The things I love are illegal, immoral or addictive.

 I’ve been a smoker for nearly 6 years. I regret that I started and I’ve tried to quit several times but I’ve had no success so far. I know it’s bad for you and I know that it can cause serious illness but at this age I don’t really feel the difference. I keep on telling myself that a time will come when I will quit this once and for all even though I know that there is no perfect time to do this.

People back at home in Bulgaria smoke like it’s a sport and I grew up among them. They enjoy sitting at coffee places with friends gossiping and talking about the stuff that happens in a small city. Smoking cigarettes is a must when drinking a coffee. Americans don’t really do that. They would rather buy coffee in a plastic cup and rush into whatever they are doing. I guess it’s a very European thing, but there is nothing better than spending a lazy afternoon in a coffee/bar with friends after school.

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I came all the way from Bulgaria for this?

10. Snakes - I’ve seen a snake 3 times on campus. Now I am scared to walk in the grass.

9. Crowds in the food court or Starbucks - I don’t know anyone who likes crowds.

8. Ducks in the Business School - Those nosy bastards. They are scared of nothing. they shit everywhere and it gets worse when maintenance decides to clean it. 

7. Girls wearing Uggs - We are in Miami, not Alaska.

6. Skaters - If they skate over a pebble and they fall, they deserve it! There is no place for them on those narrow paths.

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If it’s the “most diverse” university in America, how come all your friends are from Long Island?

Name: Can Gulec

Hometown: Istanbul, Turkey

Grade:  Senior

Major: Finance and Computer Science

How did you end up studying in Miami?  It was either LA or Miami. I asked my cousin to tell me where to go. He suggested that I Google Miami nightclubs and LA nightclubs and go to the one that has more search results.

Most interesting person you met here?  Once I met Neal Schon , while coming out from Mansion. The guy is the guitarist of a group called Journey … the band that plays “Don’t stop believing”. 

What do you do when not in school?  I’ve changed so many past time activities while in Miami. I’ve gone wakeboarding, I am doing yoga, I am reading science, I bought huge binoculars to watch the stars, I am programming and working in the school IT department… Recently I started producing songs. I was always passionate about music and I felt that time has come for me to show my talent to the world.

How do you produce your music? Do you have any musical background?  I bought a midi controller a synthesizer, an electric guitar and an audio interface. I am using Logic to build a song from scratch. I don’t have any formal musical background but it’s really not hard to create music if you have the inspiration. Learning how to use all the functions of Logic is the most annoying part, everything else comes from experimenting.

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Take a shower. Put on some clothes. And go on a date.

You should check out this bistro called Mandolin. It is set in a 1940’s house in Miami on the NE 2nd corridor between the Design District and Historical Buena Vista. You’ll feel like you’re in the Greek islands as soon as you walk through the back garden.  There you’ll find a white-washed building with blue trimmed windows, brimming with bougainvillea, sitting in vintage traditional taverna chairs at wooden tables, under a lantern-lit tree.

Meals you must try:

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track I Follow Rivers (The Magician Remix)
artist Lykke Li

Have you heard of “The Magician”?

His background is shrouded in mystery, his powers are supernatural and his reputation is whispered about among men. He goes by different names, but folks just call him The Magician.

One night not so long ago, he appeared in a place between space and time. It was Thursday night and the place was called Bardot. After a great performance by “Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs” , The Magician came on stage to enchant the crowd for the rest of the night. This song is his most amazing spell and people came under it and danced like there was no tomorrow. Its called “I follow rivers” and its filled with positive energy, happy bongos and playful pianos. I broke the replay button in Youtube after that night. I hope you will enjoy it too.

I, I follow, I follow you … This can be our Tumblr song!


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track Dada Life - Happy Violence (Caveat Remix)
artist Dada Life

Today’s track is remixed by a 15 years old! I was shocked when I read this. I don’t have that much information about this kid who calls himself Caveat. However, I am happy to know that young electronic producers are sharing the love!

The original of the song is done by the Swedish duo Olle and Stefan known as Dada Life. Crazy Swedish freaks! They like to mess around with bananas and champagne. What do I mean?  - Check out this video. 

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Kaskade with a new album!

The most famous American DJ released a new album couple days ago. It is called Fire and Ice and it is a two disc release that represents both sides of the producer. The album contains 10 songs with 2 mixes for each. The way he describes it: “Each song has a version that I could play at 2 a.m. in some nightclub and another version that I might be playing in the car on the way home from a club”.

“I thought it was really important to have a diverse lineup. I think a lot of electronic music fans get really caught up in these micro-genres. But it just needs to be looked at in a broader sense.

There’s a lot of really cool music being made. Some of it’s considered dubstep. Some of it’s techno. Or whatever. So my thing was, ‘Let’s get a really cool variety of acts and different sounds, so a lot of what’s going on in the underground can be represented.’”

In other words, Kaskade is trying to produce music that combines many genres and that appeals to all fans of electronic music. This phenomenon is pretty common. I like to call it Musicalization! But seriously, this is probably what you have to do when you are the biggest DJ in a country like the USA. Interesting fact: Every time Kaskade releases an album, he changes the studio where it’s recorded. So this time he produced his seventh album in Santa Monica with the collaboration of famous artists like Skrillex, Neon Trees, Skyler Grey and more.

You can purchase Fire and Ice on ITunes

The song we chose for you is called “Turn it Down”, featuring Swedish duo Rebecca & Fiona.

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track Nightcall
artist Kavinsky
album Nightcall

Kavinsky - Nightcall
Dark electronica!

French DJs are absolutely outstanding when it comes to electro music and Kavinsky aka Vincent Belogray proves it once again. Born from his own imagination, Kavinsky is a fictional character with some interesting background. His story goes that after crashing his Ferrari Testarossa in 1986, he reappeared as a zombie in 2006 to make dark electronic music. His zombie tales match great with the music videos of his songs, as demonstrated with the track “Testarossa Autodrive”

The song Nightcall is released in 2010 and it has been produced with the help of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (1/2 Daft Punk). Nightcall has also been used as a soundtrack for the movie “Drive”, which came out couple months ago.

Bonus: Interview with Kavinsky