As the days continue getting hotter, it’s harder and harder to motivate for anything other than free outdoor concerts and backyard BBQs. Good thing there’s no shortage of those around here. On my way to see Q-Tip & Chester French on Saturday (bullshitted my way right through the Press/VIP line, haha!) I put the new Fat Freddy’s Drop on blast and found perhaps my new favorite song of the year (also high in the runnings is this acapella beatbox freestyle by Gangsta Red). When FFD released their first studio album “Based On A True Story” back in ’05, these funky New Zealanders cracked open the domes of music heads globally- even taking the “Album Of The Year” award from the listeners of Gilles Peterson’s BBC Radio 1 “Worldwide” show. They spread a new zeal for Kiwi music (sorry, bad pun, couldn’t help myself). Slow builders are their specialty. Combining soul & funk with reggae, dub and even a bit of disco, their lenghty jams transition through separate movements with the seamlessness of the famous morphing faces in MJ’s “Black & White” video. To top it all off, they have the smoothest crooner in the game blessing their tracks with buttery, down home Bill Withers soul. “The NOD” (I’m pretty sure it’s a heroin song) brings together all those things I like most about the group. When the tamborine finally drops around the 2 minute mark, you’re already in too deep to turn back.“Boondigga” is a little more straightforward, but once again has that epic multi-layered build at the end that takes me out of my subway seat, travelling deep through inner-space.

Chin Chin is a Brooklyn band that I kept hearing about but didn’t actually listen to until this past week. More retro-soul disco flavor with some smooth whiteboy falsetto and that vocoder that I’m a such a sucker for. AND, they’re gonna be playing a free outdoor concert at the Prospect Park bandshell on August 11th. That’s what I’m talking about! I love this city. Look out for some fresh remixes to both these tracks by Ticklah, Blockhead and El-P.

You guys should already know Mayer Hawthorne since I posted a remix I did of his first single and because I was hyping up the show that we did with him in LA. But perhaps you don’t have these new tracks from his upcoming album, now out as a single that you all need to cop with the quickness. Did I tell you already that this man held it DOWN live, even hitting acapella when the turntable got funky, taking the whole crowd to church for a minute.

Finally, some fresh sounds from Ocote Soul Sounds from their new album Coconut Rock. The project is spearheaded by Martin Perna who has worked on so many cool projects it’s kinda crazy more people don’t know his name. Adrian Quesada is the other main force behind the album, but he’s joined by a nice line-up of other artists who collabo on here, including Chico Mann and Tita Lima whose breathy Portugese vocals grace “Vendende Saude Y Fe”. Fuzz guitar solo at the 3 minute mark on that song is putting me in the right headspace right now, inspiration information for sure. Now back to making music…

Fat Freddy’s Drop :       The NOD & Boondigga
both taken from their new album “Dr. Boondigga & The Big BW”

Chin Chin :       Go There With You & GG and The Boys
taken from their new album “The Flashing, The Fancing”

Mayer Hawthorne :       Maybe So & Wish It Would Rain
taken from his new single cop it!

Ocote Soul Sounds :       Vendende Saude Y Fe & The Revolt Of The Cockroach People
taken from their new album “Coconut Rock”

Just got home from LA totally exhausted, but the thought of tomorrow’s party has got me feeling hype regardless. If you’re not familiar with Gordon Voidwell or Collette, do yourself a favor and explore some of their music (myspace is still good for some things). That way, you too can get that extra jolt of inspiration needed to motivate you out of the house and into the night, even on a Tuesday. Once again we will be giving you 2 for 1 drinks before midnight and an action packed show until 4am for the pocket-friendly price of FREE 99. Yes, we are your friends.

And since no update would be complete without a musical offering, I’m leaving you with a couple remixes by the one A. Skillz, teaming up with Beatvandals and Krafty Kuts on these two tracks. Simple funky reworks that I’ve been putting into rotation lately.

A. Skillz vs. Beatvandals :       Beat Don't Stop

Krafty Skillz :       With You

Taken from the Insane Banger 12″ series

Yes we do. Been here in LA with The Beatards crew for less than a week, but I’ve gotten at least a month’s worth of party time in. Been meeting a lot of good people, sweating my ass off (on the beach and in the clubs),  and seeing firsthand how the Angelenos rage. Show with LMFAO was pretty freaking ridiculous, and last night we had a dope in-store performance at the uber-stylee Upper Playground store (thanks for lacing us with the fresh fits!). You can actually check our newest Beatards track exclusively at their website, although it’s not available for download yet. After the party was the after party at this dope spot La Cita, and since legal spots close here at 2, we had to hit the secret afterhours loft where Project Blowed MC Aceyalone was absolutely killing it! So happy I finally got to see him live. And of course, no party night would be complete without hitting a rooftop hottub/pool combo while the sun rises behind skyscraper silhouettes. Good times…

But TONIGHT is really the main event. And yeah, I probably should have posted about this a while ago, but last minute is kinda my style. So any and all LA area people, if you get this in time come out to The Viper Room for a late night ruckus that will surely live on in infamy for years to come! Mixmaster Mike, Mayer Hawthorne, The Beatards, Nola Darling and other special guests. Need I say more? UK funky house/garage veteran Donae’o speaks my mind on this track (if you’re not already, GET FAMILIAR). Bump it while you catch your second wind on the way to the first official Mixtape Riot! LA.

Donae’o :       Party Hard

That first concert attracted a strange crowd. There they were: leaping marmosets, roving rhino, feeding jackals and various other members of the animal kingdom frozen in their diverse and respective habitats, a veritable potpourri of Life on Earth. All the disparate parts, the whole spectrum of the Circle of Life (to quote the Lion King), had been brought together under a single vaulted roof. To add to the curiosity, a stage had been erected amidst the fauna and their many ecosystems — a rainforest here, a frigid glacier there– and a couple hundred Urban Outfitted 20-somethings now paraded casually through the shifting landscapes, comfortable, I suppose, in their own larger ecosystem: a 21st century American metropolis. It was the kind of strange and fascinating intersection that could only be produced synthetically. Like, say, in a Natural History museum.

Which is exactly where we were. And which is where I watched another strange and fascinating intersection take place…

The first-Friday jump-offs have been going on for a minute at the Museum of Natty History here in L.A., a truly unique and fun monthly event that culls together music and booze and lots of taxidermied animals toward the pursuit of merrymaking. I had been a few times over the years, seen a few good bands. Got drunk with the dinosaurs, etc. But it wasn’t until this particular night that potential of the context was fully realized.

Here’s what I saw: a motley crew of lanky Angelenos, dressed in tight jeans or Birkenstocks or turbans or wildly-patterned mumus, jerking out African and Middle Eastern rhythms in Parkinsonian bursts — hand drums shakers electric guitars gourds vintage keyboards — accompanied by Hebrew and English vocals (and other simply unidentifiable noises) with a whole slew of rapt (and mystified) scenesters, museum-goers and dead mammals dancing like the survival of the planet depended on it.

Fool’s Gold (the band, not the label, fool!) are an ensemble of local L.A. talent that are giving some credence to the notion of a truly globalized world. Sure, David Byrne, has been doing this stuff forever and Vampire Weekend got crazy hype for adding just a few of those kinetic melodic flourishes, but rarely have I heard this kind of boundary-shifting global fusion done to such beautiful effect (I’ll take this opportunity to shout out that other L.A. conglomerate, Dengue Fever, as another rare example of that delicious alchemy). And with such a strange cast of characters. Of course, what makes great music great is not who makes it. So, yes, here’s a scruffy and unlikely group of African music purveyors; but finally, what sells me on Fool’s Gold is that the music itself sounds utterly authentic, even for it’s disparate parts. Which is to say, there’s nothing inherently synthetic in synthesis.

They’ve got an album due later this year. Buy it.

Fool’s Gold:       Surprise Hotel

I’ve been staying real busy to say just a smidgin. Making remixes is like exercise, and I’m trying to attain some Jack LaLanne status. So pretty much any opportunity to push myself in a different direction and tweak some knobs, I’m gonna jump on right now. The most exciting thing is seeing my little 17-yr-old brother start getting swept up in the same fervor. I’ve been steadily feeding this kid old records, getting him to DJ and telling him what software to jack, and now he’s really pushing himself way beyond what I was doing at his age. Raymundo (& his twin Kristo) are the go-to DJ’s for high school and middle school dances in South Central NH (don’t smirk, NH is the rugged and RAW), they also play live as a band from time to time, and now young DJ Ray is making beats, putting out remixes and winning contests! His take on the new B-Real & Damian Marley track won the Jamglue competition (he’s featured on the front page), and I’m sure it’s just the start. Peep his Exodus remix for a little more Marley flavor.

Along similar lines, if you’re feeling my Alice Russell remix (yes, Chuck Wild & Captain Planet are one and the same- I use the alias for the more retro-funky stuff I put out) please take a minute to go to her website, click on “Which Remix”, register (it takes one minute) and vote for mine (all the way at the bottom). Your support is much appreciated.

As for the LMFAO double whammy, it’s another remix contest that I entered basically as an excuse to work on something. And yeah, I know the acapella pretty much sucks, but I’m gonna be rocking with them again next week in Cali and I figured it would be a good look to hand them off a remix when I see them. After basically finishing the Chuck Wild version (a lil on the 80’s funk tip), I sat down with fellow Beatard UTK and started a second more electro-housey version to please a different crowd. Lemme know what you think.

One last note, anyone in the NYC area should come out to our Beatards SEX WAX party tonite with guest MC Bless Roxwell doing a live set too. Open Bar 10-11, no cover as long as you say the password at the door: “Lambchop”

Alice Russell :       All Alone (Captain Planet Remix)

LMFAO :       La La La (Chuck Wild Remix)

LMFAO :       La La La (Beatards Remix)

B-Real ft. Damian Marley :       Fire (DJ Ray Remix)

Bob Marley :       Exodus (DJ Ray Remix)

My first memory in life was at age 2: laserbeams, smoke machines, and MJ in a full suit of armor. The Jacksons Victory Tour. I know most people are already sick of the oversaturation of MJ tributes, constant radio/bar/club replays and BET video marathons, but I have a particularly high tolerance for the man’s work, so I hope you don’t mind if I share a few more tracks and memories, even if I’m a little late (I spent the past 4 days DJ-ing, performing, or dancing every night). The photo above is me circa ’92. Don’t remember what song I was dancing to, but it gives you a little idea of how much I idolized the man. At an even younger age, I would stare glossy-eyed at the photo inside the Thriller gatefold LP of MJ with the baby tiger- just dreaming of one day being as cool. Around four or five, I had my big sister apply a giant iron-on MJ face (intended as a make-your-own T-shirt) directly to my chest where it remained, gradually deteriorating bit by bit, for a couple months. The obsession inspired me to get into dancing, which I took very seriously, until middle school when the constant barrage of “faggot” remarks made me second guess my own flamboyance. If only those same kids could have seen me win the Michael Jackson dance-a-like contest at senior prom and go on to be crowned king! But when I stopped rocking the spandex and tap shoes is when I started focussing more on music making, which eventually brought me to where I am now- DJing, performing and producing music for a living. I don’t want to go too far overboard, but MJ definitely helped make me. Even my youngest brother, age 7, knows the entire History VHS tape back to front- the same one I used to study religiously. Looks like the family legacy will live on.

Maybe you’ve already picked up these MP3’s at one of the countless other blogs paying homage, but I thought I’d share a few of my favorite covers- including the one by Discovery that I just heard a couple weeks ago (autotune electro MJ!). I’m working on a remix as well, but that probably won’t be done for a little while since I’m crazy busy with other projects and am going out to Cali this Friday for some Beatards shows (yes, that’s us all over the soundtrack to MTV’s Real World Cancun right now- hilarious, I know).  Enjoy the songs and long live the KING!

Derrick Laro & Trinity :       Don't Stop Til You Get Enough (reggae version)

Usha Uthup :       Chhupke Kaun Aya (Bollywood version)

Discovery :       I Want You Back (death of Autotune version- long intro, wait for it)