Ken Melvoin-Berg (born 30 October 1968 Grand Rapids, Michigan) is a Chicago area psychic detective, ghost hunter, historian, author, lecturer and co-owner of Weird Chicago Tours.
Ken first displayed psychic ability as a young boy and was subsequently trained by his maternal grandfather, Don Melvoin, who also had the gift. Ken specifically displays the extrasensory perception clairsentience. Clairsentience is the ability to detect energies or ghosts which cannot otherwise be recognized with the five senses of sight, sound, smell, touch or taste.
When he was 29, Ken met world famous Astrologer/Psychic Irene Hughes, who is most noted for predicting the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and the 1967 Apollo I fire, which took the lives of 3 astronauts during ground tests. Hughes became his mentor and taught him her system of Astrological meteorology. Ken also worked psychic fairs with Hughes for several years before branching out on his own.
Ken gained notoriety as professional psychic by performing tarot, palmistry and astrological readings for celebrity and private clients alike. He also owned an occult bookstore, Minor Arcana, located on Chicago’s north side. The shop included a learning annex where Ken taught various classes, the most popular being on ghost investigation. C.T. (Chris) Thieme also taught classes at Minor Arcana and later became Ken’s first ghost investigation partner. During this same period, Ken also wrote the syndicated newspaper column Horrorscopes and worked as a psychic detective with law enforcement agencies. He assisted in 29 murder suspect identification cases, including 2 serial killers.
In 2006 Ken co-founded Weird Chicago Tours. Some of the Chicago tours Ken has developed and hosts are, Devil and the White City, Serial Killer, Public Enemies, John Dillinger, and the Red Light District Sex Tours. Notably, Ken’s Red Light District Sex tour and Serial Killer tours are the first and only of their kind in the U.S. Along with co-owner, author Troy Taylor, he also hosts various pub crawls including Chicago’s first Zombie themed pub crawl.
Ken is frequently consulted by the media and has appeared on numerous local and international TV shows about the supernatural, paranormal, occult and serial killers. Some of his appearances include: 3 episodes of Discovery Chanel’s Ghost Lab, The Travel Channel's World’s Most Terrifying Places, The Biography Channel's, HH Holmes and the Murder Castle, Dutch national TV, Blood, Murder and Sausage, Chicago Local CBS and WGN news, and Chicago Public Radio. Ken also contributes to podcasts such as Ghost Man and Demon Hunter Show and Weird Chicago Podcasts. In addition, Ken is frequently the subject of articles in local newspapers and magazines such as The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Red Eye, and Time Out Chicago. He is also the subject of a documentary by Matthew Arauz and Brant McCrea called Paranormal.
Ken is currently the Great Lakes Regional Director and the Illinois Director of State Operations for Everyday Paranormal and the President of Everyday Paranormal Investigations Chicago (EPIC). He is the official psychic and an officer for the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago in the American Ghost Society.
Among Ken’s published works are Lost Temple of the Incan Blood God and Weird Chicago which was co-authored with Troy Taylor and Adam Selzer. He also wrote the forward to Sex and the Supernatural and the back cover of Big Book of Illinois Ghost Stories, both by Troy Taylor.
In addition to touring, media appearances, private readings, police work, writing/researching, university lectures and teaching classes at Chicago’s Discovery Center, Ken is also a medium who regularly performs seances. One of the most famous is the
Houdini seance conducted annually on Halloween at the Lincoln Theater at Spookapalooza.
Published works
Weird Chicago: The Book (2008), Troy Taylor, Ken Melvoin-Berg, Adam Selzer; Whitechapel Press ISBN 978-1-892523-59-4
THRILLING TALES: Lost Temple of the Incan Blood God (2005), Ken Melvoin-Berg ISBN 1-30000-061-7
Big Book of Illinois Ghost Stories Troy Taylor, Stackpole Books ISBN 978-0-8117-0504-2
Sex and the Supernatural (2009) Troy Taylor, Whitechapel Press ISBN 978-1-892523-63-1
Ken first displayed psychic ability as a young boy and was subsequently trained by his maternal grandfather, Don Melvoin, who also had the gift. Ken specifically displays the extrasensory perception clairsentience. Clairsentience is the ability to detect energies or ghosts which cannot otherwise be recognized with the five senses of sight, sound, smell, touch or taste.
When he was 29, Ken met world famous Astrologer/Psychic Irene Hughes, who is most noted for predicting the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and the 1967 Apollo I fire, which took the lives of 3 astronauts during ground tests. Hughes became his mentor and taught him her system of Astrological meteorology. Ken also worked psychic fairs with Hughes for several years before branching out on his own.
Ken gained notoriety as professional psychic by performing tarot, palmistry and astrological readings for celebrity and private clients alike. He also owned an occult bookstore, Minor Arcana, located on Chicago’s north side. The shop included a learning annex where Ken taught various classes, the most popular being on ghost investigation. C.T. (Chris) Thieme also taught classes at Minor Arcana and later became Ken’s first ghost investigation partner. During this same period, Ken also wrote the syndicated newspaper column Horrorscopes and worked as a psychic detective with law enforcement agencies. He assisted in 29 murder suspect identification cases, including 2 serial killers.
In 2006 Ken co-founded Weird Chicago Tours. Some of the Chicago tours Ken has developed and hosts are, Devil and the White City, Serial Killer, Public Enemies, John Dillinger, and the Red Light District Sex Tours. Notably, Ken’s Red Light District Sex tour and Serial Killer tours are the first and only of their kind in the U.S. Along with co-owner, author Troy Taylor, he also hosts various pub crawls including Chicago’s first Zombie themed pub crawl.
Ken is frequently consulted by the media and has appeared on numerous local and international TV shows about the supernatural, paranormal, occult and serial killers. Some of his appearances include: 3 episodes of Discovery Chanel’s Ghost Lab, The Travel Channel's World’s Most Terrifying Places, The Biography Channel's, HH Holmes and the Murder Castle, Dutch national TV, Blood, Murder and Sausage, Chicago Local CBS and WGN news, and Chicago Public Radio. Ken also contributes to podcasts such as Ghost Man and Demon Hunter Show and Weird Chicago Podcasts. In addition, Ken is frequently the subject of articles in local newspapers and magazines such as The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Red Eye, and Time Out Chicago. He is also the subject of a documentary by Matthew Arauz and Brant McCrea called Paranormal.
Ken is currently the Great Lakes Regional Director and the Illinois Director of State Operations for Everyday Paranormal and the President of Everyday Paranormal Investigations Chicago (EPIC). He is the official psychic and an officer for the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago in the American Ghost Society.
Among Ken’s published works are Lost Temple of the Incan Blood God and Weird Chicago which was co-authored with Troy Taylor and Adam Selzer. He also wrote the forward to Sex and the Supernatural and the back cover of Big Book of Illinois Ghost Stories, both by Troy Taylor.
In addition to touring, media appearances, private readings, police work, writing/researching, university lectures and teaching classes at Chicago’s Discovery Center, Ken is also a medium who regularly performs seances. One of the most famous is the
Houdini seance conducted annually on Halloween at the Lincoln Theater at Spookapalooza.
Published works
Weird Chicago: The Book (2008), Troy Taylor, Ken Melvoin-Berg, Adam Selzer; Whitechapel Press ISBN 978-1-892523-59-4
THRILLING TALES: Lost Temple of the Incan Blood God (2005), Ken Melvoin-Berg ISBN 1-30000-061-7
Big Book of Illinois Ghost Stories Troy Taylor, Stackpole Books ISBN 978-0-8117-0504-2
Sex and the Supernatural (2009) Troy Taylor, Whitechapel Press ISBN 978-1-892523-63-1
Ali Reza Ghassemi, ()(born January, 1984 in Tehran, Iran), is an Iranian rapper better known by his pseudonym Quf. He DJ'd under the pseudonym Ali G. before changing his nickname to Quf. He loves "Iran, Persian music and Persian literature".
Underground Music
Quf's involvement in the Tehran underground music scene and Iranian hip hop goes to at least seven years back.
Quf appeared together with fellow Tehran rappers in the music video for Hichkas' Ye Mosht Sarbaz (A Bunch of Soldiers) which was sponsored by the United Nations for the "Make Music Not War" title. Despite the Iranian government's Censorship of YouTube, the video has been viewed more than 200,000 times on YouTube.
Quf raps in Persian language and is known for his inventive and poetic use of Tehran slang. Sometimes he coins new slang together with Hichkas. An excellent example of this endeavor is Basse Moftbari. Quf's emphatic yet cool delivery and the dark, dank scenes conjured by the lyrics are complemented by Bidad's chilling traditional Iranian vocal style, together with the beat and vividly trippy music--and Guy Buss' incredibly three-dimensional mastering. There is an element of theater in Basse Moftbari, yet it somehow captures a street reality. The innovative combination of Persian traditional music with hip hop beats add to the richness and innovative sound of many Quf songs.
Basse Moftbari lyrics in Persian and in English and an audio file of the song are posted on Mahdyar Aghajani's website.
Singles
- Quf - Ahan Parast (Featuring Pelas and Eshragh), Produced by Mahdyar Aghajani.
- Quf - Akhe Chera (Featuring masoud saeedi)
- Quf - Avarezie Zohal (Featuring Empo)
- Quf - Basse Moftbari (Featuring Bidad), Produced by Mahdyar Aghajani, Written by M. Aghajani, A. Ghassemi, J. Rowhani, A. Ghahremani, S. Lashkary, Mixed by Mahdyar Aghajani and Guy Buss, Mastered by Guy Buss, Released January 17, 2010.
- Quf - Bia Pisham (Featuring Eshragh and Bidad)
- Quf - Bichareh
- Quf - Bomb (Featuring Dj Arian)
- Ashes - Countdown (Featuring Quf)
- Quf - Darvish (Featuring Afagh Band)
- Quf - Dige Dige Base
- Quf - Dokhtar Joon (Featuring do.ok and Masood Saeedi)
- Quf - Eteraz
- Quf - Gorohe Ma (Featuring Nabegheha), Produced by Reza Pishro.
- Xaniar - Hamineh Ke Hast (Featuring Quf), Produced by Xaniar & Sirvan Khosravi.
- Quf - Harfe Ma
- Quf - Hezari (Featuring Hichkas, Eshragh and Namayande), Produced by Mahdyar Aghajani.
- Quf - Khiaboonia, Produced by Mahdyar Aghajani.
- Quf - Marge Tamaddon (Featuring Empo)
- Quf - Migan Quf (Featuring Hichkas), Produced by Mahdyar Aghajani.
- Quf - Nasle Ghabl (Featuring Shooary)
- Quf - Pashimoni
- Quf - Sabke Gharb
- Quf - Safhe
- Quf - Saghi (Featuring Bidad), Produced by Mahdyar Aghajani.
- Quf - Shahre Man (Featuring Empo)
- Quf - Shekast (Featuring Masood Saeedi)
- Quf - Sokooto Beshkan (Featuring Masood Saeedi, Gooya and Melika)
- Quf - Takht (Featuring Shooary), Produced by Shooary.
- Quf - Tamas Karish Nakon (Featuring Hichkas, Amir Tataloo, Masood Saeedi and Reza Pishro)
- Quf - Top o Bekan(Featuring Shooary), Produced by Shooary.
- Quf - Vasvase, Produced by Shooary.
- Quf - Ghalam Benevis (Featuring EshraGh)
Current Projects
Quf is working on his forthcoming album, the long awaited 'Ziro Bame Zirzamin'. Mahdyar Aghajani is the executive producer which is said to be an alternative Hip Hop LP, and is a mixture of hip hop and Persian traditional music.
Underground Music
Quf's involvement in the Tehran underground music scene and Iranian hip hop goes to at least seven years back.
Quf appeared together with fellow Tehran rappers in the music video for Hichkas' Ye Mosht Sarbaz (A Bunch of Soldiers) which was sponsored by the United Nations for the "Make Music Not War" title. Despite the Iranian government's Censorship of YouTube, the video has been viewed more than 200,000 times on YouTube.
Quf raps in Persian language and is known for his inventive and poetic use of Tehran slang. Sometimes he coins new slang together with Hichkas. An excellent example of this endeavor is Basse Moftbari. Quf's emphatic yet cool delivery and the dark, dank scenes conjured by the lyrics are complemented by Bidad's chilling traditional Iranian vocal style, together with the beat and vividly trippy music--and Guy Buss' incredibly three-dimensional mastering. There is an element of theater in Basse Moftbari, yet it somehow captures a street reality. The innovative combination of Persian traditional music with hip hop beats add to the richness and innovative sound of many Quf songs.
Basse Moftbari lyrics in Persian and in English and an audio file of the song are posted on Mahdyar Aghajani's website.
Singles
- Quf - Ahan Parast (Featuring Pelas and Eshragh), Produced by Mahdyar Aghajani.
- Quf - Akhe Chera (Featuring masoud saeedi)
- Quf - Avarezie Zohal (Featuring Empo)
- Quf - Basse Moftbari (Featuring Bidad), Produced by Mahdyar Aghajani, Written by M. Aghajani, A. Ghassemi, J. Rowhani, A. Ghahremani, S. Lashkary, Mixed by Mahdyar Aghajani and Guy Buss, Mastered by Guy Buss, Released January 17, 2010.
- Quf - Bia Pisham (Featuring Eshragh and Bidad)
- Quf - Bichareh
- Quf - Bomb (Featuring Dj Arian)
- Ashes - Countdown (Featuring Quf)
- Quf - Darvish (Featuring Afagh Band)
- Quf - Dige Dige Base
- Quf - Dokhtar Joon (Featuring do.ok and Masood Saeedi)
- Quf - Eteraz
- Quf - Gorohe Ma (Featuring Nabegheha), Produced by Reza Pishro.
- Xaniar - Hamineh Ke Hast (Featuring Quf), Produced by Xaniar & Sirvan Khosravi.
- Quf - Harfe Ma
- Quf - Hezari (Featuring Hichkas, Eshragh and Namayande), Produced by Mahdyar Aghajani.
- Quf - Khiaboonia, Produced by Mahdyar Aghajani.
- Quf - Marge Tamaddon (Featuring Empo)
- Quf - Migan Quf (Featuring Hichkas), Produced by Mahdyar Aghajani.
- Quf - Nasle Ghabl (Featuring Shooary)
- Quf - Pashimoni
- Quf - Sabke Gharb
- Quf - Safhe
- Quf - Saghi (Featuring Bidad), Produced by Mahdyar Aghajani.
- Quf - Shahre Man (Featuring Empo)
- Quf - Shekast (Featuring Masood Saeedi)
- Quf - Sokooto Beshkan (Featuring Masood Saeedi, Gooya and Melika)
- Quf - Takht (Featuring Shooary), Produced by Shooary.
- Quf - Tamas Karish Nakon (Featuring Hichkas, Amir Tataloo, Masood Saeedi and Reza Pishro)
- Quf - Top o Bekan(Featuring Shooary), Produced by Shooary.
- Quf - Vasvase, Produced by Shooary.
- Quf - Ghalam Benevis (Featuring EshraGh)
Current Projects
Quf is working on his forthcoming album, the long awaited 'Ziro Bame Zirzamin'. Mahdyar Aghajani is the executive producer which is said to be an alternative Hip Hop LP, and is a mixture of hip hop and Persian traditional music.
Holger Lagerfeldt (aka Lagerfeldt), born October 26, 1974, is a Danish composer and record producer known for numerous pop and dance hit songs. Lagerfeldt received a Danish Grammy nomination as Producer of the Year 1999 and has so far received 50 gold and platinum records during his career. Lagerfeldt is also known for his involvement in the retro computing scene, especially the Commodore 64, making chiptune remixes that are played on SLAY Radio.
Releases
Examples of popular compositions and productions world wide:
* S.O.A.P. "This Is How We Party", multi-platinum, #21 Billboard Top 40 Mainstream
* DJ Aligator "The Whistle Song", multi-platinum
* Toy-Box "Tarzan and Jane", multi-platinum
Popular domestic productions:
* Blå Øjne Romeo, multi-platinum
Various productions and remixes for:
*Ace of Base, Aqua, Barcode Brothers, S Club 7, Sicknature feat. Coolio, Toy-Box
Other works
* In 2006 Lagerfeldt founded Lydmaskinen.dk, a Danish producer internet forum.
* In 2005 he founded the first online audio mastering facility in Denmark.
* He has collaborated with Japanese game music composer Yuzo Koshiro on Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 2 and Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2 for Sony PlayStation 2.
* Sound and groove design for Japanese gear manufacturer Roland Corporation on the Roland MC-909 Groove Box.
* Lagerfeldt functions as a freelance producer for Danmarks Radio, Denmark's National Broadcasting Corporation.
* He has released a series of sample CDs for use in music production, The Hit Kit series.
Trivia
* For the melody in This Is How We Party with S.O.A.P. Lagerfeldt was partly inspired by the Commodore 64 chiptune Dan Dare III by iconic Dutch game music producer Jeroen Tel.
* Not related to fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, despite similar surnames.
Releases
Examples of popular compositions and productions world wide:
* S.O.A.P. "This Is How We Party", multi-platinum, #21 Billboard Top 40 Mainstream
* DJ Aligator "The Whistle Song", multi-platinum
* Toy-Box "Tarzan and Jane", multi-platinum
Popular domestic productions:
* Blå Øjne Romeo, multi-platinum
Various productions and remixes for:
*Ace of Base, Aqua, Barcode Brothers, S Club 7, Sicknature feat. Coolio, Toy-Box
Other works
* In 2006 Lagerfeldt founded Lydmaskinen.dk, a Danish producer internet forum.
* In 2005 he founded the first online audio mastering facility in Denmark.
* He has collaborated with Japanese game music composer Yuzo Koshiro on Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 2 and Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2 for Sony PlayStation 2.
* Sound and groove design for Japanese gear manufacturer Roland Corporation on the Roland MC-909 Groove Box.
* Lagerfeldt functions as a freelance producer for Danmarks Radio, Denmark's National Broadcasting Corporation.
* He has released a series of sample CDs for use in music production, The Hit Kit series.
Trivia
* For the melody in This Is How We Party with S.O.A.P. Lagerfeldt was partly inspired by the Commodore 64 chiptune Dan Dare III by iconic Dutch game music producer Jeroen Tel.
* Not related to fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, despite similar surnames.
The V4 Engine Management System is the latest development from M-tech automotive. It features a Motorola Processor and can handle almost any spark-ignition engine.
Setting it apart from other engine management systems, include inbuilt USB for programming, inbuilt coil drivers, fully user programmable, in-built wide-band lambda controller, as well as being fully E-Marked, and hence road legal in both the UK and Europe.
It is half Euro-Card size, featuring AMP-Seal connections and aluminium casing.
The system was developed in house by M-Tech Automotive, and is set to replace the discontinued MegaSquirt based V3 Engine management system that is currently provided.
Setting it apart from other engine management systems, include inbuilt USB for programming, inbuilt coil drivers, fully user programmable, in-built wide-band lambda controller, as well as being fully E-Marked, and hence road legal in both the UK and Europe.
It is half Euro-Card size, featuring AMP-Seal connections and aluminium casing.
The system was developed in house by M-Tech Automotive, and is set to replace the discontinued MegaSquirt based V3 Engine management system that is currently provided.