DJ Stylus - The Vibe Conductor

I first came across this cat when he was doing backup vocals for Bilal Salaam. It’s kinda hard to keep up with the younglings sometimes. Nicholas was a student in the same HU music department that gave us Muhsinah, and she came out of nowhere too and just started smashing the world. It’s a movement, y’all. And even when they leave DC I’m still claiming ‘em! Lots of reasons to be excited about music these days and Nick is definitely one of them.

LISTEN:

WATCH:

This bamma is SAINGIN’

LINK UP:

http://www.myspace.com/nicholasmusicsoul

PURCHASE:

http://payloadz.com/go/sip?id=368506

This video was on a promo cd I got from her a few years ago. Glad that it made its way to the internets. It’s funny how things come back around. King mentions Sylk City in the vid and last year he brought it back and I hear that they go hard again like the old days.

I damn near had a spiritual moment the last time she rocked in DC. Her command of her band, her material and her voice… I really felt like I was witnessing something akin to what our parents experienced watching Chaka, Tina or Gladys in their primes. Part of it is that Alma affirms that the musical traditions we cherish are being maintained, developed and pushed forward.

When Alma sings you just feel HAPPY. Maybe it’s because she’s so happy. Even if she just jumps up in the middle of a P.A. to belt out a couple with the DJ, she’s FEELING it. Her joy is contagious, virulent even. It’s like she has jumper cables for your soul.

Sometimes I get antsy waiting for the egregiously overdue solo album but there are still a bunch of her collabos floating around that I have yet to acquire and there are always new ones popping up out of nowhere. (Jungle Love? Word?!?)

BTW, if you missed Twilight when it dropped, please get caught up.

TUNE!!!

The Mashi jont particularly… yikes.

Another freestyle situation. Finally got in a lot of the new goodies that have been piling up in the lab. And my new baby is also making her first appearance.

1. Daru Beats - Gratefull feat. Deenahea (DNA)
2. Kissey Asplund & Suff Daddy (feat. Bless 1) - 99bottles
3. Erik Rico - Making Love
4. Nickodemus (Wonderwheel Records) exclusive joint
5. Coultrain - Green
6. Nicolay & Kay - I’ve Seen Rivers
7. Mr. Windmill & Jay.Soul - Hugo Hovenkampp
8. Trevor Lovey’s - Elevate Your Mind
9. The RH Factor - For Fun (SoulFeast Vocal Remix of “Common Freestyle” feat. Omar)
10. Reel People - Outta Love feat. Omar
11. Ave.To - Cuz Of You
12. Chris Barker - Breakin Bread edit
13. Demetrius Price - No Holdin’ Back
14. Moodyman - Black Mahogani
15. Amp Fiddler - I’m Doing Fine (live)*
16. Exchange Bureau - The End of Me & You feat. Salah Obeid

*original version: track 4

DJ Stylus sharing soul nuggets with a sheen of pomade.

Thursday March 6
Marvin
2007 14th St. NW, WDC
9:30′ish until whenever
cover charge: NONE

1. Takuya - Summerjam
2. Caron Wheeler - UK Blak
3. Anthony Hamilton - Nobody Else
4. Sade - Turn My Back On You
5. Femi Kuti - Blackman Know Yourself (The Roots Remix)
6. Moodymann - People Make The World Go Round
7. Dionne Farris - 11th Hour
8. Chaka Khan - What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me
9. Maxwell - Now/At the Party
10. Whole Darn Family - Seven Minutes Of Funk
11. Starpoint - Bring Your Sweet Loving Back
12. Strange Fruit Project - Good Times
13. Blackalicious - Make You Feel That Way (DJ Eurok Kenyatta mix)
14. Pimps of Joytime - Street Sounds
15. Alice Russell - Remember To Forget
16. Paul Hardcastle - Rain Forest
17. 4Hero - Star Chasers (4hero Version Excursion)
18. Restless Soul feat. Zansika - And I Know It (Dub)
19. Agent K - Feed The Cat

1. Timbaland - Big White Spaceship feat. Pharrell
2. DKD - Brighter Day (Jneiro Jarel rmx)
3. Ladybug Mecca - Dogg Starr
4. Ohmega Watts - Adaptacao feat. Tita Lima
5. Wale Oyejide - Ibadan Sunrise (instr.)
6. Robin Thicke - Lost Without You (Oddisee rmx)
7. Yummy Bingham - One More Chance
8. Alice Russell - A Fly In The Hand
9. Cloud One - Patty Duke
10. Heavy D. - I Can’t Help It feat. Anthony Hamilton
11. W. Ellington Felton - How Dare You
12. Jill Scott - Gimme
13. Yam Who feat. Christian Fontana - Wrap You Up
14. Amp Fiddler - If I Don’t feat. Corinne Bailey Rae (main & Taylor McFerrin rmx)
15. Phuturistix - In The Sun
16. Beady Belle - Goldilocks
17. Mr. Hermano - Free As The Morning Sun (Disisco Re-Edit)
18. DJ Spinna - The Originator

No, it’s not a Raheem mixtape done by this guy, although I wouldn’t be mad at that (’sup Lil Mic).

It’s just a little Valentine’s Day edition of Decipher from the good ‘PFW studios. (subscribe/iTunes)

Been having a good time lately. You should tune in.

Book was on WPGC duty and I didn’t really have any options. In a stroke of fate, New Year’s Eve fell on a Monday, which is Jamil’s regular residency at Marvin. That was a good look because he’s been slogging through some soul-sucking gigs as of late. “Full creative control” on New Year’s Eve had him giddy like Geoffrey Holder in Boomerang. I was just going to show up, chill and watch the homie black out on the decks but he proposed we make it a Soul Controller throwdown. Didn’t have to ask me twice.

Crowd was mixed, nobody paid a dime to get through the door, folks were partying and looking nice without having to be instructed to do so by a dress code. Isn’t that what a NYE party should be? My only regret is not having a mic to catch the roar of the dancefloor, makes the track mutes in the recordings sound silly. One women told us that “it’s time for you to play some mainstream hip-hop now.” We declined gracefully.

Part 1:
Setting the mood for the jump-off. “Champion Requiem” at a New Year’s Eve party? Whoa. Marvin Gaye makes the first of several appearances… ‘cuz we at Marvin.

Jamil drops Cee-Lo’s “I’ll Be Around” right at midnight. Booties start shaking and moving all around. Somehow we get to “Sounds Like” and “Golpe Duro Calinda”. No mercy and no prisoners. Can you feel it?!

Put together a little something while I was in Philly with the Ill Vibe fam.

Stylus

Isabella - Aurora
Omar - World Of You
Saukrates feat. Common - Play Dis
Raheem Devaughn - Heaven
Owusu & Hannibal - Blue Jay
The HYBernation Project - Heavy
Ernesto - Juice (Dimlite Remock)
Kokayi - Beautiful
Marvin Gaye - I Want You 2 (Waajeed Outro)
DJ Mitsu - Dokkou Jazz Orgy
Roy Davis Jr. feat. Peven Everett - Someday
Shanice - It’s For You
MC Lyte - Eyes Are The Soul
Dego & Kaidi Tatham - Dealt A Bad Hand
Shae Fiol - I Dance
Blvd. East & Louie “Lou” Gorbea - A Journey Into
Tom & Joy - Antigua
Aklimatize - El Uno

Statik

Foremost Poets - Where I’m Going
Teddy Douglass - The Caribou (Karizma rmx)
Anto Vitale - Theorema Del Faya
Nadirah Shakoor - Just A Breath Away
Robert Owens - Bring Down the Walls
First Choice - Double Cross (Larry Levan mix)
ESG - Moody (Spaced Out)
Bernard Wright - Master Rocker
Martin Circus - Disco Circus
Gerardo Frisina - Helen Samba