Guess Where Miami Falls

Laz R Us

Now that we've successfully run this blog into the ground, time for a futile attempt at resurrection via YouTube linkage.

Oui, It's So Humid

I'm still up in NYC.
Videos for time being.
Tune In.








2 Live Jews - Oui, It's So Humid

Church!

Some preaching to the choir via Cosmo's blog.

Video taken from the 140 Characters Conference that went down in NYC last month.

The speaker is music journalist Chris Weingarten.

Sorry that this plays automatically, dunno how to prevent that.

Just-Ice - Cold Getting Dumb II

Pssht.

Clay D & New Get Funky Crew - Give Me A Bottle

Pitbull recently bit off a bit of this bit.

Drink Drank Drunk

Via.

No idea what this song is really called, or who did this remix; but I got it from my girl Mapei for a show we did a while ago. Get with it, 170 bpms is the future.

Alkaholiks - Only When I'm Drunk (Mapei's Ghettotech German Techno WTF Remix)

Taster's Choice

Top tracks as listed in a 1993 DJ Mag issue, by two of the most influential discos/clubs in music history.

Yerp, THAT Norman Cook.

Swiiiing Batter Batter...

I haven't watched this documentary nearly enough this year. The above clip pretty much summed up my general attitude towards the notion of not participating in, but merely observing, competitive sports for a dominant portion of my life.

Ol' Long Arm.

Nowadays, wholly embracing the epitome of sports fanaticism as I do, here's an animated short that caught my attention span:

"In celebration of the greatest athletic achievement by a man on a psychedelic journey, No Mas and artist James Blagden proudly present the animated tale of Dock Ellis' legendary LSD no-hitter. In the past few years we've heard all too much about performance enhancing drugs from greenies to tetrahydrogestrinone, and not enough about performance inhibiting drugs. If our evaluation of the records of athletes like Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Marion Jones, and Barry Bonds needs to be revised downwards with an asterisk, we submit that that Dock Ellis record deserves a giant exclamation point. Of the 263 no-hitters ever thrown in the Big Leagues, we can only guess how many were aided by steroids, but we can say without question that only one was ever thrown on acid.

Sadly, the great Dock Ellis died last December at 63. A year before, radio producers Donnell Alexander and Neille Ilel, had recorded an interview with Ellis in which the former Pirate right hander gave a moment by moment account of June 12, 1970, the day he no-hit the San Diego Padres. Alexander and Ilels original four minute piece appeared March 29, 2008 on NPRs Weekend America. When we stumbled across that piece this past June, Blagden and Isenberg were inspired to create a short animated film around the original audio."

www.nomas-nyc.com

Music please.



The Seeds - Tripmaker


The Seeds - Faded Picture

& via DD:
Morgen - Of Dreams (7")

This Guy.

PART 8: CHRIS GRAHAM

Part 8 of the series I've just started, focuses on local Ras Trent look-alike, Chris Graham.

He's got a write-up/Q&A over on the NBC Miami NiteSide blog(?). There really has been a bunch of rumblings about the new spot, most likely a direct result of Graham's involvement. Did anyone else get that mass e-mail, errr, press release(?), he sent out asking to have his write-up blogged/tweeted/paid attention to? I'm looking forward to that beer you now owe me, Chris. Your cander only reminds me that I too need to blatantly clamor for publicity and dissemination of said publicity -- have you read your New Times today? Tell a friend. K'thx.

The spot takes over the old Blue space, which always struck me as one of the more awkward spaces for clubland to fill -- feels more like a long hallway than any space I'd like to hang out in for much longer than a beer. Judging from the pictures it looks like they're going for the kitsch -- but who doesn't like conversation-starters?

That's about all I've got on this place as I haven't even been there. Chris is a great (read: swell) guy that makes amazing chicken wings. Plus, he will buy you your first beer if you mention that you saw this review(?!) on the blog.

Best of luck dude.

*EDIT: After reading a bit into the recent past of this NBC NiteTalk series, they really cover a bunch of the family in there. Credit to John Hood (who has more bylines than Jesus) for shining some light on these guys n gals --- even Javi(PS14/Bar) gets love! I think I've got to take the newly founded This Guy series to the next.

Now I just gotta think of questions that aren't so formulaic. Suggestions?

Where's Egg Foo when you need him?

Mr. Oizo - Analog Worms Attack

No idea where I copped this 10" EP, but I remember replaying the A1 over and over. Everything sounds like its peaking to shit with a nasty grunge synth slashing through. It's somewhere between some downtempo instrumental hip-hop and proto-dubstep w/ the wobbles. Break out your black hoodie for this 1999 jam. Interesting to note that the cuts on here are from the Frenchman Feadz.

Souvenirs

So Santi's got a make-up show after a very unfortunate incident at Wesleyan University cancelled a previous gig as their campus was on lockdown with the shooter still on the loose.

"A 20 year old Wesleyan college student was shot and killed at the Middletown, CT bookstore she worked at yesterday, prompting the cancellation of the school’s Spring Fling concert that was to be headlined by Santigold.

Johanna Justin-Jinich, from Fort Collins, CO, was killed inside Broad Street Books, officials said. Police were searching for a suspect last night, but would not confirm reports that an ex-boyfriend of the victim was suspected. The Wesleyan junior was gunned down by a shooter wearing a wig. The liberal arts college was on lockdown for several hours after the murder and canceled yesterday’s Spring Fling concert, which was also to include King Khan and The Shrines and Clipse."

I'm taking advantage of the trip up north to pack in a couple extra gigs, and quality time [read: Tacos & file Transfers]. If you're going to be around any of the spots listed below, don't hesitate to hit me up [if you don't have my #/email, you should probably hesitate in the hitting up of me, as hanging out is just gonna be more awkward than usual].

21st(?) - Santigold @ Wesleyan

22nd - PYT, Philly

23rd - (dunno the spot), Philly

24th-26th - DC

27th - Silk City, Philly w/ Sammy Slice

28th - Savalas, NYC w/ Rok1

29th-? NYC

Of the things I look forward to hearing more of is Kele's new solo album, that the homey XXXchange lends his production skills to.

[This is where I'd post XXXchange's drumtastic remix of !!!'s "All My Friends Are Weirdos", but I gotta ask permission first. Even though its ~3yrs old I don't think its ever leaked on the intertubes]

Flip Ya For Real

What's up with social networking if I can only get the video post, and not the invite to attend? I didn't know this was going down!

Brief research [via] tells me:

"So, if you’re looking for a cool, innovative and attention grabbing way to advertise your business, sign spinners, who charge an average of $60 a hour, may be the way to go."

Keeping the options open.

Bernard Wright - Spinnin'

Perfect early 80's funky jazz. "Another mojito for Mr. Underhill at Cabana #3."

Also noteworthy for the sample at ~1:26.

Get It In Print

Originally slated to be published in their Winter Music Conference issue, the Miami New Times has gone ahead and printed their interview/Q&A with me that I posted (unedited) a while back. If you live in Miami, pick up a copy or read it online. They must've been slow on substance this week, cuz the article is a full-pager, and that's usually reserved for the talented.

While on the New Times site (it's gotten way better lately - congrats), I found out about Gen Art closing shop. Aside from all of the wonderful things I'm sure they focused on, of their events that I've been to, they were always attended by attractive AND intelligent girls --- a three-legged unicorn-like rarity in Miami.

Tip of the hat, adieu

I also learned that NKOTB is coming to concert. Tickets are $81. Ridiculous. How bout you give me $5 and I punch you in the nads? You also get a free t-shirt.

"Alright boys, now don't look too excited."

Listen to the song, and look at the photo again; tell me if it makes any sense.

Sparks - Beat The Clock (Extended Version)

This song is over 30 years old, and that drum still sounds fresh as hell. Might I suggest mixing in @4:02 and bringing it back to the lyrics when necessary/always.
You can find more Sparks-ish over here.

Orale!

The Coasters - Down In Mexico (Contra Sqcd Edit)

THE BAN

ok so i guess ive had it up to ^here with pizza places skimping me on the sauce. Since when is it ok to skimp on one of the most important ingredients to making this a great pizza. oh wait yeah i forgot, you skimp on the sauce because you DONT want the customers coming back to your spot. FAIL. from now on, im banning any pizza spot who skimps on the sauce.

AND THAT'S THE WAY ITS GOING TO BE
i scream when i'm mad son

Hey Gianni, You Got Your Google Alerts?

Hello?

I only just recently am stepping into this 2010 year of ours. First with the Twitter, got a Google Alert set up for 'dj contra' (its kinda annoying actually, and i'm not sure if its considered narcissistic to admit you have one set up...eh.), and maybe soon a *gasp* Facebook account?!? I'm telling you, moms would be proud. Then again, we've still got a rotary phone at the Casa De Contra.

More on the future in the future.

Regardless, here's hoping Mr. Gianni Marino has his Google Alerts set up and bothers to check em, cuz i'm digging a lot of his remixes, and would enjoy playing em out at a higher than 128-ripped quality. Went so far as to hit up Diplo bout em so he could ask for em; so hit one of us up w/ better quality -- or tell me to take it down and be 'that' guy.

Laidback Luke & Diplo - Hey! (Gianni Marino Remix)

*shitty 128kbps rip.

Rainy Day

Tommy Guerrero - Abiento



From the album Soul Food Taqueria, off the Mo'Wax label.
Cover art by ESPO.

The whole album is great.
Used to get tons of play on the radio during Depress-O shows.

Who The Best?

Khaled on the drops.

Miami's weekly food/art/movie/music/etc paper is ready again for their annual contest of the mighty.
You can find the poll here if you feel like adding your two cents. There's a gazillion categories this year, so give yourself a minute.

Excerpt from my ballot:

7. Best band
ANR

8. Best DJ
Matt Cash

9. Best dance club
Liv - c'mon, if anything else wins, its a joke; this spot shits on most clubs in the country.

10. Best gay bar
White Room

11. Best Latin club
Mango's (does this count - everytime i walk by, it looks amazing)

12. Best neighborhood bar / central
PS14

13. Best neighborhood bar / Miami Beach
Deuce Bar or Purdy Lounge would be the staple answers, but maybe that new Burger King Whopper Bar; haven't ever been, but imagine the chicks you pick up there! "BK, if you need a dj . . . "

14. Best neighborhood bar / south
Izakaya's - pretend like you know

15. Best neighborhood bar / west
pass.

16. Best radio station
94.3 or 97.7 - pirates run this all day! --- 90.5 used to be my staple answer, but have you listened to it lately?

17. Best sports bar
What?


The Pioneers - Long Shot Kick De Bucket

Got this from a cool compilation of mostly skinhead reggae. Originally written by Lee Scratch Perry!

Just Put Something Up

Ok, I will.

Some Comedy-Lite for your day.


Frayser Boy - She Swallowed It

You may have missed this in 2003.

So This Happened

What do you get when you throw a concert with 'punkish' rockers trying to draw in the younger 'hipster' crowd on the outdoor patio("Cabana Green") of a multi-million-dollar resort/spa complex in one of the most affluent areas of Miami-Dade organized by well-meaning people that may not have the strongest grasp on the pulse of the targeted demographic?

Schmoove.

If your keen eye notices, you'll see that I was playing with musicians.

"Wait, what?! Contra, you trying to be on some DJ Spooky/Kid Koala shit?! The fuck?!?!"

Well, no concerned citizen. In fact, that idea was brained up by someone within the Bal Harbour Village Cultural Series development department and impressed upon me within, lets just say for arguments sake, a week of the event.

"Sure," I say, "of course I've worked with musicians before.... Have I worked with these musicians before? No. In fact, I haven't even met them."

Management hits up some connects at the UM School of Music, and presto-change-o, I'm now going to perform w/ 4 musicians (trombone, trumpet, cello, and electric violin[think Revenge of The Nerds closing concert scene, minus fireworks and impressed crowd]).

Let me just set the stage for you. So again, I'm at a gazillion-$ resort. The headliners for this event, which is expecting up to 600 people (including the Mayor, 75 yrs old, I was specifically told), is a group I'm completely unfamiliar with, but reservedly hoping has a crazy following that I'm oblivious to.

It's about 7pm, and the opening act, one Matthew Ian (all black clothes, fedora with the brim set low, a few pieces of jewelry, and probably some worn-in cowboy boots), is strumming and singing on his guitar about heartbreak and sorrow. Currently, there are about 20 people sitting in their lawn chairs; mostly grandmothers with their grandchildren playing in the grass. Then, before this story gets too long, the highlight of the night happens.....

*pause for suspense*

Mr. Ian, takes a second after finishing one of his songs to pick up a book laying beside him.

"First off," I think to myself, "if this guy is going to start reading a book right now, I'm going to lose my shit!"

You gotta understand, I'm already giddy(?!) from trying to take in the absolute awkwardness we are all feeling knowing that we are going to have to perform in front of the fine ladies from the Bal Harbour Bridge Society; and on top of that I haven't even met this group of musicians I'm supposed to 'jam' with while hitting all of the requests made to me hours earlier (including Elton John's Tiny Dancer) because of someone's masterful imagination of how wonderful it will be.

Where was I? Oh, ok, so Mr. Ian pulls out the book as I lean towards a friend and whisper, "I will love it if this guy starts reading some Bukowski or Frost."

Low and behold, he reads aloud the poem below:

Freedom

He drank wine all night of the 28th, and he kept thinking of her: the way she walked and talked and loved the way she told him things that seemed true but were not, and he knew the color of each of her dresses and her shoes he knew the stock and curve of each heel as well as the leg shaped by it. and she was out again and when he came home, and she'd come back with that special stink again, and she did she came in at 3 a.m in the morning filthy like a dung eating swine and he took out a butchers knife and she screamed backing into the rooming house wall still pretty somehow in spite of love's reek and he finished the glass of wine. that yellow dress his favorite and she screamed again. and he took up the knife and unhooked his belt and tore away the cloth before her and cut off his balls. and carried them in his hands like apricots and flushed them down the toilet bowl and she kept screaming as the room became red GOD O GOD! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? and he sat there holding 3 towels between his legs no caring now whether she left or stayed wore yellow or green or anything at all. and one hand holding and one hand lifting he poured another wine

- Charles Bukowski

A-Ma-Zing!!

Bukowski?! One-point for me on the guess. Poem about a guy de-nutting himself?!!? Ten-points to all of the children old enough to understand what he was saying. Balls on this guy for reading that poem in the early evening sunset?!? Hundred-points for all the over 70-yr-olds who had the picture in their head of a man walking around with bloody towels between his legs and his own testicles in his hand!!

Oh how I wish I had a camera for all of the gaping mouths and stunned children. Awesome! Kudos to you fine sir.

Everything after that point pretty much sucked. He got back on his guitar and played a few more songs, then ANR went on, then I went on for a 30 minute set that got extended to ~45-60 then blah, blah, decrescendo.

Things I Realized About Freeballing With Musicians:

1) Homework.

You should really prepare something, or not even bother. Get all your songs in order, and find some ultra-tight in-key progressive manner in tying them all in together while allowing(or making) space and extendo-bridges for the musicians to jump in. Some half-cocked idea brought up in a meeting should not have come to light within the span of a couple days.

2) Let it ride.

You've got to let songs ride almost to the end for the musicians to get into any sort of a groove. I had a rough idea of what I should/could play for what I had imagined the event to be, and basically threw the idea of sticking to any sort of setlist out the window two songs in. There's no quick-mixing allowed with 'jamming' musicians, unless you've really spent time getting all your key signatures/progressions in some sort of comprehensive fashion.

3) Instrumentals.

The less lyrics, the better. The less prominent instruments in the song, the better.

The trouble with both of these rules was that of the brief instruction/requests given to me prior to getting on stage was to play lots of stuff people know(aforementioned Elton John etc). But when you're playing a familiar song with lyrics and perhaps even a guitar solo in a rock song (*gasp*), where the hell do the musicians go? Solo on top of the solo? Solo on top of the lyrics? Hey trombone, go ahead and just freestyle over top of Fred Wesley's part.

ugh.

um, yeah, so that happened.

Segue-shmegway:

Sssssh is also an amazing album worth >two listens.

Fully Fitted posted about this track a little bit ago. Back in 2008 the movie Tropic Thunder used it briefly, and it reminded me of how awesome the song is and totally fits into the correctly identified genre of "Parent Radio" as Devlin noted in the post. So I had gone ahead and started an edit of it, not really finished, but not horrendous as is; its got some noisiness goin on.

Ten Years After - I'd Love To Change The World (Contra EchoNoiseEdit2)

Above The Clouds

Keith Elam aka Guru

July 17, 1966 – April 19, 2010

Gang Starr - Above the Clouds

That's About Right

Ultimate Surrender

This looks like fun...
God, are you there? It's me, Doormouse.
Miami, you have eaten my musical soul. Sucked it dry, spit it out. I am not discouraged. Everything has come full circle. Club land is almost 100% a thing of the past, knock on wood. I am able to purchase music and enjoy it. I am able to live life and wake up in the morning with a purpose. Scene status is reserved for those who can power clean 225 for reps and touch a 20 foot ceiling without using feet.
You can match beats? WOW! You can stay awake get trashed AND match beats? WOW & WOWER! You can do all of the above and give enough Iron Grip Hand Jobs (TM) to land a few gigs? (kneels and bows). Hey, do you use Serato, play the same hitz as Jimmy and Rico but have the wear with all to hang out longer and listen to some guy with a hat tell you about his big plans for the next 'party'?

To make things easier and to remind myself that easy cash is hooker money, here is a gem from the past that hasn't seen the light of day for a couple of years....take a deep breath now.

Okay, fat chicks, please stop requesting Trina's new song 'Single Again'. You're not single again, you just got ass raped in the Lounge bathroom, again. That is not a relationship. That is a business transaction for another Long Island date rape Tea. No, I don't have it, will never have it. When you ask why, I really want to puke on your over exposed cleavage, but I also want to keep my job so I'll just tell you that i forgot to download it. WHUPS! I FORGOT TO DOWNLOAD IT....on your fucking face. Get a life. And please come back and spend your minimum wage Burger King paycheck.
Also, middle aged guys with a gut and a goatee, please don't ask me for some 'breakdance, y'know, breakdance...like wikki wikki wikki n shit'. No, I don't know...I mean, I do, but I'm playing a solid set of roots... music I actually don't mind and I'm forgetting where I am for 10 minutes you fuck. Sorry, I mean, "Oh yeah, I'll get that right on".Breakdance your ass off you crippled excuse for a human being with a life.Speaking of backbreaking, don't make a request and tell me you're going to give me 10 bucks to play it and then give me 7. Fuck sake, 7 is not 10. Thank you Miami-Dade school system for manufacturing some of the most impressive reasons to keep abortion legal. Jesus saves, etc.
Still on breakdancing...Sunday Andy Smith from Portishead played at the Lounge. Who cares. I checked out about 5 minutes of 'UK breakbeat' after I was forced to get off of my chair (in my underwear, watching MMA eating a salad) in order to fix a sound issue. "I can't get no sound in the headphones". Look, next time, stay home and figure out how a MOTHERFUCKING DJ mixer works. Turntables plug into the PHONO jacks. They have a different IMPEDANCE than line levels. You'll actually get a signal and I won't have to get off of my ass and bring an extra turntable from my set up because you think one is acting 'sticky'. Jesus, you can't DJ your way out of an HIV positive cat's ass. STAY HOME AND PRACTICE. This goes for all of you wack ass suck-n-fuck cociane whore DJ's...pretty much 98.9% of Miami....Stay home, do yourself a favor.
Ah, whatever. This city wouldn't know quality unless it was served with free drinks and syphilis. Then it'd be something familiar.
...and still with the breakdancing...
If you're gonna have a 'rapper' 'band'', please leave Kenny G and the Jamsters out of it. If I wanted to hear smooth jazz improvised poorly with 'yo, here we go, we're in the flow and you know that we blow, yiggidy yoyoyo' I'd put on an US3 record and send more hate mail to Blue Note.
Also, to the guys in the parking lot, that was the best fight I've seen, EVER!!! seriously, it made me sick to my stomach. Foot stomp to the face? check. Knee to the head? check (multiple) Full force hip toss? check. Piledriver onto asphalt? oh yes. And that was just the first minute. But a word to the guy that caught the worst (not that there was a best)...try not saying 'Is that all you got?' over and over. That's why you got choked out in the end and had to have the fight stopped while you tried to walk away and got melon punched over and over...You were out of gas from talking so much. But really, kudo's for the broken bones, concussion's, split faces and brain damage. Very entertaining. When you asked 'how did I do, did I win...' I wasn't sure if you meant in life or the fight. Either way, I don't think there were any winners there. Good luck with that long term memory loss.I'm gonna go rest all day and race tomorrow.
See you in the club.

Good to see you yesterday Andrew & Jake. Swing in anytime.

Yeah?!? Yeah.

"This is a place where the very rich go to party within a few miles of some of the poorest people in America. It is a city where political corruption has become a way of life"

Not quite sure about the headline, but an interesting article from The Guardian on what promises to be an even more interesting book which looks at the city that I know as the "Sunny Place For Shady People™"

Somewhat along these lines, I just got home from djing at Klutch, where, contrary to a number of online reports, some of the Jersey Shore cast showed up. Pauly D, The Situation and the Other Guy Who Isn't The Buff One [sadly?! I am only a little familiar w/ the show], all rocked out till closing time. As its 6am, I won't go into a rambling diatribe about the state of affairs when chants of "Fist Pump!" are answered by the trio and launch the crowd into such a ridiculous frenzy that people didn't give a second thought to spraying their $1500 bottles of Veuve Clicquot all over the club, crowd and my computer...

Eh, I'm tired.

Speaking of being tired, I partly blame the cool event that Sweat Records put together earlier today that I had the pleasure to play [to shoppers and a 'captive' crowd of ~12 people sitting down on the couches staring -- I haven't done an in-store in a little over a year now, and I don't miss the relative awkwardness at all], after LeSpam and just before ANR took the stage. I played a bunch of randomness including the criminally still unreleased Amanda Blank cover of PJ Harvey's "Driving" (Devlin looking smart in the YouTube), new LCD track "Home", and some other things that happened to catch my eye on the *gasp* laptop screen. *oof*...

Yeah that's right, I'm the dude who shows up to play at a record store's 5-year anniversary party which also happened to fall on Record Store Day 2010, looking for a Serato setup. I suppose that's good enough a point on said subject (the subject being me ,'sharp-as-a-razor', not the death of record stores.

Anyways, there's a 3-part Q&A series w/ Lolo on the Miami Herald's site.

Also, props to Dan aka Doormouse, who had an opening celebration today for his new gym space, 305 Crossfit (59th & NE 4th Ave). Apparently he's too buff to write on this site anymore, but his MySpace comments to himself are none the less for it. Eh...

Sedat the Turkish Avenger - Fist Funk