2 & 2

 I got a nice promo package in the mail last week from the good folks at Cultures of Soul that I wanted to share with y'all. They really outdid themselves with this one. It was hard to choose what to post out of the mass amount of records they sent, but here's a couple that stood out.

Most of you are probably familiar with Tommy Stewart ("Bump & Hustle") and some of you might already be up on this, but Cultures of Soul recently released a 2XLP of his work as well as some edits by Al Kent called Disco Love Affair. Definitely worth picking up (and you can do that right chea). Al Kent's edit of "Beyond Love" and the Stevo joints are worth the price alone.

They also sent their reissue of the amazing double A side 7" by The Fabulous Fugitives and Their Review. Since I probably won't find an OG of this any time soon, this will more than do until then. You can cop this at the same link above.

In other news, my man The Reflex sent over some chunes a few weeks ago and one of those was BS&T's cover of "Spinning Wheel". When I was a wee yoot coming up (ie. this era) this was one of the first records I pulled from mom's crates and tried to flip. Nothing much came of it, but what The Reflex did is everything I would have done. Straight ahead b-boy business. Be sure to check him out and grab some free edits and exclusives on his Soundcloud page.



LAST but not least - next Thursday, Nov. 15th, Jeremy Sole (KCRW/Afro Funké/theLIFT) returns for his monthly throw down at ¡Reunión! (Ace Hotel | PSP). If you're in town be sure and stop by. Always good vibes & always free.

Lawdamercy

Russia represent.



Best believe this is going on Way Out of Living prt. II. Shout out to my man Aimlo for the knowledge.

The Fall

Yin | Yang moves.

Amazing song and impeccable video. Gilles Peterson compared this to Sebastien Tellier's "La Ritournelle" and while that's apt, this is in its own universe. Truly beautiful.

Official video for Rhye's "The Fall" which drops today on Innovative Leisure.

Money Maker

The only one late bloomin' on this is me.

Three Shades Brown

As We Proceed

Throughout the whole experience of making this album I've been taking mad photos/videos/yadda and I'm slowly rolling things out via Tumblr. I don't want to give too much of the record away, but there's definitely some love for where I came from. We just wrapped the first video this weekend and I posted a few shots (shout out to ReallyNathan, Jameson Kergozou, Beatnick Dee & KoreaDanger). Enjoy, leave a note, click a heart and rest assured there's a whole lot more to come.

With that said, I'm long overdue to hit you with some newness. I've been expanding ye old horizons lately and there's a lot of amazing music dropping as of late. I'll be posting some good later in the week. Speaking of - go cop that new Tame Impala dropping today. Schitt is beyond good.

\\Stay tuned

TTL X ACE PSP

This weekend Turntable Lab invades PSP for their first ever pop up shop/collab with Ace Hotel. It's gonna be a great one with all kinds of vinyl, clothing and music gear in the clubhouse, plus DJ's poolside and in the Amigo Room all weekend.

Matthew Africa

I should probably wait to post anything. This was so sudden and unexpected that I have no idea how to even process the information of his passing.

The first - and one of too few times - I met Matthew, I was DJing at PST in the bay and struggling with the flu through a pretty rough night. My first time using a rotary mixer, I accidentally unplugged the tables during Sake's set and later got berated by Warren Sapp and his girl in front of the club (yeah, one of those nights). But the one thing that stands out most from that night was seeing Matthew in the crowd and the sheer embarrassment of that being the first time he heard me play.

I had, and continue to have, the utmost respect for him not only as a DJ, but as a human being. The times he's shouted me out on his blog always made me feel like I was doing something right. This has been a huge loss for all of us. He will continue to live on through his music and our memories.

Rest In Peace, Matthew. You were gone too soon.



Please do yourself a favor if you're not familiar, and enjoy the MANY, many mixes, podcasts and knowledge available here: http://blog.djmatthewafrica.com

Land Of 1000 Chances

The album is finished. 

Don't have a release date yet, but it will be out this Fall on vinyl, CD and digital download. We're in the process of mixing the record, but I should have a more info for everybody soon. This one's as real as it gets.

Stay tuned...

Clean Up On Aisle 70

After years in the making, The Mop is finally a reality. Limited 1st edition hardcover of 750 leatherbound, gold foil stamped, and 250 handmade box sets with promo 7" vinyl and gold stamped hand towel. The work that went into making this happen is hard to believe.

Not only was the book a labor of sweaty, taboo love, but all of the box sets were hand packaged and numbered. To keep with the spirit of the book (and prevent the 7" from rolling around in the box), Thes came up with the idea of shredding vintage pron magazines as packing material. Obtaining these was sketchy at best. Thes answered an ad in Craigslist by a dude in the valley selling a mass amount of 80's Hustler, Penthouse and Oui mags (see where this is going?) and left me GPS coordinates in case he ended up shackled in a basement ala Buffalo Bill. Luckily none of that shit happened and we can now enjoy The Mop in all its seedy glory. Check the video with cameos by Murs, Blewfoot, and Young Einstein, plus J.Rocc, Double K and myself cutting up doubles of the 45. More info below...

Alan Simpson and Piecelock 70 proudly present The MopFirst Edition Hardcover & Limited Edition Box Set with 45

 

After a series of failed relationships, author Alan Simpson unwittingly accepts a job that will change his life: porn store clerk in Sydney’s thriving red light district.

In this stark and honest memoir, Simpson documents the final days of the 90’s porn shop heyday as it unsuspectingly teeters on the verge of internet-driven obsolescence. With a flair for wit and the ability to casually describe even the most bizarre circumstances, Alan Simpson captures every ounce of humor, sadness and inconceivable deviance in a world where junkies, hookers and johns are heroes and seemingly upstanding citizens foray with abysmal intent.

“The book records my jour­ney from inno­cent hetty-boy (the stores’ token straight male) to jaded and surly porn store clerk. The Mop is an honest look at one man’s bad luck. A first­hand account of one of the worst jobs out there and a behind the scenes view of a world most read­ers are unfa­mil­iar with. The Mop examines how a rel­a­tively nor­mal, mid­dle class kid ended up in porn and what he did to escape it. It doc­u­ments the lessons learned and the sights seen along the way, show­ing that friend­ship, love and laugh­ter can be found in the most unlikely of places. The Mop is writ­ten for every per­son that has walked past a porn store and won­dered what goes on behind the cur­tain, for every­one that plucked up the courage to ven­ture inside only to come face to face with a jaded porn clerk and for any­one who ever thought ‘My job sucks’.” – Alan Simpson.

Handbound in leather, gold foil stamped and proudly printed and bound in the USA, The Mop First Edition is printed in a limited quantity of 750 units. 250 of these units are encased in a handmade cardboard box containing a promotional 45 by Thes One of People Under The Stairs, gold printed Mop hand towel and individually unique o-band with vintage adult packing material  inside.

Dead As Disco

So a looooong time ago I knew a guy by the name of David Castillo. Soft spoken, very chill, Chiburban dude who collected a lot of Oliver Sain records and made a fair share of beats (one of which ended up being the flipside of the first record I ever made). We lost contact after a few years and last I heard he was doing design over at Numero. Then I get a random email this week and boom - same as it ever was. He's back making music with fellow Chicagoan, Josh Deep and they're set to release their first 12" under Dead As Disco. So for those of you who enjoy poolsy edits of classic joints, or just some slow-midtempo burners, this is for you. Check the link below and cop the record when it drops next week. Enjoy.

ST 56

Tomorrow night I'll be back in LA rocking with Philly's own, Case Bloom and the Stones Throw DJ's @ 56 (Mr. T's Bowl Highland Park, CA).

DEWRIT!

Resurrection

Damn this might be the longest in between posts ever. Nevertheless, I'm back with some new music for you all. I've been neck deep trying to finish this album, simultaneously hitting creative walls and juggling all kinds of up and down life shit, but we shall persevere.

I've been kinda burnt on everything music-wise lately which is part of the reason I haven't posted in a while. Then I heard Hiatus Kaiyote.

Tawk Tomahawk came out in April of this year seemingly out of nowhere from a group in Melbourne, Australia, and judging from this album you'll be hearing a lot more of them. They managed to bridge a whole bunch of sounds from new to borderline 90's acid jazz (which I'm all for bringing back, fuck the dumb shit). Before you click "close" on the tab, give it a listen and see for yourself. I could make all kinds of comparisons with other artists, but this is on it's own thing.

*Cop the album here*

Room To Breathe

I stumbled upon this comp via O-Dub and the now infamous Soulstrut message board. This is a collection of electronic loner soul from '74-'84 compiled by Dante Carfagna. Some of it's good, some of it's not my thing, but all of it is honest and reaching toward the ether. If you like lost, independent music ala Numero, PPU, Superior Elevation, Chocolate Star etc. I recommend checking it out.

"If the independently-pressed record made the galaxy of recorded music that much larger, the burgeoning home studio became the black hole from which little escaped. Flowering in the mid-to-late '70s, affordable high-quality tape recorders, synthesizers, and simple drum machines permitted the aspiring artist to never leave his home, never request the assistance of another human being. In the world of American black music, name artists such as Sly Stone, Timmy Thomas, and Shuggie Otis had experimented with rudimentary electronic soul with a modicum of success, but on record what remains is scant. This collection presents the unheard underground of the self-produced, often solo, electronic soul world of the '70s and early '80s, offering a view into an ocean of sound that is in turn peaceful, bizarre, funky, and often humbly ahead of its time. Available as a deluxe bound book CD, featuring arial photography by NASA astronaut Donald Pettit."

DESERT GOLD 2012

Hope you all are good out there. Here's some shots from last Thursday's ¡Reunión! with special guests J.Rocc & DJ Eleven. If you go to one ¡Reunión! a year, Coachella/Desert Gold is the sureshot every. damn. time. Tomorrow we continue part 2 with Phoreyz, Expo, Magneto & Aimlo. Goin' out with a bang so let's do this.

TDS X DWG

TDS scratch reaction is alive and well in 2012. DJ Format (has this dude ever made a wack record?) takes it back and forth and back again with the remix. Check out Diggers With Gratitude for all your limited edition raer rap needs.



Via EgoTrip

Family Tree

I probably get the crazy late pass on this, but as a closet comic book nerd, stumbling on these got me hype.
















Ed Piskor's style channels a mix of Harvey Pekar, John Romita Sr., John Byrne and all things 80's Marvel & DC, into the Hip Hop comic that never was. Hopefully there's a book coming soon.

















Check 'em out

Lihue

Whoa, I never new a video for this even existed.
Thanks to my man John Book for the heads up.

Escapism

Tonight I'll be in the city of Angels for Escapism with famalam, Phoreyz and Expo. No cover!

AOR

So a couple weeks ago we threw our first Yacht Rock/AOR (Adult Oriented Rock) party at ¡Reunión! and not only was it a gang of fun, but I realized I genuinely love this schitt. Call it corny or soft or whatever, but I grew up on it. Just as much as I like Om Unit, Jessie Ware, SBTRKT etc. you can catch me listening to Hall & Oates with no shame.

While looking for more obscure songs and remixes I stumbled upon the AOR scene and this is something that needs to be brought to light. There's a whole genre out there I was sleeping on and thought some of you might dig it. It's basically remixes and dancefloor friendly edits of classic soft rock chunes. It might sound bugged, but I'm feelin' it.













If you're looking for more joints like this, be sure to check out the incredible AOR Disco blog. Gems jerry. Gems I tell ya.

Smile

Check out Aloe's new video for "You Make Me Smile" (Directed by Eric Coleman). Great job by the homies. Tugging at ye olde heart strings with this one.

So...

Back in August I got an email from DJ Hopper (SF) who made an hour+ long mix of all my music/releases/production. Needless to say, I was honored that someone would take the time to put this together, but I hesitated on posting it because as weird as it sounds, I was kind of embarrassed. Not to be on some false modesty ish, but I don't wanna be the "look at me" guy. That said, I would be the asshole guy if I didn't give my man's hard work some shine. So, if you dig what I make or haven't heard any original production, this one's for you.

Thanks, bud.

DJ Hopper - All Day Long

H E A V Y

Les Disques Superfriends

This came out towards the end of last year as a limited 12" on Selected Sound and eventually made it's way to the digital realm. Serious heat from James Pants and Tom Noble (who's been killing it non-stop), reworking Klaus Weiss' stripped down drum tracks into something out of this world. I've been playing the Pants remix of "Drums Around" at almost every gig. It's a great balance to Tom Noble's dancefloor/disco re-work of "Drumcrazy" (which is equally as tite).

Enjoy and support the artists by clicking the link and dropping some duckets.

Klaus Weiss - Drums Around (James Pants Rework)

What's NXET

Yo! This Thursday we're setting off a new monthly Hip Hop night at ¡Reunión! We got 30+ years to breakdown in 4hrs so expect the unexpected.






















Also, I want to send a big shout out and thanks to DJ Concise and the crew at Vibes & Stuff Radio for having me on last Sunday for their 2 Year Anniversary show. Excellent folks and gracious hosts. I had a great time rocking with everybody.






















This Saturday you can catch me at this years Eat Your Art Out show in LA benefiting the Angel City Roller Derby Girls (3rd year in a row, behbay!). Always an amazing time. Free booze, grilled cheese truck and a huge line up of incredible artists. Dewrit.





















Last but not least, the fine folks at Serato just posted their take on the Do-Over NZ that's definitely worth checking... #SQ

Yo slim, what do you think this is, President's Day?

Miles Bonny X B. Lewis = goodness.



Free DL right here


And for those of you who are up to the quest, The Sleepover (aka Do-Over PSP) begins now thru the next 48. Get it.

Klepto

This might not be Valentine's Day material, but Exile's video for "Klepto", the first single off his 4trk Mind album, dropped this week and I had to (finally) share it. Might be a little crazy for some, but hold tight. Shout out to my man Mista Chinn, Johaz, Jon Kim, and Papalote.

Produced by French Press Films/Directed by Andrew Juncker

NZQ

Hey everybody, hope you're all doing good out there. I just got back from a serious Do-Over VQ with the homies Strong, Haycock, J. Rocc & Recloose down in New Zealand. Needless to say, it was one for the books. Here's a re-cap of the trip via Red Bull Music Academy and more after the jump.



I had a chance to demo the new Rane 62 mixer at Serato HQ during a Q&A scratch session with J (haven't done that in a minute) and live for the Do-Over. In my opinion, this could be their best mixer yet.

































I won't bore you with stories (or blow up anyone's spot), so I'll let the pics speak for themselves. Thanks again to The Do-Over, Red Bull Music Academy, Serato, Adidas Originals, and everyone who came out to party with us! NZ is one of my favorite places on earth. Best believe I'll be back.







Last but not least...I was lucky enough to score a copy of Lord Echo's first 7" (under the pseudonym Mike Fabulous) with an alternate/instrumental version than the album. Definitely captures the vibe down there. Enjoy.

Hai

Oh hey, I'm not dead.

2 months have gone by and I hope you all had a glorious holiday season. I chose to spend time with the fam and eschew the usual "best of" lists. Hope you understand.

But back to the matter at hand. My man Frank E. posted an unofficial but mad official video for "Serious Drug" by Wildcookie (Red Astaire & Anthony Mills). For those that know, you know. Been running this one for a minute. Enjoy.