Comin at you live and direct all the way from Guatemala– here’s a new one for you hot off the mixing board! In honor of this very special solstice, the ending of a 5,125 year Mayan calendar cycle, and the dawning of a new era of higher consciousness… I present you with this tropical tribal dancefloor heater. Cut me some slack on the artwork since I did it on the redeye flight coming down here (with turbulence & crying babies to boot). I hope you find a way to play this loudly at a holiday party, surprising the hell out of the unsuspecting guests, and then break out into some ferocious ancestral dance moves. Free download, once again…

Last night I was lucky enough to witness, first-hand, a musical experience that I had previously believed existed solely in the privileged memory of concert-goers’ past. On the same stage, performing live: Sly Stone, Shuggie Otis, Leon Ware, Zap Mama, Seu Jorge, James Gadson, Coco O. Oh yeah, George Clinton was there too, just hanging out! Since funk and soul were some of the main driving forces that lead my life into Deejay-dom and beyond, it was a magical moment to say the least. HUGE thanks and respect to Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and ArtDontSleep for making it happen. If I wasn’t leaving for Guatemala tomorrow I’d take more time to elaborate on exactly how amazing it was, and possibly even spend some time digitizing old vinyl to share with you, but… I’m on the run. In a very soulful mood, I’m sharing with you some new and old cuts that I think should help convey a touch of what it was that went down.

Courtney John & Ticklah :       Born To Fly
so happy about this collabo. Probably my favorite contemporary reggae crooner teaming up with one of my favorite producers in ANY genre- Dap Kings, Antibalas, Amy Winehouse secret weapon- the inimitable Ticklah. Get the 7″!

Bruno Mars :       Show Me
rare that I post from an artist as pop as Bruno, but this dude is doing it so much more legit that some other pop acts out there. Jus sayin…

Bomba Estereo :       El Alma Y El Cuerpo
one of my favorite bands in S. America. So good live, and this song in particular (which sounds very reminiscent to a certain K. Frimpong track), absolutely slays me. Get the whole new album here.

Sandra de Sá :       Olhos Coloridos
funky Brazilian classic, since I’m feeling inspired by Seu.

Trio Ternura :       A Gira (Mr Mendel Edit)

Sunshine Anderson :       Heard It All Before (Quantic Remix)
not new, but still sounding great.

Tommy Stewart :       Bump & Hustle
classic. Still don’t have this on vinyl.

Fonda Rae :       Over Like A Fat Rat (Edit)
early 80’s disco gem

First Choice :       Let No Man Put Asunder (Moplen Reprise) &       Love and Happiness
10 mins of pure dancefloor goodness. And the female take on Al Green‘s staple.

The Decoders :       Walk On By ft. Noelle Scaggs
killing yet another soul cover, these LA locals are someone to be watching closely in 2013

Resonators :       Surrender Dub
top notch British reggae from my friends at Wah Wah records. Get the whole dub EP for free.

As the year comes to a close, rather than putting together a “Best of 2012″, I made an eclectic mix of sounds to help you reflect on the past 12 months while dancing your way into the future. From mid-tempo head nodders, to funky-house dancefloor fillers, and then out into some very deep and soulful selections, these 60mins should take you on a nice little trip around the sonic solar system. Featuring new music from Bomba Estereo, Rhye, Recloose, Superhuman Happiness, Tensnake, Tuesday Born and more. Some of these songs will be familiar to you, but about 1/3 haven’t been featured here yet, and of course even the songs you know always sound a little different in the mix. Full tracklist and download available on the BrooklynRadio page.

Brand new heat for you just when it’s starting to get colder outside. This is an old folk song from Zimbabwe updated for current ears and asses Captain Planet stylee. ChigiyoMaster is the lead guitarist for the legendary Thomas Mapfumo & The Blacks Unlimited. This is just the first taste of what we started when I recorded with them back in the Spring (damn so long ago already). Expect more collabos with the group soon… Also, the song is a free download, just gotta “LIKE” my facebook page alright?

The end of an era at least. Quetzalcoatl is returning, ya know, nothing too major. I’m gladly going to be down in Mayan turf (Lake Atitlan, Guatemala) for the solstice, which I’m very excited about. Rather than thinking of it as an apocalypse, I prefer picturing it as the dawn of a higher consciousness- perhaps presenting us with the emergence of a newly evolved funk. Then again, maybe I’m getting my hopes up too high. Some nice selections today that keep me daydreaming more than I probably should. And the pic above comes from the legendary Danny Lyon who has a great retrospective show up now at the De Young museum in SF which I checked out while I was in the Bay last week.

Superhuman Happiness :       See Me On My Way
rad coming together of musicians from Antibalas, Phenomenal Handclap Band, TV on the Radio and more… This song indeed makes me superhappy and I’m definitely lookin forward wo more from this gang.

Boyz Noize :       What You Want (Chromeo Remix)
bout time I had something new from Chromeo. All the right elements are here: vocoder, 80’s synths, disco bass, boogie guitar chops and some simple heartfelt whiteboy vocals.

Steve Bug :       Moment Of Ease ft. Emilie Chick
nice bouncy pop joint with a touch of jazz from Mr. Bug.

Andrew Ashong :       Take It Slow
yessssss. Even if you’re the type of person who rarely is willing to drop $12 on a 12″, this one is worth it!

Tiger & Woods :       Curb My Heart ft. 'EM
nu-80’s boogie ish from this mysterious disco duo

Canyons :       Tonight &       See Blind Through (Mic Newman Remix)
pretty late on discovering these guys, but I’m real glad I did. Slightly experimental indy-rock with some solid disco and electronic moments.

Lane 8 :       For You
haws muzzik (gotta say it with a German accent to sound correct). Loving the classic smooth late-night sound that this producer has been consistently putting out.

Letherette :       Warstones &       Surface
funky fresh beats and head trip shit taken from this great EP.

Lapalux :       The Hours
heavily compressed head nod business from this Brainfeeder crew member.

Flight Facilities :       Claire de Lune
really cool to hear something so atmospheric and chilled out from these funky Aussies.

New bass for your face. Some Moombah, lil bit of Latin, touch of Balkan, and some heavy African joints. My Subsuelo homies are kicking off a new party this Friday at El Cid where music like this will be the  modus operandi. LA heads should come through. Shoutout to my dude Koury Angelo for the fresh pic which was taken at a bar somewhere in S. America I believe.

Pernett :       Rumba Bacana (Nickodemus Remix) my man Nicko comes correct once again on this solid mid-tempo latin breakbeat partystarter.

Carlos Barbosa & Blasterjaxx :       Toca Flute (Sabo Remix) fellow NYC to LA transplant and moombah godfather, Sabo, made this Andean flute bomb even more devastating.

Orión & King Louie :       Tin Tin (Peligrosa Remix) speakin of Sabo, here’s another great moomba track from a recent EP on his Sol Selectas label

Miguel Migs ft. Capelton :       The System (Fellow vs. Jillionaire Remix) conscious dancehall meets heavy global bass on this rework from the richest man in babylon

Fuse :       Antenna hotter than lava Azonto Afro pop from Ghana. Shouts to my girl Azza for the heads up on this one. Hopefully this joint will continue to inspire more public dancing.

CongopunQ, Papy Mbavu & Flamme Kapaya :       Danse du Charlot Scié LOVE this track, which I discovered on the soundtrack to Viva Riva. Watch it, be amazed, then get the full soundtrack of Congolese gems.

Radioclit :       Secousse All Stars more fire from the Riva soundtrack from a pretty familiar face in the global bass scene.

ShazaLaKazoo & Chernobyl :       Zica Memo Feat. Suppa Fla (Gregor Salto Remix) Balkan heater from another of the biggest names in global club music.

Yankee Zulu & Worthy :       Concumbia (Original Mix) never heard of these guys, but this one is seriously infectious. Shouts to DJ Gozar for the heads up.

Boogaloo :       It's Not OK But Alright new one from Boogaloo, if you weren’t already, get familiar.