RUN-DMC: Ghostbusters Rap
Ray Parker, Jr.: Ghostbusters
Friday, February 28, 2014
Flowback Fridays: Whoyagunnacall??
RUN-DMC: Ghostbusters Rap
Ray Parker, Jr.: Ghostbusters
Amerigo Gazaway presents Yasiin Gaye: The Departure (Side One) [Album]
Amerigo Gazaway once again astonishes his audience, endeavoring to experiment with blending Marvin Gaye and Yasiin Bey in the fine fashion that he has become known for via projects such as Bizarre Tribe and Fela Soul. Be sure to scoop a copy while links last, and Take Five to tap into the talent beyond the surface.
DOWNLOAD Yasiin Gaye: The Departure (Side One)
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Friday, February 21, 2014
Flowback Fridays: Mouse Karma Or Another Way [Video]
Black Eyed Peas: Karma
Blondie: One Way Or Another
Cheo Feliciano & The Joe Cuba Sextet: El Raton
DJ Delgado: 45 Sessions Love Jams Warm Up [Mix]
Double-duty Delgado dove into a sultry stack of love-infused 45s while drying a load of laundry. Don't miss him tonight at the annual Love Jams Edition of The 45 Sessions alongside residents Platurn, Enki, and Mr. E plus a premo performance from Sweater Funk DJs.
DOWNLOAD 45 Sessions Love Jams Warm Up
DJ Platurn: The Main Ingredient (v.1) [Mix]
Platurn pairs sustenance with sound for the first installment of The Main Ingredient, a new mix series of "hospitality mixes."
Oh, and shout to Clyde for making the cover.
Imperial & K.I.N.E.T.I.K. f. Tone Richardson: Go Hard [Video]
Three of Illect's more illustrative artists - Imperial, K.I.N.E.T.I.K., and Tone Richardson - team to get their collective Punch-Out on in one of the most entertaining visuals to grace our inbox yet. Go grab their exceptional paired parody of Biz Markie, Pencils Not Pistols, via Bandcamp.
DOWNLOAD Pencils Not Pistols
Scribbling Idiots: Old Heads [Single]
Scribbling Idiots design a dexterous single - giving Old Heads muzeONE, Wonder Brown and BlackBolt an Invitation to sound off on the state of the industry, loathsome excuses for lyricists and a surplus of other subjects. Pre-order the digital edition of the project here and cop physical editions here. Shouts to the good folks at Illect.
Curren$y: The Drive-In Theatre [Mixtape]
Oh, Lawd, Andretti killed 'em - opting to release his newest audio picture on Valentine's Day (massacre the competition), fitted with Godfather snippets and sixteens from Action Bronson, B-Real, Gangsta Gibbs, Young Roddy and more.
DOWNLOAD The Drive-In Theatre
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Clusterfunk Collective presents Take Five: DJ Saurus [Interview]
You won't find too many heads truer than DJ Saurus. An avid fan of hip-hop, he has worked with a flock of your favorite rapper's favorite rapper's - blending global and local talent via his monthly Blunt Club and Future Shock events, in addition to self-producing singles that will blow your wig back. He took time out to talk to us about his work with artists, adolescents, and animals - plus his plan for what's next.
"Take Five" to tap into the talent beyond the surface.
1.) You went to school for Engineering, and now you work with kids. How did that come to be and how has that influenced your music?
I got into engineering through my friend Tom Gordon who at the time had one of the two bigger studios in Reno where I grew up. My first exposure to watching Tom work and being in an analog studio was when Dr. Dre and Eminem were in Reno recording songs for Chronic 2001 and The Slim Shady LP with Tom, and I was fortunate enough to sit in on a couple of those sessions. I don't think a lot of folks know that "The Next Episode" and "Guilty Conscience" were both recorded in Reno. During the same sessions, I met this cat named Richard "Segal" Huredia who just so happened to be Dre and Em's chief engineer at the time, but had a mean list of cats that he's produced, engineered and written for from King Tee to Xzibit to damn near every dope rapper I ever listened to on the West Coast. So yeah, needless to say, I was geeked on that experience, but also learned a lot from it. After those sessions, I worked out of Tom's studio on my next 3 or 4 projects and just studied him, or Segal, or any any other cats that I could at the time. I had to learn all the facets of beats from not only sampling and producing, but recording and mixing and "controlling" my own sound. I was just a young DJ on the scene at that point and had just started to experiment with my own production but that was a pivotal turning point for me to see what the actual role of the engineer was. I thought to myself, "Wait...I can sample the record, make the beat, and control the levels of the mix." It was game over for me at that point, and I knew I had to learn that part of the craft so I moved to Arizona to get my degree, and the rest is history. I got into working with kids though my man DJ Smokestack who initially brought me in to do some production and DJ workshops for his after school program in the city. I then transitioned into writing my own youth curriculum called Digital Sound Arts that has been an integral part of the after school arts enrichment program in San Francisco for the past 5 years. I was fortunate enough to pass some of my knowledge down to hundreds of kids throughout the experience, got a grant to build a recording studio, designed and built that studio, and really just enjoyed the whole ride. It really humbled and grounded me as not only an artist but a human being. It was bitter sweet for me me to leave the program this year to move on to other career opportunities, but I was able to do so because I passed the baton my good friend Max Kane who will be taking over my position and expanding the program even further, which I am exited to see! It's dope to build something from nothing and now have the privilege of watching it flourish and be self sufficient. I believe that feeling is one one of the greatest gifts that life has to
offer.
2.) One of our favorite Saurus singles is "Brick In The Wall." What inspired the song?
"Brick In The Wall" was produced by myself for this group called Giving Tree that I was working with at the time. The tune was inspired by dusty breaks, good weed, and Alan Parsons. No, seriously though...I think the track was inspired by the sample that I selected which was a Paul Desmond record called "Theme for Black Orpheus" which is oddly coincidental because Paul Desmond was Dave Brubeck's alto player and actually wrote "Take Five." It's crazy that out of all my beats, that the one you guys gravitated towards is the same artist that I sampled who wrote the song with the same title as this interview. That's a trip..In fact, you can hear the tonal similarity between my sax sample and the lead sax in Take Five if you listen closely. Yeah...now I'm just nerding out for real. Haha...
3.) Although DJs delve into a lot of different genres, each delights in specializing in one or another. What is yours and what draws you in?
I think it's dope that DJ's are expanding their selections a little more now than ever, but my advice is to not veer too far out of your lane. Do you, and do that well, and the crowd will follow. I hear some DJ's that play too many genres just to play what they think a crowd wants to hear, when they need to focus more on their blends, transitions and overall skills. I study cats like Shortkut who can genre hop 10 times in an hour, but still just break necks and melt faces, and that's what I think it's all about - a balance of selection and skills, not dancing behind your laptop like some of these crumbs. Bring some shit that I've never, ever heard before, mixed with some classics I want to hear, with some cuts and bruises and breaks! I think that is the mark a truly great DJ. To play something that can move the crowd that they have never heard. My man Marc Stretch, who I do Future Shock party with at Legionnaire every Second Saturday of the month with (shameless plug), also said it well recently when he said, "my job is to play music that the crowd didn't know they wanted to hear", which is a cool way to think of it as well. I'm still a huge fan of DJ'ing despite what I may do behind the turntables, so that's just what I look for in a peers set. That is what draws me in as a listener. I think my genre of choice to play will always be Hip Hip. It's just what I'm most comfortable with and I guess I'm just a product of my environment.
4.) Blunt Club Oakland is becoming one of the top spots for rap talent in the region - boasting heavy hitters like Pep-Love, Masta Ace, Gift of Gab, MED etc. Who else would you like to see lace the Legionnaire?
I personally would like to have E&J (Exile & Johaz) come get down with us soon. I'm really digging that new E&J album. Oddisee, Murs, Zion-I, Roc Marciano, Homeboy Sandman, etc. are all in the hopper for 2K14 also, but I'm exited to have Ras Kass, DJ Plann.B and Alias John Brown with us this month on Feb 28th. We would like to continue to nurture the local talent in our own back yard also, so if you are in the Bay, and you want to come rock, hit us up! Our vision for Blunt is a more of a community vibe, but to also showcase national talent as well. Shout out my man Dumperfoo who started Blunt Club almost 13 years ago in Arizona, Pickster One, Max Kane, Karim The Night Clubber Lang, Dion Decibels, Zach Turner and everyone else who contributes to Blunt Club and the idea of keeping real Hip Hop culture alive in Oakland. It means a lot that people are checking for what we are bringing to the table.
5.) Some people are cat folks, and some people are dog folks. You, like us, are both. Name one thing you love about each, and explain how those characteristics contribute to your creativity.
I think I am more on the dog side of that fence, but I inherited my cat, Oliver, in a breakup, and I couldn't come to terms with giving him away, so 8 years later here we are. Naw, really though...I've had him since he was a kitten, and when he was little he used to mimic my hand gestures on the turntables and would try to emulate my movements with his paws on the platter. It was dumb cute. He likes to dig through records with me too, so he got a hall pass for that off top! It's my dog Miles' 2nd birthday today, and he is a friend too! Miles has accepted his role as second in command of the animal kingdom in my house behind Oliver, and is out of his chewing stage now - which is good for my sneaker and record collections. I think animals in general are calming and good exercises of our time and patience, which can translate into our crafts. I can definitely draw parallel lines between my relationship with animals and my art.
LIKE DJ Saurus on Facebook
VISIT soundcloud.com/dj-saurus
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Friday, February 14, 2014
Flowback Fridays: Over Til It's Over It Ain't [Video]
Shad: It Ain't Over
Lenny Kravitz: It Ain't Over Til It's Over
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Wax Poetics & Bedford Box Office present DOPE (Side A) [Mix]
DOPE is a popular concert series in New York City founded five years ago by music exec Shawn Lawrence James, that carefully curates a platform for new musicians to tote their skills as the next big thing to emerge from the city's highly coveted underground scene.
From J. Cole, to SZA, DJ Hannah Bronfman, to Zoe Kravitz's Elevator Fight, the series offers fans and those curious enough a rare glimpse into the future of the music business with many of it's alumni going on to achieve mainstream success.
DOPE by Bedford Box Office (Side A), is an audio treat that carefully blends dream pop, surfer's rock, blues, and R&B, all together for an excellent mixtape that proudly highlights the superstars of tomorrow.
DOWNLOAD DOPE (Side A)
House Shoes presents The King James Version: Chapter Two (The New Testament) [Mix]
House Shoes unveils the second set of Dilla-derived sounds to celebrate what would have been the 40th birthday of the late legend. If you missed Chapter One, hear it here.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Pragmatic Theory: Forces Within The Framework [Album]
For their first official release of 2014, Pragmatic Theory pair their potent producers with several puissant poets (Stik Figa, Cor Stidak and TASK1ne to name a few), unleashing the unique Forces Within The Framework.
DOWNLOAD Forces Within The Framework
DJs Delgado & Odiaka: Fresh Jamz 6 Year Anniversary [Mix]
To celebrate the sixth season of Fresh Jamz happy hour in Oakland, DJ's Delgado and Odiaka revel in the rhythm of cuts ranging from reggae to rap, both local and global.
DOWNLOAD Fresh Jamz 6 Year Anniversary Mix
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Clusterfunk Collective presents Take Five: DJ Enki [Interview]
East Coast raised and West Coast made, DJ Enki is one of the Bay Area's finest - pushing the production envelope and crafting comical cuts. We chopped it up with the empyreal expressionist about beginnings, blends, and burritos.
"Take Five" to tap into the talent beyond the surface.
1.) Why Enki?
I first heard the name in a mythology class I took sophomore year of college, and I thought it was pretty cool. Enki's one of the three main gods in Sumerian mythology, and the myths about him/involving him are good stories that I really took to. Plus, I thought the name sounded dope, and I was reasonably sure that nobody else was using it. For a while, that was true, but over the past several years, several other Enki's have popped up around the world. Biters!
So hopefully this will dispel a couple common myths (ha!) about my name:
1: I didn't get it from the book Snow Crash, which I have never read
2: I didn't get it from Enkei wheels
2.) The range of genres in your sets is quite extensive. Do you prefer to play with tracks that you love or push the experimental envelope?
Ideally, I do both (and I guess some of the tracks I love also push the envelope, depending on your perspective). As a DJ, your job is to get people moving, which of course means playing hits and big songs everybody loves, but I also feel like your job is to push the envelope and introduce people to new things--play them music they didn't know they liked. If all you do is play hits and take the easy way out, you're not doing your job, straight up. So I do try to mix it up as much as I can. But it depends on the crowd; some are more adventurous than others. It's all about figuring out how much you can push a crowd without losing them. I like to walk that edge if I can, and I for sure like to genre-hop. It keeps things funky and interesting for both me and the crowd. Staying in one lane is boring.
3.) What inspired "Bacon The Funk" - fat with titles like "Ham Hocks Espanol" and "Hoggin' Ain't EZ"?
That started out as a joke, to be frank, not something I ever planned on actually making. It's like a bit of record nerd humor, a game that DJs play--"How many songs can you think of that fit Theme X?" and you see how obscure or funny you can get with your responses. I've been a lover of bacon since way back, so the genesis of the whole thing was Platurn and I joking around about "how many songs about ham/bacon/pork can you think of?" But at some point--I think shortly after I came up with the title (which combines my love of bacon with my love of Main Source)--I decided I should actually make the mix for real. And once I heard that Jim Gaffigan standup routine about bacon that you hear in various parts of the mix, that sealed it. So I just started pulling together a bunch of those songs that came out of that bit of joking around and put it all together. I had a lot of fun making that one, and I got a lot of really positive response from all over the place, which was dope.
4.) Blending seems to be becoming a lost art. Do you and Platurn plan to continue the "Blend-A-Pella" series?
We don't have any plans to right now, but we also didn't have plans to do a Part 2, and we ended up making one. And between the OG and Part 2, we certainly left enough on the cutting room floor to do a Part 3, so maybe a trilogy is in order. I'd certainly be into it because like you say, blending really is becoming a lost art--Serato and pre-made blends have really sucked the life out of it. That was part of the point we were trying to make: Instead of relying on all these shortcuts, dig into your actual vinyl collection and make these things work. And big ups to the DJs out there who still do live blends!
5.) What is your favorite "Flying Burrito" of choice at Juan's in New Orleans and why?
Oh, most definitely the jambalaya burrito (which I think they call the jamburrito). I live in the Bay Area. It's super-easy to find an excellent burrito around here. But a jambalaya burrito? Haven't seen it. That was some serious New Orleans stuff to me. And it was really good--I pretty much inhaled it! Whoever came up with that one deserves big props.
VISIT djenki.com
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Friday, February 7, 2014
Flowback Fridays: Last Love Donut
J.Dilla: Last Donut of the Night
The Moments: To You With Love
Gene Chandler: Rainbow 65
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
J57: Wax Aesthetic [EP]
J57 joins forces with Exile, Co$$, Deejay Element and more for a 5-track freebie.
DOWNLOAD Wax Aesthetic
Blu: Soul Amazing (Part Two) [Album]
Saturday, February 1, 2014
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