was
telling me, well before we got divorced, but like I said,
shortly after we had kids and I made that switch.
It was like, well, you know, now that you're saved

(28:54):
and everything, you should get rid of all your records.
And Paula, I gotta tell you, I really struggled with
that because because the house community has always been positive.
It's the only party you can go to where there's
tons of people shoulder to shoulder and you don't have

(29:17):
an incident, there's never a fight, there's none of that stuff.
So when my first wife presented me with that, I
really struggle it because I was like, I don't see
nothing wrong with this music. The majority of it is
extremely positive. And even back then you had what we

(29:40):
would call now gospel house, but it wasn't called it then.
It was just another househof. But the majority of house
music was always positive and inspirational. So when she said so,
when she said that, I really had a problem, like
I don't see a problem with this music. So I

(30:03):
never got rid of all my vinyl. I actually just
left it in my mom's basement because I really didn't
see a problem with it. And thankfully today you know
I'm glad I didn't do that like a lot of
other guys, did, you know, because now becoming a remixer producer,

(30:23):
that is my sound Liarbrary. And because so much of
this music was on independent labels, you can't go to
iTunes and get a lot of this stuff. And that
we're talking twelve inches. So these twelve inches had the
main mixed of mixed acapella instrumental. You're not going to
find all that stuff on iTunes. So I am thankful

(30:47):
that I didn't do that, and I kept all my
vinyl records because it's definitely my sound library now.

Speaker 4 (30:56):
Yes, yes, and praise God for that because like you said,
you know, classics, their classics, you know, and and and history. Yeah,
they're historic, you know what I'm saying. So it's it's
blessed God that you do have those, uh that music.
But yeah, and I mean that's really what house music
ended up being about in the eighties, you know, in

(31:18):
the you know eighties, eighties, you know, it's like you know,
people from Luther on down, you know, major people would
find it uh a good thing to take and and
put a new mix as they would put us say,
on their songs. You know, So we talked about classic
songs that got a house mixed and it really breathed,

(31:40):
breathed life into a lot of these old songs, you
know what I'm saying, and brought them back, you know
what I'm saying. Where you know, back in the day,
it would have been just like okay, that song did
you know, but house music and dance music allowed it
for people to revitalize you know, songs you know that
were all hits, but make them even bigger hits and

(32:02):
people don't realize you know that That's what was going
on with with the House Arena. You know, that's why
it became such a huge thing. I mean, everybody from
Michael Jackson had had a dance version of their songs.
You know, remember the time with my favorite like you know,
you know, a friend of mine, dear friend of mine,
Roger s did the mix on that, so it was

(32:23):
and then my other friend he did the mix on
uh what is it Britney Spears Genie in the Bottle,
you know, so it's like you know, in those songs,
and he breathed like it was. It became a whole
new song because of the mixes. So you know again.
But you know when you talk about gospel house, you know,
now we're trying to break this down for you know,

(32:47):
our spiritual folk, you know, and make them understand you
know that that it's it's it's you know, it's it's
an a uh nothing new.

Speaker 7 (32:57):
Then, you know.

Speaker 4 (32:58):
And I guess we were we go with the same
kind of uh teen labor pains as I put it
as hip hop when you know, when they was trying
to break into the gospel community. And we're still, like
I said, we're still yet pushing right on this house,
this gospel house thing. So you know, and I mean

(33:18):
you know, I'm gonna ask you, you know, about this
organization that we are part of. I'm gonna have you
to talk a little bit about that that DJ thing,
you know, so that people get just what it's all.

Speaker 6 (33:29):
About, you know, Uh yeah, just give you a little history.
We are part of the Gospel DJ movement, celebrating uh
fifty years now of our founder, DJ Doctor D out
in New York. And I've been knowing Doctor D since

(33:54):
the late nineties because back in that time, Doctor D
had a gospel record pool called Higher Ground, and that's
sort of how I got familiar with doctor d and
for me as a DJ, which is interesting because during

(34:16):
that transition, when I said that, Okay, i'm gonna change
my music, I'm gonna start doing gospel house, the concept
of a gospel DJ was unheard of, Like what is that?
We're talking late nineties, like what's that? Okay, what's gospel?
Gospel house? What's that? But at that time I was
playing everything too, So I'm playing gospel house, I'm doing

(34:39):
rhythm and praise, I'm doing holy hip hop, and I'm
gonna be honest. I truly believe the late nineties going
into the early two thousands, just talking from a DJ perspective,
was the renaissance of gospel music. You had gospel centric
with Franklin kirk Car Gospel Gangsters twenty five to seven,

(35:07):
on top of the already established artists you know as
Donnie mckirkland's, Yolanda Adams. It was there was just so
much new fresh music coming out during that period and
what and any DJ, any gospel DJ. I'll tell you this,

(35:31):
it was a breath of fresh air and God sense
because what allowed us to do as DJs, we were
able to play at venues, play gospel music right alongside
with all the radio music and don't lose the dance
floor because the music was just that fresh stat hots,

(35:53):
So I can go right out of Mary J. Blige
and go into a Mary Mary Salt because it held
its own it was just as good. And for me
as a DJ, that was huge. That was huge, you know.
That was like to to to to play gospel music

(36:15):
and not lose the floor was was huge and uh
like I said that, that was just for me a
renaissance time. And I one of my goals as part
of being the gospel industry uh DJ movement is really

(36:39):
revamping and and creating pathways for more new gospel artists
with more gospel sounds rather be rhythm praise, hip hop, calypso, reggae,
gospel steppers. It's all out there, you know, and I

(37:00):
just want to be able to expose people to it
because I tell people all the time, I said, whatever
form of music you enjoy in the world, there's a
gospel version of it. And I believe now we live
in a time and even hip hop's talking about that
because I know ll COJ been challenging a lot of

(37:23):
the old school hip hop heads because they can play like, well,
all these new young rappers, all they're talking about is
three subjects, violence, guns, sex, and drugs. And he said, well,
why don't you do something about it? So instead of
complaining about what the youngins are doing, he's like, want

(37:43):
to do something about it. Create the balance. And I
believe what we collectively do, you being a gospel house artist,
me being a DJ, and everybody else involved when it
comes to music today, we already know the problem. It's
so negative, it's so angry, but we are the balance

(38:04):
we have. We have to create that balance. We have
to be playing all this great positive music to balance
that out, to give people a choice. My favorite scene
in Malcolm X is when Denzel Washington is talking about
Elijah Muhamets and he has the two glasses of water

(38:27):
and he's holding the water. He said, and he said,
and he pours the ink in it and it taints
the water. He said, if this is all you offer
to people, they have no choice. They have to drink it.
But then he gets the clear cup of glass of
water and he said, but if you give people a choice,

(38:50):
nine times out of ten people will make the right choice.
And I looked at us as being that clears of water.
If we present people that clear glass of water, people
will make the obvious choice. But the choice has to be.

Speaker 7 (39:08):
There, exactly exactly. I agree with you.

Speaker 4 (39:13):
You know, you have to be able to give him
a choice. And you know that that's what you know,
God is all about, right, He doesn't ram his thing
down on you. He gives you that choice, you know
what I'm saying. We all have that choice, you know,
to make. You know, whether we're gonna choose to walk
with God or you know, choose the other. You definitely

(39:34):
have a choice, you know. But again, you know, it's
it's really important because I'm a stickle about because I
believe that God has given me a calling to to
take back what the devil has stole. And so doing
house music was just what the doctor ordered for me.

(39:54):
And you know, because you could take a song that
you loved, you know, and you can flip it, know,
and you could bring it into the house arena and
get folks to dance to it. Tremaine Hawkins fall Down.
I'll never forget when that came out. I mean because
ten City, I didn't even know Follow Me was a gospel,
so I didn't even know I just was too big dance.
You know what I'm saying. I ain't gonna lie to you,

(40:16):
But when Tremaine came out Will Fall Down, I was
like why you know? So you know, I mean it
just took you know, gospel and a house or dance
level to a whole other level, seriously, and it made
people like appreciate, you know, start to appreciate and look

(40:36):
at look at it a little differently. But again I
know that we still have yet so far to go
with that whole thing. So God bless the DJ movement.
You know, we on the move. We're gonna make this thing,
do what to do? And you know, my brother doctor Beep,
you know, this his only thing, you know, because I
was with him. We go way back and we had

(40:58):
the Gospel Lighthouse and he had folk doing electric slide
you know, while he was playing the gospel tunes you know,
uh in Empire roll skating ring and we go way
back with that, you know. So he's he's been invested
into this a long time. And that's why we call
him the original gospel DJ because he just Brooklyn. He yeah,

(41:20):
he did his thing, you know, and and made it,
like you said, the record pool, Uh and and some
of the other great DJs that was a part of that.
So I just thank you for bringing that up, because,
like I said, people need to understand that it's a movement.
It's all about a movement and making a change and being.

Speaker 7 (41:37):
A part of that.

Speaker 4 (41:38):
I'm ded to be a part of that as a
as a house artist, and and you know, teaming up
with DJs, which we've.

Speaker 6 (41:46):
Done for so long.

Speaker 4 (41:48):
It's so funny. You know, most DJs don't You wouldn't
even know what I look like, but they was playing
my songs, you know. So it's so such a blessing
to see us all come together and be able to
look at each other's face to say, yeah, I know
Paul Abreon, and I know our home you know, as
a DJ, you know what happened to me?

Speaker 6 (42:10):
I got. I have a little insight. I saw I
watched an interview they did a documentary on hip house
when because late nineties hip house blew up when they
incorporated hip hop with house and Sun Dance. Said something
very enlightening, and I think it's one of the things

(42:32):
that sort of happened because once again in the era
when you was with Tommy Boy and everything and house,
the house and hip hop was new, but at once,
at some point, hip hop took over the airways. Even
though house was so such a dominant genre. Hip hop

(42:53):
comes in and then house gets pushed to the sides. Yea,
and she bought a few things that but she brought
up a really revvant point. One of the things that
hip hop did that house didn't was hip hop had
music Videos's her majority of hip hop artists had music videos.

(43:18):
So going back to what you just said about people
knowing who you are. When it came to hip hop,
people knew the artists because they saw them, They saw
them on the videos, and you really didn't have that
on the house side. House. The house industry really didn't
lean in some music videos, which I think what really

(43:39):
hurts that genre back in those early days. So like
say you didn't Yeah, Paula Breonn was getting played everywhere,
but you didn't know how she looked. Marshall Jefferson, you know,
gotta have house huge, how he looked because there was
never a video. Oh, I think she really hit it

(44:01):
on the head that house never really got visual as
far as hip hop. But what I do enjoy is
that going back to hip hop. Hip hop has sort
of had this full journey now where house coming back
to house, especially now with gospel house. House music has

(44:24):
never completed its journey because there's still so many places
you can go to where people don't know what house
music is or never heard of it because of that
switch that happened. So now to come back and to
be doing gospel house now you know forty years because

(44:45):
house is forty years in where hip hop is fifty.
But now you know, we are more polished, we're more refined,
we are more skilled at what we do. So now
to come back with gospel house, where we are much
better at everything we do, We've also added skills. And

(45:07):
you still have a population of people that never heard
gospel house, let alone house. So I think there's another
movement that will be a part of of this new
push of dance music because there's still a huge population
that has no clue of what house music is. So

(45:30):
to introduce them the house music, especially gospel house and
something positive where everybody's looking for some positive, I just
think it's going to be huge and that'll be the
start of completing the journey when it comes to dance music.

Speaker 4 (45:46):
Yes, yes, well, praise God. I'm still standing in.

Speaker 7 (45:53):
God.

Speaker 6 (45:55):
And to share something I'm going to share a little
secret with with your like coming from a remixer producer standpoint,
where you was talking about how even back in the
day that your major artists were getting their songs remixed
and you know, totally new song and sort of revamp
the song. House music. Here's a little inside secret that

(46:19):
people really haven't picked up on. House music is the
only genre of music where you can take an establish
all let's say you already have a hit and it's
tried and true, people know it, it's a hit. House
music is the only genre where you could take that
hit and literally come with the new remix every three

(46:42):
to five years and basically update the sound. If that
song was done in nineteen eighty and every two to
three years the sound change, so you could come back
in eighty three, eighty four, do a remix, update the sound,
and now the song is back in heavy rotation, because
like you said, now it's a new version, it's a

(47:02):
new mix, and it's updated, and the song is already
a hit. It's already proven, so now you're just putting
that back in heavy rotation.

Speaker 7 (47:12):
H that's right.

Speaker 6 (47:13):
You come back again at eighty six, and he's just
it's the only genre of music you get to get
to get away with that.

Speaker 4 (47:22):
Yeah that I'm telling you that that that I mean.
But you know, again, you know, folk have to be
edulicated here about that kind of stuff. They really they
really don't understand the value of house and what it
does to the music industry itself, you know, and the
writers and the you know, and the producers and you know,
it just it just gives it a whole nother world.

(47:44):
What was exciting for me was for the DJs to
actually pick it up and do what they do best,
you know. And like I said, DJs for so long
have kept us alive, you know, as the artist, you know,
And it's so it's such a blessing to see, you know,
you know that they've come together and you're definitely under

(48:07):
the gospel umbrella to do a greater work in Him
and for Him for the sake of the Lord. And again,
I believe just God has compelled us to take back
our music in every form and fashion, you know. And
and and it doesn't leave house music out of that equation,
because that's one platform that can do it. And and

(48:30):
I agree with you so much. Yeah, house music is
without a shadow of a doubt, can revitalize and bring
back on what the devil tried to steal. So, you know,
thank God, you know, thank God for house.

Speaker 6 (48:45):
And even going into gospel music itself. Now coming from
the you know, dance community, you already know this. Every
other genre of music understands and utilizes the power of
the DJ. Hip Hop's been doing it. R and B's
been doing it. How those music's been doing it. The

(49:08):
gospel music industry is the only industry that has never
utilized DJs. They've utilized radio and radio announcers, but they
never utilize DJs. They never plugged in to that network
that everybody else already understands. So for a lot of

(49:31):
people in the gospel music industry, they really don't understand
how we move, how we promote, how we push music,
how we make it popular on the street level, because
for those who don't know that's on the gospel side,
it's the DJs at the street level that pushes the

(49:52):
music to get played. If the radio isn't playing it,
but the DJs are making it hot. Because let's just
put everything in perspective for your listeners. There are literally
millions of DJs on all many different levels, but no
matter what the level the DJ is, they're all important

(50:14):
because they have an audience. So you have DJs that
do you know, family reunions, birthdays, things of that nature.
Then you have mobile DJs they're doing weddings, they're doing
company events. You have radio mixed DJs that are on
the radio and doing mixes and things of that nature.
You have club DJs that are in the clubs. So

(50:37):
there is literally millions of DJs. And when it comes
to DJs, and this is directed to artists who are
listening to the show, DJs are not political artists who's
already been trying to get their music played on the radio,
and they'll get all this pushback because they're not a
major artist, or they're not on a major label, or

(50:59):
nobody knows owes you. When it comes to DJ, you
can literally take your music to any DJ and if
it's hot, they're.

Speaker 7 (51:07):
Going to play it, point blank, period, no bias.

Speaker 6 (51:11):
No question asked. And every other genre of music understands
this and has utilized It's gospel music has not tapped
in to this culture. So that's another part that really
makes what we're doing with the gospel DJ movement so

(51:31):
important because this will be the first time that the
gospel industry is going to start tapping into what DJs,
especially now gospel DJs bring to the table and the
effect that it can have.

Speaker 4 (51:49):
I'll tell you this is a topic. This is a
topic everybody, listeners, you are truly being blessed by miss
aw how mixed home his house uh language and and
and historics, you know, because he's a research guru. You
know what I'm saying. If y'all don't know, I know
you can hear it at this point. But you know,

(52:11):
we we got to bring you back, my brother, because
you're just amazing. You got so much knowledge, and this
show is just not enough time, but I forget everything
that we need to get.

Speaker 6 (52:22):
It out, you know with you.

Speaker 4 (52:24):
But you know, before we go, I just want to
thank you and and and show you appreciation just for
you coming on this platform and blessing the listeners with
DJing and what it's all about, and and and house
DJ and gospel house djaying. So I truly appreciate you
so much for coming on and and just blessing the listeners.

(52:44):
But I definitely want to take this time out to
have you to give your information so that they can
actually come uh and contact you personally. You know, again,
any any emails or any I don't know about a number,
but any emails or anything you'd like them to reach out,
Facebook page, that kind of thing, and then ask that
my brother, my spiritually is I'm going to ask you

(53:08):
to pray us out, pray us out.

Speaker 6 (53:13):
I have. I have no problem giving about my number
because it's public. Anyway you go on Facebook, it's there.
So anybody want to contact me, whether you know the
DJing event or if you're artists who want to get remixed,
or you know, whatever you know when it comes to music,
I am open and I'm also getting into the music

(53:36):
video Era, which is another skill set that I picked up,
which everybody keep your eyes open because we will be
dropping Paula's new music video next month with a new remix.
They can't tell it all, but you can reach me
at seven seven three six three one two. That's seven

(54:01):
seven three six ninety nine three one two seven. You
can catch me on all the platforms, whether it be Facebook, Instagram,
mixed cloud, Twitch, just look up our hot mixed homes
h O T M I X and homes just like
sure like h O L M E s Our Hot

(54:23):
Mix homes I will pop up. And I am not
a hard person of five yeah, so I'm a very
easy person to follow and get in contact with me.

Speaker 8 (54:35):
I'm not unreachable as it reachable totally totally, And we
just blessed God for you and again you know, listen
as you've just been blessed.

Speaker 4 (54:46):
This is our homes Hot mixed the Man and he's done,
and he's done a wonderful job. At can't telling all.

Speaker 7 (54:54):
That's the song that I have.

Speaker 4 (54:56):
So it's available on all platforms, so please feel free
to check it out. By the Spirit Boys, you know
what I'm saying, his production company, and it was a
blessing for you to us to have you a part
of that project. And I just want to let the
listeners know that you could go on my Facebook page
pull Abrion and you could also listen to some mixes

(55:16):
hot and mixes you know by our home friends out broke.

Speaker 6 (55:24):
All right, Father God, we thank you so much to
be able to get together and have conversations and let
the world be the fly on the wall and listen
to some good talking conversation, inspirational conversation, positive compation, inspirational conversation,

(55:44):
uh following, thank you for this opportunity and that there'll
be many more. We also thank you for everybody who
stopped by to listen. We prayed that you know, somebody's
been touched or somebody's been inspired to something great or
go that next step. We pray that if somebody came

(56:06):
and they were a little depressed or feeling down and out,
that you know, this conversation has sort of enlightened and
helped them in some type of way to let them
know that there's a community for them, that there's love
out here and not just hating this world. And Father,
that not only that, but not only are we lights,

(56:27):
but there are inspired to be lights themselves wherever they go.
Because our job is to spread your light. So we
want to Father, ignite as many flames as possible inside
this world. Father, we just thank you for that opportunity.
We thank you for connecting great people in great minds

(56:48):
and positive people. It's all about positive, it's all about love.
Is what you exemplify, Father, and we just want to
exemplify what you are, and that's love. Father, So we
pray love and abundance and peace on everybody under the
sound of our voices and those who will be listening later. Father,

(57:09):
And we just thank you Father for putting us and
giving us this opportunity to be cheerleaders and to be
forerunners and trailblazers for this new movement of.

Speaker 7 (57:24):
Amen Jesus Name, Amen, Amen, Amen.

Speaker 4 (57:30):
Amen, my brother ow Hot mixed home in the house
and in the building. And I just bless God for
positive power twenty one and Jerry Royce who brings us
every Tuesday at nine pm Eastern Standard time. God, bless you, God,
bless you, God, bless you. Thank you everybody for coming
and having us in your presence on today. Thank you

(57:54):
Jesus in the precious name above all names.

Speaker 7 (57:57):
Amen, Amen, thank you.

Speaker 4 (58:01):
Ain't you out o your pa saving God bless.

Speaker 3 (58:12):
H m.

Speaker 1 (58:16):
Hm m h m hm m hm m hm m
hm m m m hmmm mm hmmm mm hmmm.

Speaker 2 (58:41):
H The testimony, the testimony, the testimony.

Speaker 3 (58:47):
With paul A Frea, the diva for christ Day.

Speaker 4 (58:58):
Don't wadn't shift you.

Speaker 2 (59:01):
Refuse at nine He's since then.

Speaker 3 (59:05):
The time.

Speaker 2 (59:08):
You are listening to this testimony with hostels, all are
ak a deep be four crime an.

Speaker 5 (59:17):
In case you don't know what that stands for, it's
the finely inspired.

Speaker 3 (59:22):
Vessel appointed and anointed for a time such as this. Hey,
every Tuesday at nine pm Eastern, you don't.

Speaker 4 (59:31):
Want to miss speaker Trom.

Speaker 1 (59:35):
Now, come on now, Trom, now, come on now

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PAULA BRION #120 | Al "HOTMIX" HOLMES

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}PAULA BRION #120 | Al "HOTMIX" HOLMES