This is the state of my previously white Pro Keds after last night’s crowd-surfing electro-punk warehouse party in Williamsburg. I dance a lot (pretty much why I started DJing), but it’s still a rare occasion that I get a chance to go that crazy. Thanks to all the bands on the lineup (especially Team Robespierre, Juiceboxxx, & Ninjasonik) who induced nothing less than sweaty frenzy between each consecutive power outage (the momentary spaces for shouts and chanting only increased the intensity of the mayhem). Big shouts to Spankrock and Amanda Blank who were keeping things hype too. Here’s some pics from the show (you can see me getting rowdy  in a couple). 

Today however, I needed some serious Sunday recuperation. Afternoon trip to the Russian & Turkish bathhouse with the homies, little bit of savory Israeli cuisine to take me back to Tel Aviv, and sitting back with some recent mash-ups that I’ve been loving lately. Erik The Red is a friend for a while now, and I only wish he would hit me up with blends like this more often. Jayceeoh is a cat I just met recently over the interweb, but I’m looking forward to DJ-ing together later this month when he drops a new Brazilian mix (stay tuned). Pretty cool to hear my own track get the mashup treatment (he used my beat “Fumando” on “I Know That’s Gangster”). And “Blame It” is a guilty pleasure that I can’t pretend not to love. Then I’m putting up a remix I just finished now for Mayer Hawthorne & The County. The og had me flipping when I first heard it, and from listening to the other joints on his myspace, the album sounds like it’s gonna be a monster. Now I need to go find me some new PRO KEDS!!!

Mayer Hawthorne :       Just Ain't Gonna Work Out (Captain Planet Remix)

Alice Russell :       Hurry On Now (Erik The Red's Tubbified Mashdown)

Jaime Foxx vs. DJ Spinna :       Blame It (Jayceeoh Edit)

Jay-Z, Sean Kingston, & Bun B :       I Know That's Gangsta (Jayceeoh vs. Captain Planet Edit)

ALL MTR EXCLUSIVES!!!

I’ve been waiting so long for this one and it’s WORTH IT! The video for NASTY FUNKY (Directed by the legendary Christine Turner of Say It Loud! Productions) is done and looks amaaaaaaazingly fresh. Come out tonight and rage with us at Beauty Bar with 2 for 1 drinks, a live Beatards performance, and VIDEO SCREENINGS ALL NIGHT! Bound to get rowdy on the dancefloor with me and DJ O providing mixmaster services as well. At some point throughout the night, I promise to drop my new anthem as of 3 hours ago… “MY MUSIC” by Mr. Johnson (shouts to Never Not Working crew for the revelation). 

Yes Jadakiss heads, this is the sample source for “We Gon’ Make It” (wait for it!), but more importantly, it speaks to those of us who actually think about the plausibility of marrying music. Listen to the album if you seek more of the good shit.

Samuel Jonathan Johnson : My Music
taken from the album “My Music” on Columbia (1978) 

I recently dug up this Shirley joint and was reminded of just how simple the recipe is for a timeless dancefloor banger.  Double-dutch rhymes, handclaps, and the obligatory pounded-by-caveman drums. Still works for plenty of artists today. First thought: this is screaming to be remixed and I will do it. While allowing the record to linger in my “to be remixed” crate, I finally gave a listen to the Kizzaland mixtape that people had been telling me about (sometimes I’m slow). First thought: that bastard Timbaland protege beat me to it! The rest of the mixtape is definitely worth a listen too, but this one made me smack the back of my head. Also check these Izza Kizza videos if you got a second. Continue reading…

Watch out for this group! I found out about them when Murphy and O-Dub put out their “Ritmo Del Camino” mixtape a couple months ago and included “Baby” as the second to last song. Handclap actually reached out to us since their name was spelled wrong on the mixtape tracklist (“Handclapping”- blame it on dufus, not me), and asked for a correction and a myspace link. It’s taken me way too long to catch up, but here’s their myspace and their blog, and more photos from their last show at the Williamsburg Music Hall– what was I doing that night and why did I miss this?

Daniel Collás and Sean Marquand make up Embassy Sound Productions (ESP) who are responsible for putting this latest project together. If their names sound familiar perhaps it’s because you have the albums they produced for Uniao Black and Joe Bataan in recent years (comeback albums rarely ever sound this nice). Sean also happens to be one half of the DJ Duo that has been holding down Brazil Beat Brooklyn at Black Betty for years now- still my favorite Sunday night party. Psychedelic, funky, retro-futuristic- I’m eagerly awaiting the full album.

Continue reading…

So the homie Ballantino hit me up and let me know that my track Speakin Nuyorican was the MP3 of the day over at RCRDLBL.COM (one of the cooler, and most groundbreaking blogs out there in my opinion). I knew the song was going to be on the BKLYN compilation (alongside some of my FAVORITE funky artists) put together by my other good friend DJ DRM, but I don’t have a copy and didn’t even know it was released yet! This is the second time this year that I’ve discovered one of my unreleased tracks inadvertently on a compilation- O-Dub at Soul-Sides.com put me on to this Japanese comp that features a rough draft of my song “Fumando”. Both of these tunes will be on my upcoming (and still unfinished) EP on Bastard Jazz, with a remix from Sweden’s own Freddie Crugar/Red Astaire. Coming soon, I SWEAR!!!!

Also, heard through another homie that The Beatards “Big Bad Beat EP” is finally up on the iTunes store, so if you still have been sleeping, or are just opposed to having physical CDs in your life anymore, then cop yer copy now from Apple.

And yeah, The Slits are the SHIT.  Continue reading…

 

Churchill’s : Open Up Our Eyes, Debka, 
Sunshine Man, & Subsequent Final 
taken from their self-titled album on Hed-Arzi (1968)

Matti Caspi & The Group : Let’s Go Back & Felicidade 
taken from the album Pais Tropical on CBS (1977)

The Platina : Kishoof & 11;13
taken from the album Freedom on Israel (1976)

The Platina : D.J. Dori 
taken from the album Live At The “Bar Barim” on Israel (1973)

Here’s a few more things I discovered in Israel. From these crazy hard psych-out nuggets by the Churchill’s (supposedly one of the most in demand psych records), to the impeccably well borrowed Brazilian swag (sung in HEBREW no less!) of Matti Caspi & crew, to the heavy alternate time signature funky fusion jazz of The Platina– Israeli has heat. Back in the frigid NYC environs where it’s dificult to motivate myself to step outside without whiskey running through my veins, I’m in dire need of this warmth. 

Be forewarned as well- Murphy’s Law and I accrued an insane stack of mind melting Turkish pysch and funk records at the end of our trip while wylin’ in ole Istanbul.  Expect a new FUNK BROS mix soon, and a post with some particularly audacious tunes from the bunch.