D.usty C.rates vinyl (& more)

Friday Track of the Day (it's been a while version)

2010-04-09T15:27:00.004-04:00

Greetings out there in the blogosphere...

Clearly I am very bad at updating my blog but here is a special update. Here is a short mix from my gig with Big Nick @ the Wonderland Ballroom last Saturday night (April 3, 2010). It is a mix of funky tracks and old school hip-hop to set the party off. So download it, play it loud, share it with friends, and enjoy getting "Funk't" up. Hopefully I'll get some more of these up sooner rather than later...

Pulling Ponytails and Cheapshots in Woman's Soccer

2009-11-06T13:18:00.002-05:00

Check out this video from a NCAA Woman's soccer match that pitted BYU vs. New Mexico. All I can say is, those New Mexico players are dirty bitches. Actually it's really just one girl that's doing most of the damage.

Honduras makes the World Cup

2009-10-15T13:28:00.003-04:00

First, the USA 2-2 tie versus Costa Rica last night was fantastic. They went down 2 goals early and fought back to tie it in the 5th minute of injury time. It was quite a game, the US team didn't look as good as they should but didn't give up. Having already qualified for the World Cup in South Africa next summer, there wasn't alot to play for but an accident two nights previous that seriously injured an up-and-coming player, Charlie Davies, gave them something worth fighting for.
But my favorite moment from the game was the fact that a tie coupled with a win by Honduras meant that the Catrachos made the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. With all the political strife in that country of late, it was a moment that I had hoped would come true. They need something to celebrate, and now they have that. Check out the link to Soccer Insider with video of the Honduran people celebrating. What a great moment!

Happy Hondurans

As a side note, one of my early memories of attending a soccer game at RFK Stadium involved going to a game in which Honduras was playing and I will always remember the fans chanting "Hon-dur-as, Hon-dur-as, Hon-dur-as" the whole game.

Let's Make It Funk, Funk, Funk, Funk, Funk, Funk, Funk, Funk, Funky

2009-09-17T20:51:00.005-04:00

Time: September 6, 2009, approx. 1am
Place: The Wonderland Ballroom
Who: DJ Itchy Mitch & a roomful of people tryin' to get down
Vibe: Funky

I present to you some "Funk @ the Ballroom," a mix I played at Wonderland last time dj'ing there. Starting off with a few funky edits and transitioning to some later 70's/ early 80's funk burners, the place was alive with people gettin' down to the funky vibe. Watch out for the one major train wreck but don't let it keep you from having a good time.

New Raekwon, produced by Dilla

2009-09-03T17:31:00.003-04:00

Check out this new track by Raekwon featuring Inspectah Deck, GZA, Ghostface Killah, and Method Man, and is produced by the late great Dilla. While it's not one of my favorite Dilla beats, it captures the old Wu-Tang sound and the video itself is a hot animated one. Peep it:

Heads Ain't Ready

2009-08-27T14:29:00.002-04:00

Woah!

Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc. from Chris Cairns on Vimeo.

FTotD (4 hours and 20 minutes too late)

2009-08-22T04:20:00.003-04:00

Check out this jam, it's "Why Did You Do It" by Stretch. This track is one that I've heard on a mix by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist. They use the "1,2" vocals in the middle of the song during their "Hard Sell" mix. When I DJ with Big Nick, he plays it alot and everytime I ask what track it is and then forget. Tonight I remembered and Googled not long after I got home. Here's a great live version, the bass player is sick:

Soul Power

2009-08-13T17:23:00.005-04:00

"Soul Power" is a documentary about a landmark concert that took place in Zaire in 1974. It took place before the Ali-Foreman "Rumble in the Jungle" (the movie is made of unused footage from "When We Where Kings" and is directed by an editor on that film) The doc features musical greats like James Brown, Bill Withers, BB King, and more as well as some interviews with Muhammad Ali. I saw it at Silver Docs recently and really enjoyed it. Check out the trailer below:

I look forward to the DVD release as I will definitely be buying it for what should be a lot of bonus scenes. I really hope they include some full length performances. The film should be out tomorrow @ E St. Cinema or Bethesda Row. Check your local listings and get on the good foot.

The England Online Record Store Competition

2009-07-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

So, here's the story behind the competition: It was not originally designed as a competition, more a frantic search for a couple of records I really wanted to get. For a while now alot of the records that I have been purchasing are 12"s that are imports from Europe, mainly the UK. They are in, what I like to call, the "funky breaks" style, also known as breakbeat, re-edits, new funk, or even mash-up, among others. Essentially what that means is that songs are generally heavily influenced by funk & soul with hip-hop beats and vocal samples at a faster tempo. Here's a mix from Wonderland in June that I did called "Funky Breakin' @ Wonderland" as an example:

http://www.divshare.com/download/8012118-70d

So to continue, I recently placed 3 orders from 2 differents stores all based in England and thus the EORS competition began. The reason I had placed the first order, from Picadilly Records was for 2 new release 12"s on Goodgroove and Bomb Strikes (2 of my favorite labels releasing stuff in this style) as well a Featurecast (dope artist) remix 7" of Aretha Franklin's "One Step." Well the 7" has been out of print and the store didn't really have it so that led me search some more. Two days later, I finally found the release in stock from Chemical Records so I ordered it immediately and the race was on. Then a couple of days later, I received an e-mail from Juno Records that a re-edit of Fred Wesley's jam "House Party" called "Trailer Party" was back in stock and I knew another order was needed. So I ordered a couple of records from them, they are a site that I have thought about ordering from many times before and we'll see how they do in this competition.
As of now, I received the Piccadilly order 1st as I should have. It took a total of 7 days. But the next day I got the 7" in the mail from Chemical Records, for a grand total of 6 days in transit which puts them in 1st place. Juno has until tomorrow to tie Chemical Records for the fastest transaction time. As far as price goes, Juno seems the most decent (and they also have the biggest selection) but the difference is not major so time may be the overall factor in determining the winner. We shall see who prevails...

Wu-Tang Lego

2009-07-27T16:45:00.001-04:00

All I gotta say is:
Hells yea!

Wu-Tang Lego: Da Mystery of Chessboxin' from davo on Vimeo.

and for a point of reference, here's the original video:

Daniel Merriweather + Wale + the Roots = Hot!

2009-07-16T18:45:00.002-04:00

Check out this performance from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon by Daniel Merriweather with help from Wale & the Roots. Its a song called "Change" and it's dopeness. I play it out alot and no one tends to feel it like I would like but maybe that will change. ;)

Mexican Team Head Coach Kicks Opposing Player

2009-07-10T21:58:00.007-04:00

In Gold Cup action the other night, the head coach of Mexico, Javier Aguirre, kicked a player from Panama as the ball was being played along the sideline. Check out the video:

I don't know that he actually hits him but it's dangerously close. It seems like the coach got caught up in the play and just decided to kick as the ball got close. Or maybe he wanted it to seem that way. No matter, it was a messed up thing to do and really summed up a game:

Gold Cup: Mexico-Panama deadlock ends with confrontation, brawl
HOUSTON (AP) -- Panama's soccer team huddled on the field after playing Mexico to a 1-1 tie on Thursday night, waiting for the incited fans to leave Reliant Stadium.
The Gold Cup match ended in chaos after a confrontation between Mexican coach Javier Aguirre and a Panamanian player triggered fights between fans in the stands.
Tempers flared throughout the match and boiled over in the 80th minute.
Panama's Ricardo Phillips dribbled out of bounds in front of the Mexico bench and when the linesman stopped play, Phillips shoved Aguirre.
Panama coach Gary Stempel said Aguirre hit Phillips first, trying to trip him as he ran by. Aguirre said he was just trying to stop the ball and accidentally made contact with Phillips.
"It was an imprudent act on my part," Aguirre said. "I sincerely regret it. It was a product of passion. The Panamanian team deserves an apology as well."
Players converged in the area and several got into shoving matches. Referee Joel Aguilar ejected Aguirre and whipped out a red card to give to Phillips as fans littered the field with cups of beer and other objects.
Phillips was escorted off the field by a swarm of police -- and pelted with beer cups as he ran into a tunnel -- and after about 15 wild minutes, play resumed.
A fight then broke out between two fans in the front row across the field from the benches and Houston police officers moved in to separate them. Police handcuffed at least two fans in the area.
"It was a disgrace," Stempel said. "I don't have the words."
Miguel Sabah and Blas Perez scored the goals in the first half.
Even Sabah conceded that his coach made a bad mistake.
"Obviously, he's human like the rest of us," Sabah said. "As a coach, with his experience, it doesn't make much sense. But he's human, and he has our support and we are trying hard to win."
Perez was injured on the field in the 90th minute and medical staff brought out a stretcher. As Perez was carried off the field, Mexican fans unleashed another barrage of cups and beer bottles and Perez fell off the stretcher.
Perez didn't seem as upset as his coach was about how the game ended.
"That's soccer, it's normal," Perez said. "Those things happen."
The game ended about five minutes later and the Panamanian team lingered on the field to let stadium officials drive off the fans.
"The game had to end," Stempel said. "The security and physical integrity of the players was not guaranteed. No coach wants to be a part of this debacle. Mexico has to respond for their actions, not me."
Horace Reed, the head CONCACAF official at the game, refused to comment.
The event drew an announced crowd of 47,713, nearly all of them donned in green and cheering for Mexico.
Giovani Dos Santos took a loose ball and outran a Panama defender to set up Mexico's first goal in the 10th minute. Dos Santos dribbled into the penalty area, then passed to Sabah, who easily beat goalkeeper Jaime Penedo with a right-footed shot.
Perez tied it in the 29th minute, taking a pass from Felipe Baloy, outdueling three Mexican defenders and beating goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa with a sideways kick.
The players were mouthing off at each other from the start and Panama's Nelson Barahona earned a yellow card in the 39th minute when he collided with Sabah.
Barahona got the worst of the hit, writhing in pain as players from both teams gathered around him and jawed at one another. The referee and both linesmen rushed out to separate the teams and play continued.
In extra time just before the half, Dos Santos got tangled with Panama's Armando Gun, who was lying on the ground. The teams huddled again and exchanged words before Gun and Mexico's Miguel Luis Noriega were ejected.
Mexico kept pressure on Panama's defense for most of the second half before the ugly ending.
Mexican star forward Carlos Vela, also a member of English club Arsenal, missed the game with a lower right leg injury suffered in El Tri's 2-0 win over Nicaragua on Sunday.
The tie was a disappointing outcome for Mexico, which has won four Gold Cups, the last in 2003. El Tri is facing mounting pressure at home to return to international prominence after some embarrassing recent results. Mexico lost to the United States in the 2007 Gold Cup final and its under-23 team failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics last summer.
Mexico has a key World Cup qualifier Aug. 12 against the United States in Mexico City.

The coach has since apologized but has been suspended for 3 games. If Mexico does not make the final of the Gold Cup, then the coach misses the August 12th World Cup Qualifying match in Mexico vs. the US (that would be nice.)

DC Freshly Squeezed

2009-07-10T20:06:00.006-04:00

Next weekend I make a return to Fight Club DC. Its a dope venue thats really a skatepark that holds other events. Its really pretty damn cool and will be a funky good time, come thruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

Time to take a disco ride to the 80's

2009-06-11T13:52:00.006-04:00

Here's a mix from Wonderland this past Saturday night, it's a fun little mix that rolls from disco to the 80's and was what I played to finish off the evening. Enjoy!

Here's the full tracklisting:

01. Marvin Gaye - Heard It To the Grapevine (Rob Tex disco vocal edit)
02. Jimmy Bo Horne - Spank (sixty nine edit)
03. Gaz - Sing Sing (old school disco edit)
04. Jackie Robinson - Pussy Footer (12" re-edit)
05. Cookie Monster & the Girls - C is for Cookie (Larry Levan disco mix)
06. Malente - Beastie Disco
07. Greg Wilson - Doobie In Your Funk
08. Doobie Brothers - Long Train Running (special maxi version)
09. David Bowie - Let's Dance (long version)
10. Men At Work - Down Under
11. Blondie - Rapture
12. Beatconductor - I Can't Go for That
13. Cosmic Force - Trinidad Bump

*as a side note, the noise you hear at the beginning is the other turntable spinning. As I was originally about to mix in some Marvin, some mo-ron decided to hop on stage and pick-up a girl and in the process bump the shit out of the turntables knocking the one needle off the groove and forcing me to throw on the 45 with a quickness. Oh the wonders of Wonderland.

New Mix! part 2

2009-06-05T12:00:00.003-04:00

And here's part 2, when I upped the ante a bit. It's more upbeat classic hip-hop with some funk and soul to finish it out. I was just kinda throwing things on at the end (ie. being lazy) so be forewarned it may get choppy:

New Mix!

2009-06-04T15:43:00.004-04:00

Here's part 1 of a mix I played last Friday, May 29th 2009 @ the Potomac Boat Club. It was in honor of my boy Jamie's 30th (or is it his 22nd?) birthday and is full of classic hip-hop tracks with some other stuff sprinkled in. I'm sure I made some stupid mistakes as I was socializing and dj'ing at the same time (they don't mix) but whatever, enjoy! Part 2 tomorrow...

FToTD

2009-05-01T10:00:00.002-04:00

Here's a mash-up I did recently, I don't have much to say about it except that its not 100% perfect and I think you'll be able to figure out the artists and tracks involved. At some point I'll redo it on my computer when I get it back so I can multi-track it and make it a bit better in all respects. This version was recorded direct to disc using 2 Technics and a mixer. Enjoy!

"Rock With It Out (Itchy Mitch Mix)

Finally, come to the Wonderland Ballroom tomorrow night (May 2nd, 10pm) for "Party Vibes," a night of funk, soul, hip-hop, reggae, funky breaks, and much more with Big Nick and myself. We bring the crates, you bring the party vibe.

Slap Chop/ Rap Chop

2009-04-30T11:41:00.004-04:00

Just watch this until the end, this ish is too funny:

and then repeat again and again...

Here's the original for a point of reference when you need a break:

Yes, that's Vince, also from Sham-Wow. As a side note, read this story about a recent incident he was involved in. Whoops, poor Vince.

FTotD (formerly known as Friday's Track of the Day)

2009-04-24T10:00:00.002-04:00

Today's gem is from DJ Cleon, a DJ/ producer from France. I can't tell you much more about him cuz his bio is in French (Tiny, translation please?) It's the title track off the EP pictured above called "Jaylis & Family," and it's a burner. The whole EP is worth picking up as its hot with funk and latin influences. So if you're into those sounds then get out and grab it. Groove Distribution (a great online retail record spot) says this about the release "DJ CLEON drops this 8-track funky breaks bomb on us, ready for the b-boys to tear it up. Big bongos and plenty of groove." Here is the best track off the EP, give it a spin:

Stay tuned for next week's FTotD, it's something special I made and you'll definitely wanna ch-check it out (there's a hint for ya)...

A Trip Back in Time (to 2003)

2009-04-23T16:23:00.001-04:00

Peep this video that I did with Tiny a few years back. He set up the ill shot with his lamp, I ruined it with my scratches :) Enjoy.

Happy 420

2009-04-20T12:13:00.003-04:00

Here's a clip from last night's episode of "Family Guy" telling us how every thing is better with a bag of weed:

*Edit: The original clip from YouTube got taken down so this is the best I can get

New Lif Droppin' Tuesday!

2009-04-16T17:30:00.008-04:00

So I heard it today, new Mr. Lif album is being released Tuesday, April 21st (Out now on iTunes). "I Heard It Today" (yea, thats why I started the post like I did) sounds like it'll be a treat for Lif fans and a return to a more cohesive album like "I Phantom" after "Mo' Mega" was a bit all over the place. You can tell he's on a similar kick as the "I Phantom" & "Emergency Rations EP" as the artwork for the single uses the same characters.

The beats are handled by Edan, J-Zone, Willie Evans Jr., Therapy, and more so they'll be alot more interesting than a few of the tracks on the last effort, no El-P production here as he is no longer on the Def Jux label. There's a nice interview here about the album, his Def Jux break-up, and his dreads. Make sure you peep the new track at the bottom of the page. And also, download this. Haven't listened to it yet but it's a 50+ minute megamix of Mr. Lif tracks, old & new.

Looks like he is on tour now so check him out in a city near you and support real hip-hop. No DC date but he was just hear a few months ago so you can't fault him for that.

Friday Track of the Day

2009-04-10T14:19:00.004-04:00

So I feel the need to get this thing up and running again, so here's a start. Maybe I'll at least make an effort to get a FTofD up on the regs as without a computer some things I want to do aren't as straight-forward. I found this file as I was skimming thru DJ Hut's (man, I'm gonna miss this store) computer and thought I'd post it as its a beast funk monster:

Just remember, she's a bad mamma jamma...

Friday's Track of the Day

2008-12-12T13:12:00.006-05:00

Decided to go the video route today as i saw this ill MPC peformance by Exile. Here he is doing a track based around Herbie Hancock's classic "Watermelom Man." I really wish I could rock the MPC like he does. This is pretty dope:

Exile - Watermelon Man from Okayplayer on Vimeo.

and just because it led me here, here is a bonus short track called "Bounce":

Exile - Bounce from Okayplayer on Vimeo.

And lastly because Exile mentioned it, here is the promo for "DJ Dusk's Rootdown Soundclash." This is a must see. I was bobbing my head the whole time. I think the Thes One vs. Will I Am battle is the best due to the sick beats and great showmanship but they are all solid. Ch-Check it out:

After watching that again, I may have to re-watch the dvd, DAMN!

Friday Track of the Day

2008-11-28T23:59:00.003-05:00

I love this song. It's "Backstrokin" by the Fatback Band. A funky ass track with some funny lyrics. "Lookin' for the good stuff, why don'tcha tighten up on your backstroke..." Just Listen:

Vote for Change!

2008-11-04T00:14:00.008-05:00

I tried to embed a video but it wouldn't work, so click
here and peep Saul Williams' take on the election.

The Choice is Yours 2008

2008-11-01T14:58:00.003-04:00

Yea, it may be a little cheesy but Dres of the Black Sheep remade their hit track in support of Obama, check it out and vote. You know the deal, make the right choice.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T00:00:00.001-04:00

Hockey Mom Gets Booed!

2008-10-15T16:25:00.000-04:00

Just watch:

Hip-Hip Hooray!! Continued

2008-10-15T16:22:00.004-04:00

This is a piece from ESPN's Sunday Countdown last week by Kenny Mayne about "Hip Hip Hooray," the quality isn't all that great (kinda like the 'Skins performance this past week). But it's worth the watch...

Vote Obama!

2008-10-10T17:53:00.003-04:00

Hip-Hip Hooray!!

2008-10-10T17:46:00.002-04:00

Gotta love the new Redskins cheer that Jim Zorn brought to the team. Here Antwaan Randle-El leads the team after its victory in Philly. I get a kick out of his little jumps, it makes me think of Popeye :

Vladimir likes the Redskins too...

2008-09-26T17:10:00.001-04:00

Hail to the Redskins!

2008-09-26T16:58:00.003-04:00

now watch this entertaining video especially the choreographed moves 1:20 in:

Ow!

2008-08-11T15:35:00.001-04:00

Pay attention when you are behind the goal at a soccer game...

Friday Track of the Day - Featurecast

2008-08-01T19:40:00.005-04:00

Featurecast is an artist from the UK who produces some pretty ill funky breaks. He has released a handful of singles recently on a few of my favorite labels, Goodgroove, Bomb Strikes, and Funk Weapons. I was recording the 12"s I have to mp3 and decided I was due to drop a Friday Track of the Day so here it is...

This track is "Stomp" off the Bomb Strikes release. Its an evil mix of a Red Hot Chili Peppers guitar riff, bangin' drums, and rap vocal snippets:

And as an added bonus here's a link to a couple of mixes he's done. I strongly recommend "Exceptionally Raw Stuff"

He plays at the Eighteenth Street Lounge tomorrow night (8/2).

M.O.P. vs. Sesame Street

2008-07-30T17:09:00.004-04:00

Boy Did It Rain Last Night...

2008-07-24T19:04:00.009-04:00

Last night, DC United played the Houston Dynamo at RFK Stadium. It was a game that had originally been scheduled for June 4th but was postponed after about 15 minutes of play due to torrential downpours and the field being flooded. So it was rescheduled for June 22nd, unfortunately there was a power outage in the stadium that day and the game once again had to be rescheduled for the next night. Last night, Wednesday June 23rd.

The game was delayed in the 54th minute with Houston up, 1-0. After a 2 hour and 54 minute rain delay the game was continued @ 11:40 pm with Houston winning 2-0 around 12:20 am.

(stolen from behindthebadge.com)

Friday's Track of the Day

2008-06-27T08:00:00.005-04:00

Since I'm in Mexico I figured I'd drop this ill cover on you all. This track is called "The Mexican" and is remade by Marc Hype and Jim Dunloop with Sara Bourgeois on the vocals. They are a German duo who have released a bunch of really good tracks, most of which come out on the Melting Pot Music label. The original track is a B-Boy anthem by an English group named Babe Ruth and this is a worthy cover. With harder drums and slightly different instrumentation (Dunloop is a keyboard player and the original melody is guitar), this track really bumps:

Man on Wire

2008-06-25T08:00:00.002-04:00

Last week I went to check out the SilverDocs, an annual documentary film festival in Silver Spring, MD. Tey played all sorts of films over the course of a week and I went to see one called "Man on Wire." It is a story about a French wire walker who puts a wire up between the two World Trade Center towers and walks between them. The documentary shows his planning and pulling off of "Le Coup" and it's quite a good story with lots of archival footage and decent reinactments. I've heard it's going to get a wider release in July in the US so be on the lookout for it, it's definitely worth seeing.

Here's an interview from the Sundance Film Festival where it won both the Grand Jury and the Audience Prize in the World Cinema category:

Mix of the Week

2008-06-23T16:20:00.007-04:00

Here's a downtempo beats mix I did quite sometime ago. It is the 2nd in a mix "series" I was working on. I don't think I ever did a recording of the first half. It was recorded almost exactly 2 years ago to the day. There isn't really a title for it so I'm gonna just call it "Downtempo 2" and maybe someday I'll put together a first one again, I actually have the records for that in order still. It is primarily downtempo tracks and hip-hop instrumentals with some hip-hop tracks and rare groove to end it out. Tracks are all good, mixing sometimes isn't. Oh well, hope you enjoy anyhow.

Euro 2008

2008-06-21T12:00:00.005-04:00

So for some reason I've been watching the UEFA championships for over a week now and haven't mentioned it once. So just quickly...

Go Holland!

Gotta love the Orange. They are due for a big win, hopefully this is the year! It's been a really enjoyable tournament to watch. Good games, great goals. Thank you ESPN for getting all the games on tv.

And some music to enjoy with a game: "Qualified" by Soul Patrol, done for the World Cup in 2006:

Friday's Track(s) of the Day

2008-06-20T18:06:00.004-04:00

I'm going to Guanajuato, Mexico tomorrow for a week so here are a couple of Rufus Thomas covers dones by Mexican bands. They are classic tracks that you'll recognize: "Push & Pull" and "(Do) The Funky Chicken"

Posts will be popping up over the course of the week so stay tuned...

DC Area Beat's Spectacular

2008-06-19T18:25:00.004-04:00

Time to rep some beats from the DC area. First is a track by See-I called "The King" and this is a remix by Magic Fly. It came out on a 10" 6 months ago or so. See-I is a live reggae group from DC featuring some members of Thievery Corporation (vocalists Roots & Zeebo, guitarist/sitar player Rob Myers, and saxophonist Frank Mitchell). They rock the house when they perform and supposedly have an album coming out in the future.

Next is a track that just came out that is by a few different artists. It is titled "SBC" by the All Good Funk Alliance vs. Neighbour featuring Wax Romeo. AGFA hail from Virginia (yea, I know it's not DC, that's why I put "area" in the title of the post), while the other 2 dudes are from Canada (most def not DC, more like BC). All artists involved are into the funky breaks sorta sound. I tend to like the AGFA sound a bit more than the others but here working together they create a nice little track.

Going on vacation Saturday. More on that tomorrow as I drop a gem or two on you for Friday's pick... and don't worry, I'm gonna try to get some posts up while I'm away, I think I can pull it off.

Editor's note: Audio's not working, will try to get operational later this afternoon

Editor's note II: Maybe it is working, just slow to load

Natalia Clavier (and more ESL releases)

2008-06-19T17:48:00.004-04:00

Natalia Clavier is the newest artist to release an album on the ESL music label. She is from Barcelona via Buenos Aires. Her debut album, "Nectar," featuring help from Federico Aubele and production by the Thievery Corporation's Eric Hilton came out this past Tuesday and, while it features no suprises musically, is very solid. Instrumentation is what you'd expect with some hip-hop/ downtempo beats, acoustic guitars, and airy spanish female vocals. A nice release with a great calm vibe to it. She has been featured on all of Aubele's previous albums and especially heavily on "Panamericana." Highly recommended for fans of ESL Music releases. Here's video of her and Federico performing "Diario de Viaje" during an acoustic set from his first album "GranHotelBuenosAires"

Oh, and I just saw that ESL has two other releases that just came out, a Federico Auble live acoustic set and, even better, a new Ocote Soul Sounds album. Ocote Soul Sounds are a group that do a fusion of a lot of different sounds but to put it simply I would say it's laid back latin funk. I should picked that one up the other day. Maybe tomorrow...

Friday's Track of the Day

2008-06-13T18:46:00.005-04:00

This track came out last year but I just picked up the 12" today @ DJ Hut. It's the B-side to Marco Polo's single from his album, Port Authority, and it's a track called "Nostalgia" featuring lyrics by Masta Ace. The beats on that classic hip-hop steez, with a nice guitar loop and boom bap drums, and the A.C.E. kills it. A good track for the summertime.

Got my computer working again...

2008-06-11T14:48:00.006-04:00

Yesterday evening after too much time messing around with my computer I finally got my audio interface for my computer working again. I had messed around with it to varying degrees over the course of the last year with little luck, yesterday I did everything I had tried before plus I switched some cabling and moving some PCI cards inside my computer. Well, none of that worked but I essentially limited it down to a program error. So I downloaded some updated drivers and that worked for a bit. So as a test, I recorded a whole record in one hour long take. The record was the one on my turntable, "Cicero Park" by Hot Chocolate (I picked this up in a quick dig last week for $0.25, it was a good day where I got about 8 records for $1.50.) Not really that spectacular an album but it does have a couple of decent tracks, one of which has been sampled in the hip-hop realm. I can't place the exact track that used it but it has a west coast sorta vibe to it. Let me know if you can place who sampled it.

Getting my computer to work gave me a natural high...
More tracks to come in the future if my computer holds up. I sure as hell hope it does.

DC United Game last night

2008-06-05T14:25:00.006-04:00

Game didn't happen, it rained too much. The Barra Brava & Screaming Eagles had alot of fun though. And it was fun to watch them for a bit from under cover cuz it poured like crazy. Game to rescheduled and I'm looking forward to sitting in our actual seats because they are right behind these crazy people:

Top 5 DC United Goals of All Time

2008-06-03T18:19:00.004-04:00

The title says it all, I remember watching the #2 goal on tv before I really became a huge DCU fan, as it was the first season of MLS. It was pouring rain for the whole game and the field was such a mess, it was hard to see anything because the cameras were wet. What a game! The start of a dynasty.
I like the Freddy Adu goal too, he pulls a nice move to get by one defender and just burns down the field.

Goin' to RFK tomorrow night to see them vs. defending champs Houston Dynamo. I'll be sitting just behind the Barra Brava so it'll be rockin' and rollin' and I'll be lookin' for a win. DC UNITED!

Worst First Pitch Ever

2008-05-29T12:39:00.002-04:00

Just for laughs.
Here is Mariah Carey throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game in Japan recently. What a horrible throw, I can't even fathom how she threw this so badly. Oh well, at least she got all dolled up for it:

Touch Screen Turntable

2008-05-27T15:14:00.003-04:00

Now here's some real crazy ish.

From the web:

The ATTIGO TT was created by Scott Hobbs, a student at Dundee University studying innovative product design. For his final year project he’s created a touch screen turntable that lets DJ’s loop, sample and scratch wave forms just as you would a record. The size of the touchtable is approximately the same as a standard turntable, making the physical interaction nearly the same. Where this takes off is in the flexibility and features included right at your fingertips, no longer locked up on a computer screen. The ATTIGO TT is currently a working prototype, and Scott is looking for manufacturers to partner with.

Final Product // ATTIGO TT from Scott Hobbs on Vimeo.

DJ Shadow played by live bands

2008-05-24T15:19:00.006-04:00

The other night I was listening to a great compilation of Melting Pot Music releases and a re-done version of DJ Shadow's "Organ Donor" came on. The original version and subsequent "extended overhaul" remix are excellent tracks but it's really neat that an artist did a live instrument version of it. It's pulled off really nicely, complete with cowbell solo instead of turntables. The group is called Lefties Soul Connection and they are funk group from Amsterdamn. Here is a live video of them performing the song somewhere:

Also related to this is an even cooler phenomena. The high school jazz band playing DJ Shadow tracks. Boy do I wish that in high school that my band director was cool enough to help arrange some dope beats into music that can be played by a band. I mean jazz bad was fun and all but this would have been amazing. Here is a group called the Shadow Percussion Project playing a few selections off of DJ Shadow's first debut opus "Endtroducing..." I came across this sometime ago but it is still some cool stuff:

And a couple of years later:

Brian Udelhofen, you are the man.

Woah!

2008-05-14T18:27:00.004-04:00

I'm gonna go ahead and call this some next level ish. Watch the video below and check out some of the other works he's done. This was made by an artist named Blu:

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Everybodies Hatin' LeBron!!

2008-05-12T16:57:00.005-04:00

Wow, this track is straight funny. It's by Brian Scalabrine, a forward for the Boston Celtics, and boy does he rip LeBron a new one. Well actually it's by some dude from Canada named Justin Everest Skeets who is pretending he's the player but no matter it's fire. Too funny. The track is called "'Scal Says," and it's over the Pharoahe Monch "Simon Says" beat (not suprisingly).It's great (and ig'nant), I've listened to it 3 times in a row now. Actually make that 4 (with the 5th coming up soon). The best part is the "Boobie" Gibson line. But overall some good references to LeBron are thrown in. Too much.

Now for your enjoyment, here's the track with the lyrics below:

Fuck LeBron up!
Go ahead and fuck LeBron up!
Throw your bows up in his face (Why! Why! Why! Why!)
Celtics in the house hurtin’ fuckin’ cry babies
LeBron, suck on your Boobie (Giiiiiiiibson)
Yeah I said it — suck on your Boobie
Boston will end shit that the Wiz done started
Add Jay-Z and LeBron to the dearly departed

Y’all know the name
Brian-Scal-a-breen-ee, ain’t a damn thang changed
You think ya sliced bread, but your shit be overrated
I’m a hit ya so you hard, Mom will feel it inebriated
I’ll elevate the pain, with a long-term goal
Use five fouls on ya face, and one on your soul
You make millions throwin’ dust, I ride stationary bikes
But when I’m in Long Beach, then my shit be tight
And when I’m on the court, one-point-eight points, son
Extrapolate over forty and who da real Chosen One?
So get nervous LeBron, cuz we bringin’ da harm
While you chewin’ on your fingers, I’m bitin’ off your arm

Fuck LeBron up!
Go ahead and fuck LeBron up!
Throw your bows up in his face (Why! Why! Why! Why!)
Celtics in the house hurtin’ fuckin’ cry babies
LeBron, suck on your Boobie (Giiiiiiiibson)
Fuck I said it — suck on your Boobie
Boston will end shit that the Wiz done started
Add Jay-Z and LeBron to the dearly departed

(Yo, where you at Queen?) Wes, let me see him
Notorious for cryin’ from a love tap to the chin
Veal took over the beef, put him in a mausoleum
And the pain won’t stop comin’ til after eleven PM
Bark the KG, pierce like Paul
Kick you in the back, stick you for your ESPY award
In front of Beyonce, Jay, your 1st and 2nd born
Make your coach get on the horn call Commissioner David Stern
So he could persuade me to squash it, I saw naw he started it
He forgot what playoff basketball is
And playoff ball is you about to Witness-es-es
Your face meetin’ my elbow or my fist-es-es
Wicked good hits, that’s what Beantown say
You holdin’ up the series, now get outta the way

Fuck LeBron up!
Go ahead and fuck LeBron up!
Throw your bows up in his face (Why! Why! Why! Why!)
Celtics in the house hurtin’ fuckin’ cry babies
LeBron, suck on your Boobie (Giiiiiiiibson)
I said — suck on your Boobie
Boston will end shit that the Wiz done started
Add Jay-Z and LeBron to the dearly departed

I'm From DC!!

2008-05-12T16:10:00.003-04:00

Just gotta put it out there. Peace to Jamie for the link...

Favela Rising

2008-05-10T13:37:00.011-04:00

Favela Rising is a documentary about a "favela" (slum) in Brazil and the violence, drugs, and mayhem that the residents live in. But most importantly, it is a story about a group of people rising above the fray and becoming respected citizens of the area by creating music and bringing the youth together to teach them about music and other socially positive aspects, thus helping to bring an end to much of the negative that surrounds them. The music group they form is called Afro Reggae and the sound is a mix of rap, rock, reggae, electronic, and samba music. Check out live performance of, "Nenhum Motivo Explica a Guerra (There is No Motive for War)," the single from their second album (or download the album version here):

The movement is led by Anderson Sa, a reformed drug dealer, who is an amazing person. He becomes a revolutionary leader after many friends and family are killed in a massacre and gains the respect of so many people both in his, and other, favelas, something that is near impossible to achieve. This documentary is quite powerful and definitely worth watching. Some tough scenes but overall the uplifting idea that music can change an area is great and makes this an amazing story. Keep your eyes out for it, it may be tough to find at your traditional sorta rental places. I bought it outright so if you're fiendin' to see it let me know. Check out the trailer:

Pic I Like

2008-05-06T17:58:00.002-04:00

Nothin' to report. I think my AC @ work has shit the bed, gettin' pretty warm indoors. Was going thru some pics on my photobucket account and felt like posting this. That is all.

It's on...

2008-05-02T17:46:00.005-04:00

One hour to tip-off, DC has responded. Game 6 it is on!

Stand up DC!! Go Wizards! Beat LeBron. Let's Go!

Sleeveface

2008-05-02T14:34:00.006-04:00

So I've seen these done a bunch but didn't know there was a website devoted to doing this:

As you can probably tell, it's a cool concept that can be pulled off well with the right record sleeve and overall idea.

Check out more @ Sleeveface.com

Also, it just doesn't have to be faces:

Now I need to go home and start digging thru records for a good one to do. Maybe one day I'll post one.

Mixtape: Julie Parrty Mix

2008-04-30T14:03:00.006-04:00

Here is a mix I mentioned putting up here last week. It is an old mix I made for a friend's birthday party in 2002 (the party was on 12/16/02, to be exact). It's a mix of classic hip-hop jams (I called it "Julie Parrty Mix") and from a quick listen I can say that the tracks are good but the mixing and scratching are somewhat suspect. But whatever, I am still posting it up here for everyone to check out. Like the title says it was made for my friend, Julie, who passed away early this month. This isn't meant as a sentimental mix of songs by any means, really just wanted to revisit the mix given the circumstances and figured it was now or never. I went by DJ Naive at the time but call it a mix by Jayemzee. So here is it, check it out, please forgive any sloppiness, and enjoy. And remember, live and love life to the fullest as Julie did and I'm sure she wants us to do now.

Side A Tracklisting:

Fugees - Nappy Heads (remix)
The Pharcyde - Soulflower (remix)
The Beastie Boys - Hey Ladies
A Tribe Called Quest - Scenario
House of Pain - Jump Around (Pete Rock remix)
The Beatnuts - Watch Out Now
Erick Sermon & Redman - React
Jay-Z - I Just Wanna Love U
Ol' Dirty Bastart - Shimmy Shimmy Ya
Dr. Dre (w. Snoop) - Nuthin' But a G Thang
Dr. Dre (w. Snoop) - The Next Episode
Notorious BIG - Hypnotize
2Pac & Digital Underground - I Get Around

Side B Tracklisting:

Zimbabwe Legit - To Bead or Not to Bead
Naughty By Nature - Hip-Hop Hooray
Black Sheep - The Choice is Yours (revisited)
Redman - Time 4 Sum Aksion
Young Black Teenagers - Tap the Bottle
Digital Underground - The Humpty Dance
DMX -Born Loser
A Tribe Called Quest - Electric Relaxation
Notorious BIG - Juicy (Pete Rock remix)
Ed O.G & the Bulldogs - I Got to Have It
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - A Touch of Jazz (inst.)
3rd Bass - Pop Goes the Weasel
Slick Rick - Children's Story
Run-DMC - Peter Piper

Finally, this is a start in a few mixes I've made that are in digital (or can be in digital) format. More to come next week. I wish my computer recording program wasn't on the skitz because I would love to make new ones. One day...

The Roots do Go-Go

2008-04-30T13:44:00.004-04:00

Well, it may not be 100% Go-Go but its definitely got that go-go swing to it...

This is the last track off of the new album "Rising Down" and it features DC's own new hip-hop sensation Wale (pronounced "Wah-lay"). I have to admit I am really not familiar with his work but I do have an older mix by him that I am going to give a listen to sometime very soon (as in, once I dump it on my ipod, so tonight or tomorrow.) You can download that here:Wale: 100 Miles and Running

So back to the Roots track. I had heard about this track before the album dropped and the Roots labeled it "go-go influenced" hip-hop. I agree it's not go-go but damn, the influence is strong. After the chorus intro, the instrumental starts and definitely has that live go-go feel. Then Black Thought drops a few lines and, boom, all of a sudden the head-nodding go-go beat starts. I can hear it banging on the streets of DC, from the cats on the buckets around the Verizon Center (and Georgetown back in the day) to the radio to spots in between. Hell yea. That is nice. Thank you Roots for droppin' some go-go and giving a District area artist a chance to shine.

I'm gonna do a post dedicated to the Godfather of DC Go-Go, Chuck Brown, sometime soon so stay tuned. Peace.

New Portishead!!!! Album & Live Recording

2008-04-29T12:34:00.007-04:00

It's been too long. Finally the new album, Third, dropped today. I copped the vinyl over the weekend and gave it a spin last night for Monopoly Monday. The album is decent but most defintely needs some more spins before I really pass judgement. I will say that it is a little bit more experimental than past works with a few instrumental only cuts but overall it still has that moody beats sound with Beth Gibbons haunting vocals. Glad to have it and looking forward to more listens.

This morning I was trolling the 'net and came across a live recording from Coachella which was just this past weekend. Here is the single from the album, Machine Gun, live. It is a very agressive track with digital "machine gun" sounding snare hits:

Finally, here is a link to the whole show on .zip format. it is a good mix of new and old and the quality is not too horrible though it could be a bit better: Portishead Live @ Coachella '08

Enjoy!

Jay-Z Disses DeShawn

2008-04-29T12:15:00.002-04:00

boomp3.com

Jay-Z decided to jump into the fray even though he "so big (he) ain't gotta respond." I knew those he and LeBron were boys since they hosted an all-star game party together this year but who would've thought that Sean Carter would make a track backing up LeBron and dissing DeShawn and, in reality, wouldn't this be more a diss towards Soulja Boy. Classy stuff about spending the night with DeShawn's girl and being offended by being mentioned, (didn't LeBron make the whole Jay-Z/ Soulja Boy comparison?) What I find to me the most offensive is this track made its debut at a party for LeBron at a club in DC on Friday night. Supposedly Damon "I haven't played this series" Jones got on the mic and started saying some pretty dirty stuff afterwards. This prompted Caron Butler to exit the building as he felt offended in his own town. Man, LeBron is a bitch,I can't stand him. He gets too many calls, takes too many steps, and is generally a crybaby when things don't go his way.

Soulja Boy vs. Lebron James

2008-04-21T13:37:00.005-04:00

Now onto something a bit more upbeat, I would even say it's funny...

So Soulja Boy feels that LeBron James has disrespected him. This all started last month when Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson called LeBron "overrated." Now as much as can't stand "King James" this is not so true and he is really a beast on the court. But I can't get mad at DeShawn for trying to get under the guy's skin as the Cav's seem to have the Wizards number in the playoffs (not this year hopefully), but back to the story...

So in an interview afer Stevenson's remarks, BronBron was asked about the comments and said this, "it's kind of funny. It's almost like Jay-Z [responding to a negative comment] made by Soulja Boy. It doesn't make sense to respond." Well I think thats a response, its dissing Stevenson. But Soulja Boy also took it as a diss to him. He has this to say just the other day about it, "Someone from Interscope Records called me and sent me the quote, I looked and didn't really think much about it. LeBron said something like he was Jay-Z and DeShawn [Stevenson] is Soulja Boy. I took that as [disrespectful]." So clearly he wasn't happy in that regard but went on to say, "this makes me feel like a very important individual. I'm in the middle of this conversation in the playoffs, and that makes me feel good."

I guess I'm happy if Soulja Boy is happy. Shouldn't we all be?

For real though, I like the fact that someone basically said that Soulja Boy is a blip on the screen and not worth real artists time because his 15 minutes are just about up. With such great lyrics like "supaman dat ho" and telling kids to tell people "yahhh, trick, yahhh" when you want them to go away, I don't think that he should have even gotten 15 seconds.

So thanks LeBron, even though you dissed DeShawn thanks for getting at Soulja Boy too, even though thats too easy.

So its been a minute...

2008-04-21T12:44:00.003-04:00

Life's been interesting in the past couple of weeks. Things have been kind of turned upside down but are working there way back around. A friend passed away recently and blogging kind of felt like a waste of time, really nothing seemed to be important enough to b.s. about. The friend was Julie Granum, someone I had known for pretty much forever as I have been best friends with her brother Jamie since about kindergarten and my sister was one of her best friends since they met at a similar young age. Really tragic as Julie was truly a one of a kind person who had the most amazingly postive outlook on life, such a great soul. Someone who will be truly missed by the many people whose lives she touched in so many ways. So happy, loving, caring, so many adjectives to describe her and all of them positive but I feel that word cannot properly describe her. She will be missed so greatly.

I am in the process of converting a tape to digital that I had made for a birthday party for her in 2002. Nothing really sentimental with regards to the track selection but I figured if i was going to ever listen to the mix again now was the time. So that will appear up here before the end of the week...

In closing, here is a video of one her favorite songs. It was played to close out the funeral and is really quite wonderful. Julie, I (and so many others) will miss you. R.I.P. Much love and peace from now until eternity. Until we meet again..............

The Roots are coming

2008-04-01T14:47:00.017-04:00

Sunday April 2oth is gonna be a good day. Not only is it 4-20 but there is a big concert happening on the mall right in front of the Capitol. The headliners are the one and only Roots crew and rumors are starting to spread that "friends" of the Roots will be there too. Mos? Kweli? Common? Erykah Badu? I don't know but any show featuring the Roots is bound to be good and adding anyone else to lineup can only make it better. There is also going to be a DJ set by Thievery Corporation which should be cool as well. If only it was a live Thievery show I would have to say I found heaven, but oh well, no, just dj'ing. Other artists are performing as well, mostly local, but Toots and the Maytals is gonna be down here as well. So all the DC heads, this is a must see. The JTL crew will mos def be down there enjoying the day and the music. Hope to see some of you there. Oh and did I mention it's free!

Bush Gets Booed (YAY!)

2008-04-01T14:35:00.004-04:00

Here's a video of the great George "Dubya" Bush getting booed before he throws out the first pitch at the Nationals new stadium. Classic. I must say, when I watched this live the other night I got quite a kick out of it. So enjoy, cuz I did for sure and I wish I could have been there to join in. This almost makes me want to support the Nats, not yet tho. Go Red Sox!

MPC Beast

2008-03-31T16:22:00.006-04:00

So I've generally avoided anything Anticon related as it is generally the epitome of nerd rap. I've heard some of the artists in this crew on occasion it's pretty painful to hear them rap, let alone some of the beats are really out there. I am a fan of Sage Francis but he is not really down with this crew anymore.

So back to the point, I saw this video and had to share it, it is Jel, a producer and rapper from the group, Themselves. I can't say I know much more about it except that it's all live and really dope...

and here is another one, not quite as impressive but the angles are pretty cool...

tape deck dj'ing

2008-03-19T18:30:00.004-04:00

so i came across a link to this video on another blog and i had to get it up here. this dude is sick and started doing cassettes when he couldn't afford turntables. this is truly some next level 'ish. nuff respect...

and then this other short video with a guy cutting it up with just a shoebox tape recorder modified with a cut off switch, nice:

i wanna get myself some boomboxes or other tape recorders and start tearing them apart so i can try my hand at this, but i think i'll stick to the regular old technics.

"Don't get chumpatized"

2008-03-15T15:06:00.012-04:00

Watched a great documentary last night that I would recommend checking out. It was called King of Kong: a fistful of quarters. Check out the trailer on the website. If you are a child of the 80's or love video games in general its worth seeing this film. Well done with a good story behind it, and one of the characters last names was Mitchell (too bad he didn't come off as too good a guy, oh well) So yea, check out this doc, peace to Tiny for being "king of documentaries" and having seen it already so I knew it was gonna be damn good. And remember kids, "don't get chumpatized..."

DCU

2008-03-15T14:19:00.009-04:00

DC United started play this past week with a 1-1 tie against Jamaica's Harbour View FC in the CONCACAF Champion's Cup. The 2nd game in the home/away series is Tuesday night at good 'ol RFK Stadium, and they need a win to advance to the next round. I was given tickets to go for free (yes!) so I look forward to attending and cheering on the black and red, and hopefully finally securing myself a DCU scarf. I can't wait for the game and I also already got my tickets for the MLS regular season opener on April 5th. I'm hoping this season ends better than last and I also hope I can make it to alot of games this year. The price is right and the atmosphere is great. I would most def recommend attending some games. If you wanna go to one let me know cuz I am always down for a game. Big things happening in '08. DC UNITED!

My 1st Blog Post

2008-03-15T14:03:00.006-04:00

welcome to my blog, i will be talking about things i come across in my daily life, which means most of it will be related to music and sports. i am a vinyl lover and try to buy a few records (at least) a week and i have thousands of them at home. i am also a big sports fan with an allegiance towards dc area teams (redskins, wizards, dc united) with the only exception being that i am red sox fan (i lived in boston for a while and drank the water, but i am not a huge baseball fan.)

mostly i am going to talk about dc, sports, my love of vinyl, and other misc. things that i find interesting. i'll try to link to cool things on the web, add some audio worth hearing, and maybe even putting some links up to d'l good music. plus i can relearn some html encoding and whatnot that's always good to know in this digital age.

hope you enjoy checking out my blog, so here goes...