I have an album out and there’s an uprising going on! I hope you are all finding a good place for yourselves in this current explosive anti-racist movement. After months of global pandemic and building anger over racist violence, I am feeling seriously invigorated by what is happening in the streets. I’ve found ways to get myself and my family out there safely too. It feels good to get involved, any which way we can. It also feels great to be able to share this album with you all, and with the world, especially right now. Hard to know where to begin, but I can definitely say this is my most ambitious project yet. 13 songs that travel through the borderless landscape of my mind. 9 featured vocalists (HUGE THANKS TO ALL OF YOU, without you this album would have no voice). 6 languages. It’s a truly global collaboration, and my hope is that it helps bring people together, brings people joy and positivity, and helps us all loosen up our bodies and shake off what needs shaking!

I’ll be going on ZOOM for a virtual release party / listening session / conversation with several of the featured vocalists, and I’d love to have you join us. Tomorrow, WEDS JULY 1st at 5-6pm California time, on my Zoom channel >> www.tinyurl.com/CaptainPlanetZoom

PEACE

Lawwwwwd have mercy. This is not getting any easier. I don’t know how it’s going for you out there, but here in lockdown LA, the little kids are suffering from stir craziness, with a complete lack of playmates and no park to enjoy a simple swing. Us extroverted parents are feeling worn thin with no child care help, no social gatherings, and and no restaurants or cafes to enjoy a relaxing meal which doesn’t involve us cooking and cleaning. This working DJ right here is also suffering from serious wage deflation since I have almost no real gigs (save for my beloved Friday night live streams!) and that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon. All of this, of course, is nothing to complain about in comparison to the overall state of the country I see around me, with total lack of organized science-based leadership, numbers of new Corona cases still rising here in California, and overt racism seemingly on the rise, being exercised by those in power. Once again a black man was brutally killed by police this week in broad daylight while onlookers pleaded for them to stop. It’s maddening, totally outrageous, and waaay too regular at the same time. Didn’t this just happen two weeks ago??? Most likely 2 days ago somewhere else, and again today, undocumented and unaccounted for. Sorry, I know you guys don’t come here for me to rant, but this is the outlet I have. I guess it helps to at least acknowledge and share just how real all this is. Maybe taking stock of the wackness, putting some light on it and bringing it into focus, helps me to dismantle it better. Music, of course, always helps me too. These are some of the best ones I’ve stumbled on lately, and as they shake their way through my system I always manage to come out feeling better. Shouts to my boy Futura on his new release included in this set. Also, while it ain’t the real thing exactly, I do love seeing folks tune in to my live stream from all over, and I’m actually doing a big fundraiser Zoom party this upcoming Saturday with my bro Nickodemus and some very funky Brazilians. Ok, that is all, check out more beauty (like the painting above) from Kerry James Marshall if you’re not already familiar. PEACE

Man oh man, I have been anxiously waiting for the day I could finally let this one loose on the world- today is the day! This song happened about a year and a half ago, on my first day ever working with the extremely talented and prolific, Zimbabwean-American, singer/songwriter Shungudzo. We have since written a bunch more together, but this one holds a special place for me. Almost as soon as we finished it, I felt strongly that this was the anchor for my next Captain Planet album, which was just a handful of songs and unfinished beats at the time. The message, the focus, the hard hitting sound, all these things were a culmination of what I’ve always tried to create as Captain Planet. Well, my album NO VISA is now done (set to drop June 26th on Bastard Jazz) and I feel confident that because I used this first single as my anchor, the whole project has a consistent cohesion and power. You can read more of my thoughts about this song on the nice write up that Complex did as an online premier, and I’m extremely flattered that today this song made it to NYTimes Notable Songs Of The Week (alongside Aventura & John Legend). But most importantly, I hope this one hits home for all of you out there, who know and appreciate the work I do, who go on spreading the good vibes in your playlists, your dance parties, and with your friends and fam. Press play and bump loudly! And as always, go support if you’re feeling it.

Check this new remix I did for Bastard Jazz labelmate Manatee Commune. The original was such a beautiful lush song, but I dug into my classic boom bap roots and tapped the guitar talent of my youngest brother Taj (just turned 19) to cook up this smoothed-out, moody head nodder. More new music coming shortly, which makes me super excited. As always, please support if you feelin the vibe!

From the weary depths of quarantine, comes an hour of uplifting & inspiring soul salve to help shake you out of your currently confined environs. Mixtape Riot head honcho Charlie B Wilder returns with a wide range of sounds, from Brazilian boogie & tropical electronic, to future funk, soulful house, Afrobeats and beyond. A properly eclectic mix, connected by a vibe that is sure to put your body in motion, something we all are in need of right now! Includes selections by Selvagem, Bosq, Populous, Sault, Tame Impala, Aroop Roy, Reyna Tropical, Uproot Andy & Pierre Kwenders and more. Download the mix and check out the full tracklist on the BrooklynRadio.com page, and while you’re there, check out past episodes you may have missed.

Wow, many of you regular readers may be somewhat familiar with my approaching doomsday prophesying, but gottdamn this one really feels REAL! Me & my fam have been locked up at home now for almost 2 weeks, and I hope all of you out there are doing the same. Sure, the Coronavirus appears to send only about 2-4% of people in my age range into intensive care (NOT A SMALL PERCENTAGE), but I am taking absolutely no risks for the love of my older, asthmatic, & immune compromised folks (which includes family & close friends). It’s hard to think of any time in my life, when looking into the future felt so totally unknown, when the everyday customs & habits of our way of life have been so thoroughly rocked out of place. I can’t help but imagine that things will never really be the same. I was a person wandering the streets of Manhattan on Sept. 11th 2001- I felt a big jolt then, a major awakening for myself and shifting in my culture, but it didn’t seem as fully global and all-encompassing. I feel like one of the main silver linings I’ve been trying to focus on, is the global connectivity which we are being forced into right now. Sure, borders are closing and panic is running rampant, but no one denies that we are all in it together. In the aftermath of WWII the U.N. was created, right? Could this be the training we needed to organize a proper global effort against climate change? I’m focussing on that hopeful possibility since there’s so little other positivity in the news right now. And of course, I’m counting myself insanely lucky for the love of my family and friends. It’s a time to reflect, and remember what’s most important, even more so for me today because it’s my birthday. We’re going to be going through it as a planet in the next few months, let’s do whatever we can to help take care of eachother. What I do have to offer, as always, is music. I will continue to be sharing my soul on this page, and I’m doing livestream DJ sets on instagram Friday nights 9-10pm West Coast Time (@chuckwild), annnnnd I just finished my next album which will be coming out this Summer because people still need the music no matter what, right? So with that, I leave you with another playlist of gold. Do yourself a favor and play it loudly while dancing in your living room, ok?