I’ve been meaning to write a post about how the digital dj’ing age has completely changed my relationship to vinyl, particularly the acquisition part. I’ll get to that later because it definitely doesn’t mean that digging ceases. Our relationship has evolved but it’s still going strong. Today it was Death Valley outside and I was getting stir crazy from cowering in the A.C. so I ventured out hoping that I wouldn’t suffer heat stroke. Fortunately one of my most reliable spots is close to my house and it yielded some nice treats. And that was after passing up a crate’s worth of joints that would have been mandatory purchases in the pre-digital days.
Even as we continue the slog to finish the album, one of us managed to find another outlet for his considerable talents. And since the cast also includes the inimitable Twain Dooley, I highly recommend getting your cat baby on.
Details:
REVENGE OF THE CAT-HEADED BABY, and Other True Tales About Life & Death
SpeakEasy DC is a great event/organization run by Amy Saidman that exists to promote the fine & entertaining art of STORYTELLING.
“REVENGE…” is an ensemble storytelling piece that is being presented
as a part of this year’s Capital Fringe Festival.
-your master storytellers are:
Slam Poet Twain Dooley
New Dad Edwin Kubal
Poet/hip-hop artist Darrell Perry
Stand-up Comedian Vijai Nathan; and
Peace Corps Therapist Tabbie Mann
Fortunately a real hip-hopper was on hand among the Hollywood stiffs to bear witness and capture the moment. Sure is nice when you can land gigs like that.
Will notes that the tour will be all classic material with nothing new. Now I know Will is one of the biggest actors on the planet and the rap game is quite a different animal but I think that if Will got back with Jeff, stopped giving a damn about fitting in with what cats are doing now and just focused on the fun and chemistry him and Jeff still have, they could make a decent record. I believe ?uestlove had some brief discussions with him about collaborating. A bootcamp with Jeff and a lot of the underground talents he keeps around him could get Will back in fighting shape quickly. No ghostwriters, no hot producers of the moment, just back to basics. Maybe being an intergalactic megastar has extinguished the type of energy a hungry emcee has to draw from but he’s Will Smith, he doesn’t have anything to prove. He doesn’t have to worry about sales. He really could approach it from a purist perspective.
Wishful thinking? An old head’s desperate self-delusion?
Meistro:
Bebel Gilberto - Aganju (Latin Project rmx)
Plastyc Buddha - String Vibe (Nickodemus and Osiris NY Hip Harmonic Remix)
7 Samurai - Feel The Same (Dubben rmx)
Soul II Soul - Jazzie’s Groove
????
Alice Russell - Fly in Your Hand (DJ Vadim rmx)
Casbah 73 - Big Shoes, Small Feet
Gecko Turner - Un Limon en la Cabeza (Quantic rmx)
Stylus:
Afro Life - Sidewinder
Ohmega Watts - Adaptacao feat. Tita Lima
Common - Time Travelin’
Cloud One - Patty Duke
Milton Bros. - Living in the City
Tigercity - Are You Sensation?
Owusu & Hannibal - Lonnie’s Secret
Matisyahu/Rolling Stones - Chop ‘Em Down/Miss You Mash
Meistro:
Beatfanatic - Sumthin Betta
Common - Go (King Most rmx)
Amp Fiddler ft. Corinne Bailey Rae - If I Don’t
Casbah 73 - Freshly Sqeezed!
Bionics - Love Chains
Keyshia Cole - Shoulda Let You Go (Eli’s put echo on everything mix)
Space Lady - Gift Pt II
Faith Evans - Mesmerized (White label rmx)
Mark Hype and Jim Dunloop - The Mexican
Kathy Diamond - All Woman
Afro Heat 4 - White Label
Recloose ft. Joe Dukie - Dust (Roc Wun rmx)
The Rebirth - Evil Vibrations
Stylus:
Sesso Matto - Sessomatto
Universal Robot Band - Barely Breaking Even
Stylus:
Reel People - Upside
Nick Straker Band - A Little Bit of Jazz
Patrice Rushen - Number One
J Boogie’s Dubtronic Science - Conga Rock
John Arnold - Supadupe
Kelis - ’80s Joint
2000black - So Right
Aloe Blacc - Bailar
Meistro:
Faze Action - Hypnotic (Disco Mix)
Idan K - Ijidan Tribute (unreleased)
Louie Vega - Mi Gente (dub)
Matthias Heilbronn & Candela Allstars – Brobombique (Matty’s II Deep Mix)
Bunny Mack - Let Me Love You (DJ Gregory Original Vibe Mix)
Oreja - Manana por la Manana
Nickodemus - Conmigo
War - Galaxy
Stylus:
Ian Friday feat. Erro - Everything (Tea Party Vocal Mix)
Tiger Stripes - Missing You (Raw Artistic Soul remix)
Reel People - Alibi
Meistro:
Yam Who? - Flunky Gone Punky (we are ready)
Cymande - Brothers on the Slide (Ruffy Tuffy edit)
Awa Band ft Tony Allen - Bababateur (Quantic rmx)
Faze Action - Kariba (Copyright rmx)
Stylus:
Alice Russell - Somebody’s Gonna Love You (featuring Quantic)
Fela Kuti - Shakara
Meistro:
Nickodemus - Puerto Rico Pa’Gozar
Damn! - African
African-Scanian Music Continuum Rerouted
I generally don’t do memes but this one is too fun to pass up, especially since Ill Mami passed me the hot potato and I didn’t get it together in time for this list.
“List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring or summer. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.”
2000black - So Right
The internets is going crazy and rightfully so since the geniuses behind 4Hero, Silhouette Brown, Agent K and DKD are blessing us with new hot goodies.
Carl Anderson - Buttercup I’m just getting hip to this cat some four years after he passed away. And Stevie Wonder lent a hand too?!? Songs like this are why digging is so rewarding.
Louie Vega - Let The Children Play
My inner child needs as much help as he can get. This tune is like his vitamins. I REALLY want to play at or throw an afro-cuban party this summer. White skirts, congas and catching spirits. Maybe I just need to finally get to Libation.
Ronnie Foster - Mystic Brew
This lowers my blood pressure and makes me want to lay down in a hammock somewhere with the breeze gently rocking me back and forth. And yes, it did give birth to another perfect summer anthem.
Choklate - Reach For The Moon
Although it’s standard practice and I can’t find it streaming anywhere, I don’t want to post a download of this out of respect for the sista. I really want her to win and this is a lovely bit of work from her. Catch it on her myspace player and hopefully on an upcoming release.
Nothing incredibly profound to see here, just happened to look at the play tally on my Last.fm page and noticed a number that may or may not have some sort of grand significance beyond a cool coincidence. Might as well share. It’s a nice tune.
So the 4,444th song I’ve scrobbled to my Last.fm profile is:
More than a little bit of Augustus Pablo in there and one hell of a rhythm section, like the breakdown at the end of “I Shot The Sheriff”. Pretty summery too. You can rock this with the top down, or as the soundtrack for a beach sunset.
The “ho stroll” being my personal terminology for the mainstream gigs I occasionally play. Despite the fact that the money is always better than any of my gigs where I can be creative and play good music, the ho stroll gigs are becoming increasingly difficult. The last few of them paid for my birthday trip abroad and a bathroom renovation so I should be motivated to keep chasing that paper. But I’m struggling.
I basically have to play music I hate for people I can’t relate to. This nullifies my biggest asset, which is my ability to make an emotional connection with my audience, otherwise known as that whole vibe conducting thing.
It should be easy actually, because most of today’s popular music takes no skill to mix. Actually, you generally don’t have to mix at all. Most of the songs are mad slow and you just drop them on the one and folks go nuts.
To keep the ho stroll money steady, I have to stay current. Usually I just get a zip file from my WPGC connect. That’s much better than the days when I’d have to prepare for such gigs by actually wasting money buying the records. Of course those songs weren’t as bad as today’s songs either. Still, the instant playlist approach means that I end up not knowing the songs very well, so sometimes I have to break down and listen to the radio (nOva, you’re a bigger man than I.)
It withers the soul and makes my brain ache.
Occasionally there’s a decent tune. I’m not mad at the new Lloyd jont, with Weezy interpolating “Paid In Full”. But that appeals to my old school sensibilities so maybe that’s not a good example.
I was struck by the fact that The Dream has a tune with a good melody. The most classic way to make a solid song is so rare on commercial radio that when you hear a standout melody it’s an event. I can’t front though, T-Pain has crafted a few quality melodies. But the props I had ready for The Dream were soured when I heard the album version that has a refrain of “fuck that nigga” sung in falsetto. I recommend the radio edit.
And sometimes I feel like I’m the only one noticing things that should make everyone howl in disbelief, like hearing Too Short’s old ass (who I admittedly loved as a youth) drop these jewels…
I got ten bad bitches, actin’ retarded
I’m tryin’ to meet a few new ones
What’s up with you girl, maybe we can do somethin’
Do you drink, do you smoke?
I could tell by your purse and your shoes you ain’t broke
Hang with me, the first thing you do is get stuck
Take you somewhere, later on you’ll get fucked, beotch!
But the pièce de résistance (for now) has to be “Bust It Baby”. This one is actually worth an embed. First of all, I can’t believe this saga has three parts, one of which features Janet Jackson (to hell with you Jermaine Dupri).
I now offer an exercise in audience participation. What is the most coonerific facet of the video below?
- the song
- the “performance”
- the outfit
- the comments
Even my little sister - a millennial who generally digs such fare - was like “I have to draw the line somewhere”.
