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

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.

The England Online Record Store Competition

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...

FToTD

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.

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

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)...

Friday Track of the Day

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:

Friday Track of the Day - Featurecast

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).

Friday's Track of the Day

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:

Friday's Track(s) of the Day

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...

Friday's Track of the Day

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.

Sleeveface

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.