R.I.P. JB

Two years after his death but never forgotten.

This is the best youtube video I've ever seen on JB. Footage while in Africa with Muhammad Ali from When We Were Kings. The editing is phenomenal. Enjoy.

Christmas may be over but...

This is fucking beautiful.


Mad Decent Xmas: Angels with Filthy Souls from Mad Decent on Vimeo.

Too many haters in the world. I say we support beautiful creativity such as this to the fullest. It is all about respecting individual styles and diversity. That is what keeps things fresh. Starting to get sick of egos getting in the way of collaborative energy.

Happy Holidays everyone and much love!

Back home for the holidays.

I'm back in St. Louis (where I grew up) for the holidays. It is pretty damn cold here too. The first night I got back it was in the single digits. People in SF freak out if it gets below 50.

So I've just been taking it easy and kicking it with the fam. Stay tuned for more posts when I get back to SF on Monday.

Happy Holidays and peep some guitar licks from one of my favorite St. Louisans, Grant Green.



Peace on earf!!!

Afro-Latin-Dub-Hop Mix

Just finished a new mix that I have been working on called Afro-Latin-Dub-Hop. Sounds kinda corny but I think you'll dig it. The mix is all live with no post-edits, just two turntables, a mixer and a stack of vinyl so please appreciate the mix with all its imperfections. Think of it as an early Christmas present. Please hit me up with some comments for feedback.



AFRO-LATIN-DUB-HOP



MP3 Download available here.

Tracklist:

1. Mulatu Astatke intro - Mascaram Setaba
2. Samoo - On and On
3. Quantic - Ciudad del Swing
4. Lito Barrientos y su Orquestra - Cumbia En Do Menor
5. Tontelas - En Do
6. Aretha Franklin - Rocksteady
7. Beatconductor - Rocksteady Skank
8. 12th Floor - Get Down (Original Whoopin' Mix)
9. Freddie Cruger - The Hustle
10. Timmy Thomas - Why Can't We Live Together
11. Greenwood Rhythm Coalition - Greenwood Groove
12. Coppa - Society Ho's Pt. 1
13. Jugoe - Real Bad
14. Pete Rock and CL Smooth - The Creator
15. Manu Dibango - New Bell
16. Tim Maia Outro - Rational Culture



Happy Holidays y'all!!!

Recent Random Photos.

Here are a few photos I've taken recently that haven't quite fit into any posts.

Did a little Christmas shopping around Chinatown.





Change the Beat on Tuesday at Madrone.



Radio Active and Centipede.



Pleasuremaker Band opening up for Bernie Worrell's latest project Socialibrium at Great American Music Hall.



Bernie on the melodica.



C. Moore and one of our favorite Spliff Sessions regulars tippin' back some egg nog.



Hmmm, last I remember Tunnel Top doesn't serve them by the carton.


Discos Fuentes tonight at Skylark.

Hope to see you soon.

Wonderfull SF V.

Last night was the fifth Wonderfull party in SF with DJs Spinna and Bobbito. The party is dedicated to celebrating Stevie Wonder's music and has been really successful. Wonderfull has blown up so much that many feel it is one of the best parties all year long in SF or anywhere. The music was mixed really well as Spinna and Bobbito are two extremely talented DJs. Spinna in particular had some really tasty remixed tracks that gave the night a bit more of a hip-hop or hip-house style of production but staying true to the original Stevie Wonder classics.





The event was held at Mighty which is a really beautiful club with exposed brick throughout the interior.





The vibe was really great as you might expect out of a party dedicated to Stevie Wonder. People seemed really happy and warm towards each other. It was really beautiful.







The sound at Mighty is kind of crazy. They have four gigantic soundsystem style speaker units that surround the dancefloor. The sound is pretty good but not as clean as at a Mezzanine. Good nonetheless.



My ears are still ringing.













The party was really fun. I am tired as hell though. The Wonderfull party lasted until after 4 am last night and I DJed Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. It feels damn good to take a night off. Stay tuned beacause I am about to drop a new mix that I am really excited about. Spliff Sessions is tomorrow night at Tunnel Top.

Hope to see you!

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou Dahomey

Someone recently asked me if I could have seen any band live and in their prime who would it have been. Aside from the JBs, I think I would have to say Orchestre Poly-Rythmo. They were from the West African country of Benin and specifically Benin's largest city Cotonou. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo were one of the tightest bands to ever come out of Africa. Seeing such energy live on stage would have probably made my head explode. They have tons of music out there too and recorded at least 500 songs between 1970 and 1983. There are also a lot of great complilations available through labels such as Soundway Records and Analog Africa. Please go get some of their music, it will make you freak on the dancefloor or in the bedroom.

SF give me great pleasure.

Tons of good things have been going on lately. Firstly, I need to acknowledge one of my best friends tying the knot on Friday. My boy Pleasuremaker and his lovely bride Kuyumi just got married! Head down to Afrolicious at the Elbo Room some Thursday and congratulate the man yourself.



We celebrated by hitting up on of the most unique dining experiences you can have in SF at Radio Africa at Coffee Bar. My homey Elan spins amazing Brazilian and African records throughout the evening. Highly recommended.



Later on Friday I checked out Raw Deluxe perform out at Pier 23 overlooking the SF Bay.



Raw Deluxe has been making funky hip-hop for quite some time now in the Bay Area and they were one of the first groups to really start a movement with that type of sound. Go check them out cause they are still killing it!



Last night, Saturday, I went to check out some of my friend Erica's art being displayed at huge opening down at Mezzanine.



It was kind of bananas down there. There were 150+ artists so the place was packed. Definitely some dope work on display though.





We decided to bounce after things started getting way too crowded down at Mez. Stopped by a couple spots before heading down to the Attic in the Mission. One of my favorite dives around.



The DJs were fucking hilarious. They were playing the cheesiest set of 80s rock I've ever heard. We couldn't help but dance our asses off.







I havn't laughed so hard in weeks. Classic shit.

Here's a couple of random photos from last Wednesday night. Puma was celebrating their 60th anniversary so they had an open bar and some DJs. Sign MAKossa's azz up!



Mochipet cracks me up. Homey busted out a dinosaur costume midway through his set. That always leaves a good impression.



As always, I'm enjoying myself up in the Bay.

I'm a busy man this week. Hope to see you at one of these parties I'm DJing.

Monday at Tunnel Top. Free every Monday.



Wednesday at the Attic with special guest Deejay OM. Free.



Thursday at Skylark in the Mission. Free every Thursday.



Friday at Madrone with special guest DJ Quickie Mart (Fat Beats, LA). Every second Friday of the month.



Hope to see you around SF soon.

Support your local selectas!!!!

AFREAKA! WITH DEEJAY OM

AFREAKA!

IS AT THE ATTIC ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10!

AFREAKA! IS A MIX OF PSYCHEDELIA FROM AROUND THE GLOBE INCLUDING MUSIC FROM INDIA, TURKEY, BRAZIL, AFRICA, JAMAICA, AND RIGHT HERE IN THE U.S. OF A. HOSTED BY ME.



GUEST DEEJAY OM WILL BE DUSTING OFF SOME CRAZY SHIT HE HAS IN HIS CRATES FOR YOU!




..


http://www.myspace.com/deejayom



OM HAS BEEN DJING, PRODUCING AND SELLING RECORDS FOR MANY YEARS IN THE BAY AREA. HE HAS SOLD/TRADED RECORDS TO DJS INCLUDING JAZZMAN GERALD, DJ SHADOW, CUT CHEMIST, KEB DARGE, EGON OF STONES THROW, ETC. AND HAS PLAYED ALONGSIDE ACTS SUCH AS MADLIB, FLYING LOTUS, THE GZA, AND PHARCYDE.







PLUS AFREAKA! IS COMPLETELY FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!






THE ATTIC IS ON 24TH ST.
BETWEEN VALENCIA AND MISSION!

DON'T MISS THIS!

El Topo.

Finally saw El Topo the other night. I liked the film substantially more that Alejandro Jodorowsky's other famous film The Holy Mountain. There was actually a plot line to follow in El Topo and although The Holy Mountain is an amazing film, it is hard to watch in its entirety. The most amazing thing about The Holy Mountain for me is the fact that so many people were able to collaborate on a production with such a far-out vision. It made more sense when I found out that John Lennon and Yoko Ono helped fund The Holy Mountain after their amazement of El Topo.

Check the films out for yourself and hit me up with some comments. Y'all be strugglin' on posting some feedback. Let me know you're feeling the realness!!!

Return of the MAK.

Back in action and ready to present a post from some of the highlights of the past couple weeks in my life. So here we go...

Our main homey from BK, DJ Concerned, was in town staying with me and Oz for fucking ever, 10 days or some shit, but I'd be lying to say I didn't love every minute of it. Constant entertainment, seriously you need to hit him up for stories including him making people cry and setting the record for most burritos consumed during one stay.

Here he is rocking our weekly Thursday party called Discos Fuentes at Skylark in the Mission.



Kung Fu Chris laying down some funky wax. In case you didn't know, KFC is one of the funkiest cats in the Bay Area. Besides sharing two weeklies with yours truly, he holds down the low end (bass) for Raw Deluxe (betta ask somebody).



Afterward we rocked it at our place as usual. The combo of Toph, Kung Fu Chris and Concerned had me rolling. Funny characters for sure.









Classic times indeed.

Here we are getting down on some Thai, the one meal of Concerned's that wasn't a burrito.



Kicking it at the house with Concerned and Phil Money before the Kraak and Smaak show.



DJ Smash came through as well.



Kraak and Smaak was pretty dope but I wasn't blown away or anything. They definitely had a couple songs I wasn't feelin'.



The show was completely sold out at the Independent though.





On Sunday I got to see a really interesting show at Amoeba. Rodriguez was playing on Sunday night at the Great American Music Hall, so he performed a free show that day.

If you aren't familar with Rodriguez (as most people weren't until Light in the Attic reissued his psych-folk-rock classic) he is a musician who was recently discovered living in Detroit unaware that his 1969 album Cold Fact had become a digger's rare gem. So thanks to Light in the Attic, he is now playing shows again and promoting the reissue of his classic album.

Check the track Sugar Man.







Later that day, I had an truly epic time at Revolution Cafe. Revolution is an absolute staple of the bohemian vibe of the Mission District.







On Sunday evenings they host free live classical music. It is an unbelievable experience. Truly beautiful and a great way to just sit and reflect on life. So, I spaced out and worked on my origami skills with quasi-orchestral accompaniment.



Last night was my weekly Spliff Sessions party that goes down every Monday night at Tunnel Top. I'm really, really dig playing this party. It is cool to just feel out the vibe and dust off some records I don't get to play very often. I've been known to rock a set with everything from Mulatu Astatke to 2 Live Crew, from Lennie Hibbert to Gangstarr, Ersen to S.O.S. Band, and on and on. Come experience a Spliff Session for yourself. I promise you will dig the vibe.





Plus, there happens to be a ton of hostels around Tunnel Top that provide an influx of young Euro talent (non-gender specific reference to "talent", of course).



Plus, who wouldn't want to come show this guy some love?



Cuz I certainly could use some love these days! Shit is rough, but remember love is all we need.

Be well people.

Until next time...