Street Rap

Big up to Luis for this one. You made my minute.

War Stories (Part 3: Fatality!)

NYC in the summer is always a good time.  Thankfully yesterday was our first night-off since these Santogold dates started.  

I get the "Everyone you know will be there, and your an idiot if you don't come," phone call from Lloydski regarding this party/rave/fest at a Bushwick art-space/loft thing that him and EggFoo were djing at.

"It goes from 10 to 10, and I've got the opening slot."


So I go.


And, . . . man, . . . . . . that shit was out of control!  I mean, you get a good party like that once in a summer.  It was just a slaughter-fest!

The best part of it, was that EggFoo was the impetus.  That dude held it down.  I haven't seen him kill a party like that since the Ill Sessions days.  But not even.  Well, here's some video that my dodgy camera tried filming.  You can't really make out how large the space was, but a good 800+ people were upstairs.  Lloyd had bought 300 shitty ass whistles and passed em out. EggFoo brought a smoke-machine and his 303; and I guess Woody brought the siren (all crucial elements to a good BK party!).



The two big songs of the night:

"Hey there."

The first Nick Hook dropped, South Beach staple, Bob Sinclair's "World Hold On".  I'm so glad I caught this shit on video - cuz around 0:23 you're about to see the best thing Lloyd has done in the last 24 hours.




Then, two/three songs before Adrian was set to swap with Junior Sanchez, he dropped [@ 0:33]:

"He can't hear you, he's in the zoooone!"

I jumped on the 303, Woody on the siren, and then I called rewind on that shit!!! **Destruction**



Good times.







And this is random vid of setting up for our show:

War Stories (Part 2: And You Say Chi-city!)

So I snapped this video for my sister who was born in Chicago.  She's a big Bulls fan, so since we were playing their arena, I thought it'd be cool to snap their backstage ish.  The door was locked, but randomly, I caught Coldplay running back to the front of house for their 2nd encore.  Similar to that Beastie Boys show documented in the "Awesome, I Shot That" DVD, after their main set, they run to the back of the arena, and *surprise* "Here we are guys, amongst the crowd for an encore!"  Then they run all the way back for another encore that ends w/ these crazy cannons shooting out multi-colored paper butterflies all over the crowd. (Gotta get that shit on video!)

Anyways, if you watch the vid, you'll catch me saying something like: "I'll get you later!" to Chris Martin.  

See, they've got this ping-pong table that follows them around on tour that they play to warm-up before their shows.  It also happens to be setup right outside our dressing room . . . so i mean, wtf, I'm gonna get on that shit and rock out.  Naturally, right?

Well, to this point, my only interaction w/ dude has been to challenge him to a game where he puts up his per diems against mine.  If I won, I figured I'd be getting a 400% mark-up.  

That was the plan at least.  But the very next day I get word from our Tour Manager, who was told by a Coldplay staffer, that we (Santogold crew) can't use the ping-pong paddles; which is basically like saying: "Puny proletariats, your unwashed hands shall never again befoul the holy paddles."

So now, I've gotta find a sports store and get some bling-ass bedazzled signature paddle.  I'm gonna take dude out and have the whole shit filmed w/ the SG-1's (dancers) getting some cheers on, and "Eye of the Tiger" playing on a boombox as I walk on court.  Then again, if I beat him too badly, especially before they go on stage, i foresee: 

[*Best English accent*] "That's it!  Santogold's DJ is off this tour!  Now!!"

War Stores (Part 1: I'm On Air Horn Duty)

EDIT: Wrote this last week, but haven't really had quality internet access.  Btw, what's up w/ expensive hotels also charging you for internet use?!  If I buy a $4 coffee and can use the internet gratis, paying $300 for a room should get me a computer to use as well. 

 

"People who don't even like music are gonna be there!"

- EggFooYoung

Video taken from Dante Ross's blog.

Before we got on, Wes & A-Trak were djing.  I was in the artist's trailer thing going through a set cuz Santi mentioned I might play (we've got a ~30min show, but an hour slot).  Then track-by-track my set got smaller and smaller as both these cats were going through 'em.  Wes played this Duke Dumont track I had just made an edit of two days earlier.

That said, might as well post it up:

Duke Dumont - Hoy (Contra Edit)

God Damn Diggers

Last weekend me, Manuvers, and DJ Raff, straight from Chile, took a road trip up to Georgia to go digging. This is what we found. Imagine what you would do if that record collection was yours. hmmmm.

Rational Geographic

ANR's got a new album on the way!

Witness Miami's epic post-crunk R&B power-duo AWESOME NEW REPUBLIC. ANR SO FAR has it all - you get sensuous subtropical slow jams, speedy punk tracks, truly progressive indie rock, experimental hip-hop + no-wave dancefloor hits. "7.9/10" - Pitchfork

Some vid I snapped (hence the bad quality) of a live show held outside the old old Sweat Records.  One of the better shows I've seen them play.  

Now, here are some tunes from a cd that MJ gave me . . . i dunno, 5 years ago(?), I believe they come from the All Party Talks and ANR So Far releases from Lolo's Sutro Records.  Listening to it now, they had some jams!

Awesome New Republic - F*ck The Sheets

* I have no idea what this track is titled, I just used the chorus

Awesome New Republic - Track 9/Dunno Title

If they were to have had an official single, this would have been my choice, I still play it out:
Awesome New Republic - 2000.30.12

Full Dazed Interview @ Slam X Hype

Roxy has officially taken the most published photo of me; I think I need new ones.

The interview I did for Dazed was chopped down cuz of space limitations -- the full thing has been posted up at SlamxHype. 

--------

Production-workhorse Danny Daze finished up this track yesterday; we had been relaying the different phases of the track a couple times, but this is the final joint.  It's going up on Palmsout nowish, but you can get it here firstish.  

Devone - Energy (DiscoTech/Danny Daze Remix - Contra Restructured)

Kool Keith vs Erryone

SteFan King

OutKast?

MF Doom?

Rawkus?

Calling em out for jacking . . . um, i dunno . . . being a weirdo?!

Kool Keith - Stephen King [96kbps via The Crypt Online]

The only story I have on Kool Keith, is that when I brought him down for A Fresh El Camino Deux, he was . . . I dunno, Keith.  Prior to the show, driving him to the venue (what was I/O Lounge), he demanded that we go through skid row (2 blocks from the venue).  This was back when that area was really grimey.

Made us stop the car, he got out, w/ the bucket of chicken we had bought for him (on his rider), and wanted to bring two girls he found sleeping on boxes to the show w/ him as backup dancers!!  When his manager tried to talk him out of it, he got mad upset, threw a drumstick at dude, got back in the car and pulled the 'silent-treatment' until showtime.

Re: This post, chat w/ Induce:

We Up On It

There's an interview on UK magazine Dazed & Confused's website w/ me.  This is an edited down version (i.e. no personality/elaborations); to see the full thang, check out Slam x Hype sometime soon.  
If you go to Dazed quickly, I'll still be on the front page . . . sweeeet.

Funny Caption Here.

And cuz Jake is a lazy bastard (sure guy, "meetings all day", i smell ya), i'll post up his recent interview on Cool Junkie as well:

pfffrt.

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In other press, the relatively new party Oh Hell Nah! that I dj at alongside Luis/DS and Mike Deuce, got written up in Flavorpill as something you should be going to.   If you've got any input as far as drink specials you'd be interested in let us know, we're open to changing the $4 Tequila & $4 Coronas.   

Then in even further news clippings of this week, Money Shot's 1 Year Anniversary leads in the 4th of July weekend wrap-up by The Miami New Times.

I should've posted this track up for my computer story, but better late than never.

Doris Norton - Personal Computer (OG Mix)

JD on DJ

There are other clips of JD speaking on other music biz ish here.

"They are doing what they see you doing... "

*EDIT: This was at first a long ranting post about blah blah blah; now it's just medium-long.

From what I've seen in Miami, and for that matter most cities I've been fortunate enough to DJ in (focusing primarily in the US), you could interchange the DJ between the cities and nobody could tell the difference.  Apart from varying degrees of finesse and technical proficiency, the set-lists would be near-identical.  

"Yoga Fireball!"

The worst thing about it is that this trend of conglomeration/"rushing to the center" is occurring in a period of time where music is, for arguments sake, at its most diverse.  In what other decade could you hear most any genre at the same party?  Hip-Hop, Disco, Funk, Blues, Doo-Wop, House, Booty, Rock, Reggae, etc etc etc.  The question is, why, with the availability of such an expansive musical palette, is there an increasing moderation/conformity of selection?  Is it some derivative musical form of "Future Shock"?

Read me.  Seriously.  I'm like 1984+9.

I can't remember the last time I watched a DJ who got me excited *PAUSE* or inspired to push things forward.  

Well, if you're still reading this, and happen to be a DJ, take a chance and drop something people haven't heard that you enjoy next time you're out.  If it doesn't work, maybe you have a horrible taste in music and shouldn't be a dj in the first place.  Or, maybe you need to hit em again, and again, and again.

Months ago, Induce and I were watching a Channel 4(UK) documentary I had bootlegged called, Pump Up The Volume: The History of House Music, that has a segment on the days of Larry Levan(?).  Some of the interviewees remark on how some nights he might have played an unknown cut 4 times in one night.  The first time, nobody cared; but by the last play, everybody was into it.  I told this to Matt Cash, and he kinda did the same thing w/ Holy Ghost's "Hold On" track.  By the end of Poplife that night, everybody was up on it!

That said, play something different, and if it doesn't work . . .  5 times later, you can still play "Groove Is In The Heart" . . . the Remix.

Boz Scaggs - Lowdown

HNIC

Vid for Killer Mike ft Ice Cube - Pressure:

Here's a song off the postponed, then slept-on, release I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind:
Killer Mike - That's Life

For lyrics, go here.

Hammer Don't

People go on and on about stage shows these days.

"Oooh, did you see Daft Punk's fluorescent pyramid with its synchronized lighting?!"
"Oooooh, Kanye's got a glowing vest thing goin on!"

Well, note-pads out future stars/critics, I got this from The Hammer himself! 

I know, I can't believe his blog isn't on Hypem either!!

Of course by now you know Hammer's become a born-again Christian, preaching etc.  If you had a fortune/life-style like he had and then lost it all, you'd probably have to find God too . . . that, or kill yourself.  But before taking that leap, you might try your hand at reinventing yourself; you know, to try and reclaim what you once had.  That attempt may lead you to this:

This video of Hammer's G-(string)phase reminds me of NWH's classic "Booty Juice":

N.W.H. - Booty Juice - 320kbps ripped from my CD!

Colin Farrell Also Buys His Clothes From Bums

About a year ago, during one of the monthly ArtWalk's, Colin's hanging outside of some art gallery on the westside -- also known as "oh, that side of the railroad". 

Mwheh?!

If you're not familiar w/ the area, as the sun starts setting, the crack zombies start coming out in force.  The temporary influx of affluent gallery-attendees during these Saturdays is like a Batman beacon for 'em.

Low and behold one of the zombies is struggling down the road semi-biking down the street (left-footed pedaling only, right foot kept slipping off), and he's wearing this shirt:

Proof.

Colin likes what he sees, and when he sees what he likes, he gets it.  Quickly calling out to this frothy-mouthed Lance Armstrong, Farrell asks: 

"Hey, where did you get that shirt?  I'll give you $5 for it."

Part excited that he was actually being spoken to, part cautious not to scare away the perpetually 5-o'clock-shadowed Farrell, the Zombstrong(too much?) stops in his tracks and slings a bag from across his back, hurriedly wobbling over to Colin.

What's inside the bag?!
A shitload of brand new shirts that he was more than happy to put on display for purchase. He had a couple "Hello Titty" shirts, a single remaining "The Man, The Legend" shirt, and two "Welcome to Florida" shirts.


Boom, deal done.

About two weeks later I'm, err, Colins, djing at this Scion art/music/fashion event thing on South Beach wearing that shirt[and no, I didn't wash it; gotta keep the rustic].  

"Hey, you've got my shirt on!  Where'd you get that?" asks this ~40-yr old tatted-up guy who is walking up to me.  Farrell recounts the story as the artist laughs.  

"Wow, he must've dug them out of my dumpster.  I just threw out a bunch of those tees recently.  Btw, can I get your autograph?  I loved you in Fight Club!" 

Anyways, this round-about (completely true, aside from vicarious Colin bit) story leads me to this blend/edit/thing i roughed up late last night for the Money Shot 1 Year Anniversary w/ 2 Live Crew!  If you weren't there, you probably already hate your life, so I won't rub in the fact that it was . . . um, hype!  "Money Shot Entertainment!"

If there aren't already, I'm sure there will be a bunch of remixes flying around of this track.  I know of about three so far -- 1 of which is passable, the two others being Ooof-able (Thanks for sending that one Huggs!  Ooof.); all by people you can find on Hypem.

Lil Wayne - A Millie (Contra's At Least Its Bearable Remix)

Zshare link.

Just Finished A Flyer

Over a year ago, I had a string of bad luck w/ electronics.  At the time, I had a desktop computer that was solely being used for graphic design and downloading bootlegged movies.  I also had a laptop that I was just using for Serato.  Long story short, within the period of . . . mmm, 2 weeks, both of those computers crapped out on me.  On top of that, at the time I thought I was safe/lucky because I had recently backed everything up into this massive 500GB hard drive.  Well, rain < pours = the HD failed on me about a week later.

All of the music I had collected since . . . forever, as well as mostly all of the design I had ever done -- since 98, was now gone.  That sucked, and still does suck.  I was less concerned w/ the loss of the music than I was with the loss of my portfolio.  

Well, what're you gonna do?  
You're gonna do whatever it is bringing the most money; and at the time, it was djing.  So basically, I quit doing any sort of design -- as well as looking in that direction as far as 'careers' and such.

Well, I thought I'd give it a try again.  

So, here's the first design I've done in over a year.  Click em to enlarge.

I Wanna Be A Hippy

God, I hate Hippies

This made me want to throw up in my mouth and then spit it into a bowl and feed it to a starving hippie. ENJOY!!!