Categories: AlbumsMusic

Various Artists - Pulse Orlando Benefit Album

At the one-year mark of a day that shall live in infamy, Centaur Entertainment releases one of the most important benefit albums ever created – the Official Pulse Orlando Gay Days Benefit Album.

What happened on Sunday, June 12, 2016 was a horrific day in Orlando and in our nation. Pulse Nightclub in Orlando became the site of the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman on U.S. soil, resulting in the untimely deaths of 49 innocent souls.

On May 4, 2017, onePULSE Foundation unveiled plans for the creation of a permanent memorial and announced the formation of a national Board of Trustees, including the establishment of a significant fund. This fund will support the construction and maintenance of the memorial, community grants to care for the survivors and victims’ families, an educational program to promote amity among all segments of society, endowed scholarships for each of the 49 angels and ultimately a museum showcasing the historic artifacts and stories from the event. Our goal is to create a sanctuary of hope around this tragic day in our history that honors the 49 innocent lives that were taken, the 68 injured victims, the families that were forever changed, survivors from inside the club, the rapid responders and healthcare professionals.

Enter Centaur, a Grammy nominated record label, and also the largest LGBT record label. Centaur decided to produce a benefit album to help fund the onePULSE Foundation and memorial, and got the approval of Pulse owner, Barbara Poma. Centaur reached out to artists, record labels, DJs, remixxers and more to create a coalition of people and companies to donate their time, services and love to an album to achieve this goal. One Hundred percent (100%) of proceeds from the sale of this album will go directly to the onePULSE Foundation.

“We wanted to send the message that we as an LGBT community, and we as a nation, can and will rise up, remember the 49 innocent angels, and return to the dance floor unafraid and with our angels by our sides,” said Nick De Biase, Centaur’s president and the album’s producer. “Love always conquers hate!”

De Biase reached out to the owner of Pulse, Barbara Poma, and the two shared a heartfelt and tearful conversation. “Centaur understood the difficult road we were traveling, “ said Poma. “On behalf of our Board of Trustees, we thank everyone you for your support. This is a defining mission and healing initiative for those involved and we are grateful to find supporters who share our vision and understand the sacred responsibility to which we have been entrusted.”

The special songs on this benefit album take on a new life and an even deeper meaning when heard and listened to in light of the Pulse tragedy. DJ Randy Bettis, who helped to compile these songs, carefully crafted them into a continuous mix.

When I’m Dreaming, a beautifully haunting song from Peyton. “Don’t say goodbye, you know it makes me cry, that this is not right, not even close. Still I feel you like the sun upon my face. ‘Til I breathe you in, like a warm summer’s day. And I’ll see you, when I’m dreaming”
Music Lifts Me Up is a high-energy vocal dance floor filler that reminds us how much of a fun, and historically cherished place, the dance floor is (and should remain). “There’s no person, place or thing that makes me wanna sing, like I do with the music … The music lifts me up”
Everybody’s Beautiful by Miasha … “Do what’s gonna please you, give yourself amnesia, you know the DJ needs ya. Everybody’s beautiful when their dancing, so dance tonight”
Rise Up features an exclusive remix from Barry Harris. If ever there were an anthem to exemplify the importance to overcome – prejudice, hatred, oppression, fear, hopelessness – it is this song. “When silence isn’t quiet, and it feels like it is getting hard to breathe. And I know you feel like dying, but I promise you, we will take the world to its feet. All we need is hope, and for that we have each other! We will rise up … for you! And we’ll do it a thousand times again … for you!
Under Pressure – David Bowie and Queen's classic song is given a new feel with an incredible remix from HumanJive. "Pressure pushing down on me, pushing down on you, no man ask for … It’s the terror of knowing what this world is about …Why can't we give love one more chance? Cause love's such an old fashioned word and love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night, and love dares you too change your way of caring about ourselves, this is our last dance, this is ourselves under pressure.”
I Didn't Know My Own Strength – “I lost touch with my soul. I had nowhere to turn, I had nowhere to go. Lost site of my dream. Thought it would be the end of me. I thought I'd never make it through, I had no hope to hold on to. I thought I would break. I didn't know my own strength.”
Proud – “What have you done today to make me feel proud? It's never too late to try …There's still so many answers I don't know. To question is how we grow. Step out of the ordinary. Change, we need a change. Do it today.”
Over The Rainbow – 2-time Grammy nominee Tony Moran’s amazing production matched the soaring vocals of 2-time Tony Award winner Lillias White and turned this classic into a pop-dance anthem. "Somewhere over the rainbow way up high, there's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream, they really do come true."