The Realness

AFREAKA! 1 Year Anniversary Photos

2009-12-10T16:35:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone that came out to the Attic last week to celebrate the one year anniversary of AFREAKA! It was truly and epic party. Big shout out to DJ Ferrari, DJ Centipede and Sean Julian for looking through thousands of records to put together one of the most amazing nights of music I have ever heard.

Sean Julian, DJ Centipede and DJ Sureshot buggin' out in 3D psych vision!

Italians are pretty dope.

2009-10-27T14:59:00.001-07:00

AFREAKA! IS TONIGHT!!!!!

2009-07-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

AFREAKA! is tonight! Special South American psychedelic edition with special guest DJ Ferarri. Check out his latest Brazilian mix at www.djferarri.com. DO NOT MISS THIS!!! We will be screening two mind-blowing sexploitation films including the Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fey!

SEE YOU TONIGHT Y'ALL!!!

Photos from AFREAKA! meets The Trap Door 6.3.09

2009-06-06T18:39:00.001-07:00

AFREAKA! 6.3.09 with guests Nate Price and Sean Julian, the creators of the Trap Door International Psychedelic Mystery Mix. Big shout out to those guys for coming out and killing it!

THE NEXT AFREAKA! IS WEDNESDAY, JULY 1ST!

AFREAKA! OCCURS EVERY FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH AT THE ATTIC IN THE MISSION!

On and on...

2009-06-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

AFREAKA! last night was rediculous. Big shout out to the Trap Door homies Nate Price and Sean Julian for coming out and killing it. Stay tuned for a shit ton of crazy photos and video footage.

Still pissed about my skateboard. Fucking left it at a coffee shop in the hood.

This just rips.

Shitty.

2009-06-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

This Thursday, June 4th will be the final Funky Rewind at Skylark. Stay tuned for a relocation. It was a good run at Skylark and we'd love to continue this party again somewhere else. Much love and respect to all those who have come out and supported the Funky Rewind.

SO LET'S ROCK THIS SHIT PROPERLY AND SHOW SF HOW THE FUNKY REWIND CREW GETS DOWN FOR THE FINAL FUNKY REWIND AT SKYLARK!!!!!!!!

THURSDAY, JUNE 4TH
THE FUNKY REWIND WITH B.CAUSE (4oneFunk, Groove Merchant), E Da Boss (Now Again, Timmion), MAKossa, Kung Fu Chris and more TBA!

Lost my skateboard today too. Fuck.

AFREAKA! WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?

2009-05-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

AFREAKA! IS COMING WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3RD!

HIDE YOUR CHILDREN!

When Psychedelic Crates Collide: AFREAKA! meets The Trap Door

2009-05-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

THIS MONTH'S AFREAKA! IS NOT TO BE MISSED!!!

Joining myself and Deejay OM for AFREAKA! on Wednesday, June 3rd are Nate Price and Sean Julian, two of the minds behind the incredibly sought-after Trap Door International Psychedelic Mystery Mix released by Dis-joint Records.

If you have not checked out this release, listen to it here.

AFREAKA! is a mix of rare psychedelic beats and heavy grooves from around the globe including music from Turkey, India, Brazil, Peru, Africa, Jamaica and right here in the U.S. of A.

AFREAKA! is free and occurs every first Wednesday of the month at the Attic in the Mission district of San Francisco. New sexploitation psychedelic visuals (often in 3D with glasses provided) every month. Hosted by MAKossa and Deejay OM with guests the specialize in rare psychedelic records.

AFREAKA! is exclusive to vinyl for an authentic analog sound.

The Attic
3336 24th St.
SF, CA

Download two free live from AFREAKA! mixes from MAKossa and Deejay OM that are up on Turntable Lab here or on Grain Edit here or at Beatelectric here.

AFREAKA! last night.

2009-05-07T18:45:00.000-07:00

HOLY SHIT! Last night was the most fun I've had in a long time. Big shout out to Meaty Ogre for coming out and killing it! If you missed it, we throw this party every first Wednesday of the month at the Attic. Free every month and hosted by myself and Deejay OM.

Stay tuned for a bunch more photos from AFREAKA! last night

Low-key Saturday vibe.

2009-05-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

Feeling mellow after kicking it late night with the Sweater Funk crew at the house. They all were DJing at Poleng so afterward they headed down to my house with full crates. Felt good to fill the crib with some amazing boogie funk and unwind after a nice night on the town.

Here are some Funky Rewind photos from last Thursday with King Most.

Kicking it with the fam.

Backstage at the Elbo celebrating my good friends' two-year anniversary party Afrolicious.

Still getting really psyched for AFREAKA! this Wednesday, May 6th at the Attic. Me, Deejay OM and Meaty Ogre might just melt your face off. Don't miss this. Plus it's free, just like all the things you buy with credit cards. See you soon peoples.

AFREAKA! Imagery Inspiration.

2009-04-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

So I've been compiling some imagery for a while that fits the vibe of my and Deejay OM's monthly international psychedelic night AFREAKA! Check it.

Luke Ramsey drawing.

Dope font on the Los Saicos album.

AFREAKA! is free and occurs every first Wednesday of the month at the Attic in the Mission. The Attic is located at 3336 24th St. (btw Mission and Valencia)

The next AFREAKA! is on Wednesday, May 6th where Deejay OM and I myself are extremely excited to welcome Meaty Ogre (heardrums). Dudes, got some seriously deep crates of psych. Peep some of his original productions at
www.myspace.com/meatyogre.

Hope to see you there.

Teeko at the Funky Rewind 4.23.09

2009-04-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

Teeko blew my mind last week at the Funky Rewind. Talk about a DJ who is not only technically on another level with beat juggling, scratching, blending, etc. but his selections are seriously deep. He played a 90+ minute boogie set including an amazing juggling display of an original production outta his group FAME (Fresh Analog Music Experience).

Peep these photos and video from his guest appearance at the Funky Rewind and check out more of his music at www.teekomusic.com.

Big shout out to Teeko for coming out and killing it at the Funky Rewind! We hope to bring him back ASAP!

This Thursday 4.30 we've got King Most!

www.myspace.com/kingmost

Free every Thursday at Skylark at 16th and Valencia in the Mission.

Skylark
3089 16th St.

DON"T SLEEP ON THE REWIND!

Beat Nerds.

2009-04-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

Good shit been cracking. Peep some recent photos.

Fo Sho! Friday at Madrone with E Da Boss.

Hoops in the Panhandle.

Flying Lotus at Mighty. Never physically felt bass like that in my life. Mighty had the floor dialed in properly.

Sweater Funk! (Quite possibly the best name of a party ever) Gotta love the Sunday night boogie. Shit's a ritual! Every Sunday night at Li-Po Lounge in Chinatown.

Change the Beat with special guest DJ Expo (Root Down, LA) last Tuesday at Madrone. Errrrrie Tuesday night hosted by Centipede and Citizen 10.

DJ Centipede opening set before the Budos Band at the Independent.

DJ Expo and E Da Boss at the Funky Rewind. Free every Thursday at Skylark.

Expo and E both crushed it!!! Really really dope sets.

GO PICK UP EXPO'S LATEST MIX WHAT IT IS: A RARE FUNK 45 EXCURSION!

You can hit Expo up for copies of the mix at expothedj@hotmail.com. Listening to it right now and BUGGIN'!

Next week we got Teeko from 4oneFunk! Don't you be sleeping on the Rewind!

And now a message from MAKossa superfan #213...

Yo, I gots to meet this chick's Mom! She must be hella ill on tha decks!!! AHAhahahahahaa! See ya soon fam! Peace.

I can do all these tricks.

2009-04-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

I NEVER post skate videos to wack music. And this is some of the wackest shit you'll hear. Turn the volumn down and throw on some proper beats and enjoy.

Rodney Mullen is a fucking superhero on a deck!

Live from AFREAKA! up on the Turntable Lab Blog.

2009-04-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

Deejay OM and my psych mix Live from AFREAKA! is up now on Turntable Lab's blog now too in addition to Grain Edit and Beat Electric. Check out the Turntable Lab mention here.

See you tonight down at Skylark for the Funky Rewind!

Werd.

Random photos from the last couple weeks around SF.

2009-04-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

Things have been kinda hectic the past couple of weeks so I havn't had a whole lot of time to be posting anything. Here are some recent photos I've taken.

Teeko, Colin and Max of the 4oneFunk crew at Poleng Lounge.

E Da Boss at The Funky Rewind.

Teenage Dance Craze at the Knockout. (The Knockout is currently one of my favorite SF joints for sure.)

A beautiful Saturday in Dolores Park.

AFREAKA! at the Attic last month.

b.cause early set at the Funky Rewind.

Mad Mats at Poleng Lounge, coming all the way from Stockholm. To be honest this cat has to be one of the illest DJs I've seen in a long time. He also founded two of my favorite dance music labels, Raw Fusion and GAMM.

Hope everyone is doing well out there. Hope to see you all soon. Spring fever is catching on like wild fire. See you all soon.

Peace.

MAK~

Live from AFREAKA! Mixes up on Grain Edit too!

2009-04-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

Ever since I first saw a link to Grain Edit up on the Soul Sides blog a while back, it has been my absolute favorite graphic design blog. The typography, illustrations and styles represented throughout the blog are amazing. I highly recommend you checking it out. Plus they were kind enough to highlight Deejay OM and my psych night AFREAKA! and host the two mixes that are available for downlown that we recorded last month. The downloads are available from Grain Edit here.

BIG THANKS TO DAVE AT GRAIN EDIT FOR THE SUPPORT!

www.grainedit.com

AFREAKA! IS TONIGHT AT THE ATTIC IN THE MISSION!

The Attic
3336 24th St.
SF, CA

TWO NEW MIXES LIVE FROM AFREAKA!

2009-03-30T15:23:00.000-07:00

Flyer design: Mike Schofield Resource Room Productions

BEAT ELECTRIC IS HOSTING MIXES FROM DEEJAY OM AND I FROM LAST MONTH'S AFREAKA!

DOWNLOAD BOTH OF OUR LIVE MIXES ON THE BEAT ELECTRIC BLOG FOR FREE HERE.

AFREAKA! IS THIS WEDNESDAY APRIL 1ST WITH MYSELF AND DEEJAY OM!

WE'LL BE SHOWING THE 1978 BRAZILIAN PSYCHEDELIC HORROR FLICK HALLUCINATIONS OF A DERANGED MIND!

DON'T MISS IT.

AFREAKA! IS EVERY FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH AT THE ATTIC IN THE MISSION.

THE ATTIC
3336 24th St.
SF, CA

The Funky Rewind with Aspect McCarthy

2009-03-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

DJ: Aspect McCarthy (Jazz Mafia)
at The Funky Rewind 3.19.09

Mr. DC Go GO himself.

Faded.

Aspect dropped one of the most memorable Funky Rewind sets yet.

Check out this major show he will be perfoming at with a 50-piece Jazz Mafia and Lyrics Born on the mic on April 18th at the Palace of Fine Arts.

More info on the show at www.jazzmafia.com.

Don't miss it!

See you this Thursday 3.26.09 at the Funky Rewind with E Da Boss (OM, Timmion, Blackalicious)!!!

4-Wheel Therepy.

2009-03-23T15:02:00.000-07:00

Hopped on my skateboard last night for the first time in a couple weeks. Felt amazing to cruise around SF for a minute on a late Sunday night. Here is some dope NYC skating behind a nice tune. The tune happens to be "Sick City" from Charles Manson however. I let you decide how you feel about that.

The Funky Rewind with Toph One 3.12.09

2009-03-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

TOPH ABSOLUTELY KILLED IT!

Seriously, Toph is the real deal. He dropped some of the illest records I've heard in a long time. He is with us every second Thursday of the month at the Funky Rewind. Don't miss your chance to catch one of his sets. It will blow you away!

Toph likes to rock wax with extra large labels to compensate for his tiny carbon footprint.

Toph bikes to all his gigs and isn't down with cars, so after last Thursday's gig a bunch of us still wanted to kick it so we decided to head over to a friend's house in lower Haight. As we were leaving the Lark, Toph said he would bet any money he would beat us there. So as I pull up to our friend's place in lower Haight, what do we see...

Shit. Toph is a fast motha fucka! Don't let the beard fool ya.

See you soon y'all!

Peace.

INTRODUCING YOUR NEW SUNDAY NIGHT DESTINATION: EGOS ASIDE!

2009-03-11T23:56:00.000-07:00

FREE EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT STARTING THIS SUNDAY MARCH, 15TH!!!

The idea behind Egos Aside is that I wanted to present a night that takes you back to the foundation of hip-hop, where the producers and DJs were connoisseurs of drum beats and amidst chopping up the funky break beats, they really understood where the credit was due -- with the musicians and producers who made it all possible. Paying respect to the drummers like Bernard Purdie and producers such as David Axelrod, C.Moore and I shine a light on classic hip-hop producers such as J Dilla, DJ Premier, Pete Rock and Madlib through productions that will inevitably hold true throughout the test of time.

We will be starting every week at 9 pm and Poleng will be offering amazing food till late. Don't miss your opportunity to check out one of San Francisco's best restaurants for mad cheap as they will be serving up a menu of $5 plate options!!!

Really stoked to have Poleng right in my neighborhood! I live less than two blocks away and I really want to focus on that neighborly vibe for Egos Aside. Poleng is located at Fulton and Masonic just north of the Panhandle at 1751 Fulton St.

www.polenglounge.com

And as for my Egos Aside co-host...

C.Moore is one of my best friends in the world who happens to be one of the most talented producers you probably haven't heard yet. With a style heavily influenced by Bonobo, early Shadow, Four Tet, Quantic and Nightmares on Wax, C.Moore's music provides soulful beats and melodies that are sure to resonate deeply.

Do yourself a favor and check out some of his productions he has up on his Myspace page at www.myspace.com/conrad12.

ALSO, BIG SHOUT OUT TO MY GIRL LEXX WHO ONCE AGAIN KILLED IT ON THE FLYER!!!

Check out her portfolio of designs at www.myspace.com/ladylexx.

Hope to see you soon around the hood!

Change the Beat 3.10.09 at Madrone

2009-03-11T23:03:00.000-07:00

So my homey Benji, aka Mophono aka DJ Centipede, gave me a call yesterday and told me that last night's lineup for his Tuesday night party Change the Beat simply couldn't be missed (as if it wasn't ill every week anyhow) and I should make sure I stopped by to check out the scene for a minute. I was really thankful homey gave me a heads-up because last night was ill!!!

In addition to Citizen Ten and DJ Centipede holding down the weekly residency at Madrone, Morse Code and Sean Julian destroyed a 30 minute set using two samplers that he said took them a day and a half to prepare for.

Peep this short video I took that does no justice to how dope it was seeing them pull this off live.

Hard act to follow? Well maybe for anyone but this guy.

DJ Centipede absolutely killed it. Homey definitely stepped it up with all the other talented cats performing.

Two of the dopest DJs in SF, Centipede and E Da Boss(who also happen to be roommates).

Citizen Ten.

Madrone just changed all their artwork dramatically as they are under new ownership. It looks ILL!!!

Come check out the new artwork and vibe for yourself as Kung Fu Chris and I will be holding it down this Friday for our FO SHO! FRIDAYS ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! It is going to be crazy. We even have a couple surprises in store for ya!

The Funky Rewind b.cause and J1 Birthday Getdown 3.5.08

2009-03-08T00:21:00.000-08:00

Damn! This week has been crazy. AFREAKA! on Wednesday night was crazy as hell. If you were there you know exactly what I'm sayin'. Thursday was both b.cause and J1's birthday so we got a little crazy on it. Last night I saw Raw Deluxe destroy the Elbo Room for their records release party and I even made the last bit of Garth Trinidad's set at Poleng Lounge. Feels good to just kick it and get my blog on. Peep some of these photos from Thursday at the Funky Rewind.

THE TWO BIRTHDAY HOMEYS KILLED IT!!!

Big ups to Funky Rewind resident b.cause for sharing his birthday celebration with everyone at The Funky Rewind and big ups to J1 for making the trip up from L.A. to get down with us on his birthday too!

See you soon at the Funky Rewind! Free every Thursday night at Skylark with SF's illest DJs and the friendliest vibe around. Come join the crew!

Never ever typed these three letters, but...OMG!!!

2009-03-05T19:22:00.000-08:00

Speechless.

AFREAKA! with Deejay OM 3.4.09 Photos

2009-03-05T17:59:00.000-08:00

Last night was amazing! Thank you all so much for coming out and getting down to the crazy records OM and I were dropping. Much love to you SF!!! Here are some of the photos from last night. If anyone has any more they would like for me to post please send them to my email at souljazz45@gmail.com.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS POSSIBLE!!! I ALSO WANT TO THANK WAXPOETICS MAGAZINE FOR PUTTING AFREAKA! (& THE FUNKY REWIND!) ON THEIR NEWSLETTER BLAST FOR THE PAST 3 WEEKS! HAVING ONE OF THE BEST MUSIC PUBLICATIONS EVER SUPPORT ME ON THIS WAS TRULY AMAZING!!!

REMEMBER AFREAKA! IS EVERY FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH AT THE ATTIC!

PLUS, I HAD SO MUCH FUN WITH DEEJAY OM LAST NIGHT I ASKED HIM TO DJ WITH ME EVERY MONTH AT AFREAKA! FROM NOW ON AND BEST OF ALL, HE IS DOWN!!!

NEXT AFREAKA! IS WED. APRIL 1 (APRIL FOOLS DAY EDITION!) WITH DEEJAY OM AND SURPRISE GUESTS!!!

SEE YOU ALL SOON!!!

MUCH LOVE.

MAKossa

AFREAKA! IN PSYCH VISION!!!!!!!!

2009-03-03T13:19:00.001-08:00

DEEJAY OM IS THE HOMEY!!! HE JUST SENT ME THIS PHOTO OF THE 3D GLASSES HE GOT FOR EVERYONE FOR AFREAKA! TOMORROW NIGHT SO WE CAN ALL BUG OUT TO SEXPLOITATION PSYCH FLICKS IN 3D!!!.

IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T HEARD, OM IS A LEGEND IN THE DIGGIN' COMMUNITY WORLDWIDE! MAYBE YOU'VE HEARD THE TWO BAY AREA FUNK COMPS. UBIQUITY PUT OUT A COUPLE YEARS BACK, WELL YEAH ABOUT 60% OF THOSE TRACKS WERE PHYSICALLY HIS RECORDS!!! YOU KNOW THE TRACK BLACK ROCK FROM DANTE CARFAGNA'S CHAINS AND BLACK EXHAUST COMP? WELL, OM WAS ONE OF THE FIRST CATS TO BLOW UP THIS ULTRA-RARE BLACK PSYCH ROCK GEM!

PEEP THE SOUL SIDES BLOG MENTIONING THIS HERE.

BLACK ROCK: YEAH YEAH

HOPE TO SEE YOU TOMORROW NIGHT AT THE ATTIC!!! IT IS GONNA BE CRAZY!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

2009-03-01T22:28:00.000-08:00

So Deejay OM just called me and told me he just jacked 34 pairs of 3D glasses from some theatre down in Daly City so we can all get psych vision for AFREAKA! this Wednesday.

I'll be screening the 1969 sexadelic psych flick The Stewardesses that is IN 3D SON!!! There are only a limited amount of 3D specs so don't show up too late to miss your chance and buggin' out to this crazy shit while we blow your lid to some crazy analog psych madness!!!!!

AFREAKA THIS WEDNESDAY 3.4 WITH DEEJAY OM!

2009-03-01T20:49:00.001-08:00

AFREAKA!

IS AT THE ATTIC THIS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4TH!

WITH SPECIAL GUEST...

DEEJAY OM!!!

AFREAKA! IS A MIX OF PSYCHEDELIC BEATS AND HEAVY GROOVES FROM AROUND THE GLOBE INCLUDING MUSIC FROM INDIA, TURKEY, BRAZIL, AFRICA, JAMAICA, AND RIGHT HERE IN THE U.S. OF A.

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 EVERY FIRST WEDNESDAY AT THE ATTIC!!!

ALSO I WILL BE SHOWING THE 1969 3D SEXADELIC PSYCH FILM THE STEWARDESSES BASED RIGHT HERE IN SAN FRANCISCO FOR VISUAL STIMULATION AND I'LL BE HOOKING YA'LL UP WITH 3D SPECS!!!

COME BASK IN THE EUPHONIC BLISS!!!

BUT FIRST YOU MUST ACHIEVE EGO DEATH!!!

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

Pure HEAT at the Elbo Room last night!!!

2009-03-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

Holy shit! The 4oneFunktion last night was ill!!! Teeko, Colin Brown and Max Kane finished off the night with some nasty improv beats they cranked out using a vocoder, synths, a MPC drum machine and two controller one turntables. Peep, it was really dope.

Tons of heads were out last night to show support including The Gaslamp Killer, Deejay OM, and Mophono.

Teeko is coming out next month for the Funky Rewind! Couldn't be more stoked.

THE FUNKY REWIND 2.26 WITH E DA BOSS!!!

2009-03-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

HOMEY KILLED IT. HOPE YOU DIDN'T MISS IT. IF YOU DID, E WILL BE WITH US AGAIN NEXT MONTH. DON'T SLEEP ON THE FUNKY REWIND SON!

ASPECT McCARTHY UP IN IT! HE'LL BE TEARIN' UP THE DECKS WITH US LATER THIS MONTH!!!

E was crackin' me up on the mic! "DON'T GO HOME!" The security that was trying the clear out Skylark at the end of the night were gettin' annoyed as hell. Classic.

FREE EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT AT SKYLARK!!! THIS THURSDAY WE GOT B.CAUSE AND J1 AND IT IS BOTH OF THEIR BIRTHDAYS SO THINGS ARE GONNA BE CRAZY!

HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON!

PEACE!

THE FUNKY REWIND IS ON!!!!!!!

2009-02-25T12:43:00.000-08:00

Good things crackin' these days. The Funky Rewind is officially in full swing.

This Thursday we've got E Da Boss!

DJ E Da Boss has been in the game since 1987, when as a youngster in Newark, NJ, he tried to emulate local hero DJ Cheese on a Realistic mixer with no crossfader. A few years later, a friend introduced him to legendary DJ and producer Mark the 45 King, whose mixtapes inspired E to get into digging for old records and breakbeats. From there, E worked on expanding his record collection and his DJ skills.

In 1994, E started making his own beats on a delay rack with a looping feature and a Casio SK-1 sampler. Two years later, he upgraded to the ASR-10 he uses today and has been banging out heavyweight beats ever since.

Besides his commitment to production, E has also toured the world as the performance DJ for Blackalicious, Gift of Gab, Lateef the Truthspeaker, Jennifer Johns, and Bicasso of Living Legends. Having been fed a steady diet of E's beat tapes, Gift of Gab said he would make a point of working with E, and later on, after Gab called him from South Africa, E officially became Blackalicious' tour DJ and through that, also spun for Gift of Gab's solo tour, Lateef the Truthspeaker's solo tour, and some dates for Lyrics Born. He has shared the stage with such luminaries as KRS-One, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliot, The Roots, Chaka Kahn, and many more.

Don't go sleepin' on the Funky Rewind!

FREE EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT AT SKYLARK IN THE HEART OF THE MISSION!!!

Here are some photos from the past couple weeks at the Funky Rewind...

TOPH ONE!

THREE BAD BROTHAS YOU KNOW SO WELL!!!

DEEJAY OM!

Your new favorite bartender Jeff. Homey cuts up some of the illest visuals you'll see. Peep the projection screen next time.

Come show some support!

THE FUNKY REWIND IS FREE EVERY THURSDAY AT SKYLARK!!!

Skylark
3089 16th St. (at Valencia)
SF, CA

Boogie-oggie-oggie up in a Chinatown BASSment!

2009-02-09T15:07:00.000-08:00

Hit up the weekly Sunday night Sweater Funk party once again last night. That shit is fun as hell.

Pretty much the interior looks like you are 17 years old and your best friend's parents went outta town and you through a boogie-funk party in their unfinished basement (that happens to be in the heart of Chinatown)!

So the vibe of the night is you get down to some cheezy/amazing boogie and dance your azz off! And if anyone tries to pull out the too-cool-card, you look at them and say listen trick, you are 17 and we're in your parents unfinished basement so you might as well get down to this S.O.S. Band I'm gettin' off to!

L.A. was reppin' the Sweater Funk hard last night. Afro Funke's Glenn Red and Jeremy Sole were showing some love for the boogie.

Glenn absolutely killed a short set of that mid-tempo magic!

I about lost it when he dropped this Edwin Birdsond on Salsoul!!!

Great times down there! Remember this goes down every Sunday night in the basement of Li-Po Lounge in the heart of Chinatown! Don't sleep on the boogie-oggie-oggie!!!

Next week a certain L.A. amBASSador of boogie-funk will be doing a surprise guest appearance. Not to ruin the surprise but his name rhymes with Dâm-Skunk!

OH AND MOST IMPORTANTLY!!!

SPLIFF SESSIONS IS TONIGHT!!!

COME GET YO'SELF A LITTLE SPLIFF SESSION IN YA!!!

SEE YOU SOON MY PEOPLES!!!

Just another weekend in SF.

2009-02-08T17:10:00.001-08:00

Good weekend once again. I'm just trying to remain unjaded by this amazing city and actually appreciate everything I get to experience rather than simply blow things off as dime-a-dozen.

So Friday night our house guest Jeremy Sole was playing at Poleng Lounge which happens to only be a block from my house. Thought I would show a little support. Good music for sure. Homey closed the night out with some classics outta William DeVaughn and Max Romeo, which will always leave a good impression on MAKossa!

Saturday I went over to Underground SF to check out the Gemini Disco party that goes down every first Saturday of the month. Really liking what those guys are doing. The music is really, really good disco (and yes I can be critical as hell, but I'm never one to hate!) Heard some classics outta Arthur Russell and a lot of the gay NYC disco scene.

They really worked hard on the decór and lighting which shows that they really want to make it be a unique vibe. Gotta respect that.

Underground SF is a cool spot. It has been a little while since I have DJed there but when the new owner took over he dropped a lot of money on the sound system to fill the space. I get the feeling that things are going to be popping over there more often these days, like the monthly Holy Thursday party (which I believe to be an Axelrod reference) put on by some of the Anticon cats.

They've got a cool smoking area out back too that is very unique. I have heard some crazy shit has been known to go down back there.

Another thing I like about the party is that unlike other similar parties, people didn't seem to be too into themselves. I've seen some parties where these kids will just stand there in the middle of the dancefloor and pose for blog photos instead of actually dancing. Last night the music and dancing were the focus, rather than people trying to portray some lame image of being a scenester.

But don't get me wrong, style is cool. Just don't go pretending to be better than others because their style is different. Some of the coolest cats I know, I've seen rocking some shit I would't touch, but I respect them and their individual style. I think what annoys me the most is when people think they can judge you and your taste in music or political views by how you are dressed or where you are from.

Gotta respect the individualism, otherwise shit gets boring as hell. That is one of the things I dig the most in this city. Mixing up the styles, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and cultures to create one dope, never boring, never normal, never predictable, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA!!!

Why else to you think I like to either host or attend all them good parties! I'm talking disco, funk, soul, boogie, reggae, psychedelic, afrobeat, hip-hop, electro, dubstep (sometimes), cumbia, and on and on and on...

Which goes back to what I said earlier, I'm a critic but never a hater! Too many haters.

Love to show some support cuz hopefully that support will come back my way!

Off to Chinatown tonight to peep my homey and Funky Rewind monthly resident b.cause at Sweater Funk, which goes down every Sunday in the basement of Li-Po Lounge.

See you soon good people!

Peace.

i like...

2009-02-06T15:31:00.001-08:00

...this sticker.

Catchin' up.

2009-02-06T14:05:00.001-08:00

So this week has been damn good. I brought two of my favorite DJs out to AFREAKA! and The Funky Rewind, Mophono and DJ b.cause.

Mophono came out as my guest for my monthly world psych night AFREAKA!

We watched Jodorowsky's classic 1971 psych classic El Topo.

Mr. "I have two copies of everything" at work. (Benji didn't say that, but he does.)

Some good peeps came out.

Even the Tamale Lady stopped by for some heavy psych breaks!

AFREAKA! has become one of my most fun nights I DJ in SF. It is a night where I get some of the best DJs in SF (or anywhere) and have them bring out some of the weirdest shit they have in their record collections. The weirder and more rare the better.

Don't forget AFREAKA! is every first Wednesday of the month at the Attic in the Mission at 3336 24th St. (Right next to the 24th St. BART station).

Last night was The Funky Rewind with B.Cause at Skylark. (FREE EVERY THURSDAY!)

I spent the whole day promoting the shit outta the night by throwing up posters and getting flyers in hands.

THE FUNKY REWIND IS ON!!!

King Most and b.cause.

Afterward I hit the mission late night burrito joint El Farolito and met up with Jeremy Sole of KCRW who is in town for some gigs and is staying at our house while he's up from L.A.

Times are rough these days but I'm finding a way to keep moving on. Mainly because the soundtrack to my life is so powerful and inspiring, not to mention having some of the most amazing friends and family one could ask for.

Feeling blessed to do what I do.

AFREAKA! IS NEXT WEDNESDAY FEB. 4TH WITH MOPHONO!!!

2009-01-30T14:33:00.000-08:00

AFREAKA!

IS ON WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 4TH!!!

WITH SPECIAL GUEST

MOPHONO!!!

http://www.myspace.com/mophono

HOSTED BY

MAKossa

AFREAKA! IS A MIX OF PSYCHEDELIC BEATS AND HEAVY GROOVES FROM AROUND THE GLOBE INCLUDING MUSIC FROM INDIA, TURKEY, BRAZIL, AFRICA, JAMAICA, AND RIGHT HERE IN THE U.S. OF A.

NEW PSYCHEDELIC VISUALS EVERY MONTH SUCH AS FILMS LIKE EL TOPO, THE HOLY MOUNTAIN AND VAMPYROS LESBOS!!!

PLUS AFREAKA! IS FREE EVERY FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH AT THE ATTIC IN THE MISSION!

THE ATTIC IS ON 24TH BETWEEN VALENCIA AND MISSION.

COME BASK IN THE EUPHONIC BLISS!!!

BUT FIRST YOU MUST ACHIEVE EGO DEATH!!!

PEEP THIS AFREAKA! MIX WITH FREE DOWNLOAD!!!!!!

The download is available here.

Tracklist:

1. Manfred Hubler and Siegfried Schwab ~ Necronomania
2. Ajit Singh feat. Asha Bhosle ~ Main Akeli Raat Jawan
3. Okay Temiz ~ Denizalti Ruzgarlari
4. Suely e Os Kantikus ~ Esperanto
5. Gong ~ Sleepy
6. Mulatu Astatke ~ Chifara
7. Demon Fuzz ~ Mercy
8. Ofo and Black Company ~ Allah Wakbarr
9. Los Mozambiques ~ Viva Tirado
10. Gal Costa ~ Tuareg
11. Balkan Beat Box ~ Adir Adirim
12. Erkin Koray ~ Karli Daglar
13. Dorthy Ashby ~ Soul Vibrations
14. Piero Umiliani ~ Lady Magnolia
15. King Tubby ~ Corner Crew Dub
16. Express Rising ~ Dead Mall
17. Troublemakers ~ Black City
18. Bonobo ~ Sugar Rhyme
19. Manfred Hubler and Siegfried Schwab ~ People's Playground Version A

HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT WEDNESDAY!

I PROMISE YOU'LL REGRET NOT MAKING IT OUT!

PEACE.

MAK~

THE NEWEST IN NEW!!!

2009-01-30T12:08:00.000-08:00

I am beyond excited to announce our new free weekly party...

THE FUNKY

REWIND!!!

FREE EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT AT SKYLARK!!!

WITH ROTATING MONTHLY GUEST DJS...

B.cause (4OneFunk, Groove Merchant)

E da Boss (OM Records, Slept On Records)

Toph One (Red Wine Social, XLR8R)

WITH YOUR WEEKLY HOST DJS...

Kung Fu Chris (Raw Deluxe, Spliff Sessions)

AND ME, MAKossa!!!

SO DON'T BE SLEEPING ON SF'S NEWEST FREE BANGIN' THURSDAY NIGHT PARTY!!!

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE SOON.

House Party: How We Get Down

2009-01-24T17:39:00.001-08:00

Last night we threw a crackin' little party to celebrate my roommate Erin's birthday. Here are some photos from the evening...

Good vibes for sure. No egos allowed up in our spot. Just good people, good music and smiles for miles!

Hope you make it out next time.

Peace.

Must...see......Mulatu.

2009-01-16T21:56:00.000-08:00

I'm really trying to make it down to L.A. on Sunday, February 1st to see a true legend perform. Mulatu Astatke is playing with a 15 piece orchestra and I feel like I'm going to be making a big mistake if I don't go. Additionally, Quantic, Cut Chemist, and Egon of Stones Throw will be throwin' down DJ sets.

Check this interview from the Red Bull Music Academy Video Archive by Monk-One. The look on Monk's face at the start of the interview is priceless. Homey is like, "Holy shit, I'm really interviewing Mulatu Astatke!" Classic.

SAVE KUNG FU!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

Kung Fu Chris just stopped by the pad with some swollen eyes. He just got back from the doctor and his doctor said he needed to see an optometrist so he's going tomorrow. So it is looking like I'll be DJing on the solo tonight at Discos Fuentes. Keep KFC in your thoughts and wish him well tomorrow at the doc. Love that dude. Homey is a tough mofo tho, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him roll down to Skylark tonight, squintin' eyes and all. Get well brotha!!!

CATCH KUNG FU CHRIS AND I EVERY THURSDAY AT SKYLARK FOR A FREE BANGIN' PARTY IN THE HEART OF THE MISSION!!!

COME SHOW SOME SUPPORT FOR YOUR LOCAL SELECTAS THAT LOVE YOU THE MOST!

The name's MAKossa.

2009-01-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

So this is something that's been bothering me a bit recently. There are (at least) two cats in this world that DJ under the moniker of Makossa. Hence why I distinguish my self as MAKossa not Makossa or DJ Makossa just MAKossa, as in Mack Daddy or Daddy Mack or some other Kris Kross early 90s shit that I still think is cool. So why MAKossa? Well let me break it down for ya. Makossa is a type of music native to Cameroon and popularized by Manu Dibango when he fused it with other polyrhythmic styles like percussive latin music and Jamaican riddims. It has become something that to me represents a diverse style of afrocentricism that I feel represents my style as a DJ. Additionally, in Duala, the native language of Cameroon, Makossa simply means "dance" and if you know me I've been known to rock a couple dance floors properly. So there it is.

Thanks for reading because this could be one of the more boring posts I've thrown up in a minute, but I felt this needed to be said before I become known as "DJ Makossa (no, not the dude from Vienna)".

By the way, before anyone else calls me out on being hypocritical as hell on the design of my temporary logo, I figured I'll call myself out on it. (reference this past post) Yep I'm a fucking hypocrite, but I needed a simple black and white style to match the the Spliff Sessions flyer while keeping MAK in caps. It started as a sarcastic thing at first and then I said fuck it, I don't really care what y'all think. aaaahahahahahaha!!!!

COUNT DOWN TO OBAMA IN OFFICE: 6 DAYS!!!!!!

Finally picked up some new wax...

2009-01-13T23:52:00.000-08:00

Did pretty well at Groove Merchant today.

I was going through some serious vinyl withdrawal from not getting any new wax so I walked down to Haight from my house. Just a short walk with plenty of sunshine along the way. (The weather has been amazing, 70 degrees in January!)

Picked up 2 dope LPs and a 7 inch.

I am really stoked on this one.

Harumi (Self-Titled) 1968

Ex-pat Japanese musician worked with producer Tom Wilson on this rare double LP psychedelic masterpiece. Aparently after Harumi recorded one other album he vanished without a trace, the allure of which makes me dig this shit even more. Edan samples the track Hello on his album Beauty and the Beat. Good choice dood! Tons of cool shit to rip offa this one.

The other LP I picked up was Grace Jones' Island Life.

Produced by Chris Blackwell in 1985. Really, really amazing production. Timeless in fact. Glad I finally picked this up.

The last record I picked up was from my homey Mophono.

Mophono - The Shuffle (CB Records)

I was really happy to see Mophono getting some love on the Soul Sides blog recently for his past two 7 inch releases, The Shuffle and The Edge.

Peep my review of Mophono's The Edge record release party here and peep the Soul Sides mention here.

DON'T FORGET MOPHONO IS MY GUEST NEXT MONTH FOR AFREAKA! ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH AT THE ATTIC!!!

Other than picking up these gems not a whole lot is new. Still just looking for a job other than DJing to make some cash so I won't feel as guilty picking up new records.

If anyone knows of any job opportunities around SF please hit me up.

COUNTDOWN TO B-ROCK IN OFFICE: 7 DAYS!!!!!

Not leaving the couch for a minute.

2009-01-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

Feeling a little sore after killing it today on the Panhandle basketball courts. As Black Moon would say "Bullz eye di-rect hit don't miss..."! I'm trying to be a little more active these days as I feel like I've hardly broken a sweat for the past couple weeks. I am feeling pretty good about myself though considering I rocked a 4.5 mile run the other day with my Irish roommate Katie, pretty good for someone who never goes running.

I'm also digging the couch comfort because I DJed almost every night last week including twice yesterday. No compliants, just glad to step up my bloggin' game while having a nice chill listening session.

Friday was dope. Kung Fu Chris and I rocked our monthly Madrone night hard.

Always a good time. Fo Sho Fridays is the second Friday of every month at Madrone.

I don't know why, but I've been unorganized as fuck when I've been DJing recently. I don't know when I stopped taking decent care of my records but man, looking at my crates it looks like I hardly use any sleeves anymore. Sounds like a late New Year's resolution to me, TAKE BETTER CARE OF YOUR SHIT SON!!!

"Can you turn down the bass?!?" Hehehe, Carla is the shit!

Kung Fu Chris up on it.

DOPE NIGHT! Why not keep it going? Back to the pad for more good times...

Saturday Señor Oz and I brought a sound system down to Golden Gate Park to rock a friend's Roller Jam birthday party.

It was fun as hell!

The weather this weekend was amazing too. Almost 70 out and no clouds!

(Photo credit: Pat Holmes)

(Photo credit: Pat Holmes)

Looks like a happy birthday girl to me!

After we cut the system, this adorable little girl starting crying because she wanted to dance more and liked our music! Cute as hell.

Then Ozzie and I headed over to 222 Hyde to rock the Tenderloin properly. Always something crazy going on outside that place. Never a dull moment in the Tenderloin, protect ya neck son!

222 is a pretty legendary spot. It used to be a recording space for jazz musicians and even housed sessions by the likes of Miles Davis and Nina Simone. Crazy vibe down in the basement there with a beautiful all brick interior.

Definitely some spirits still in the building!

Just don't go cloggin' the pipes or you'll wake some of them and they don't take too kind to unwanted dookie stink!

After 222 we hit the late night neighborhood diner hard. Lucky Penny does it right.

Here's a word of advice, if you don't want to have your Karma game fucked for life, then don't fuck with late night diner workers. Seriously, there was a table of about 10 people next to us that ordered a bunch of shit, then started banging on the table and giving our nice older waitress a hard time. Then right before all their food came, they decided to bolt without paying for anything. Hate to say it, but they are probably being robbed or stepping in dog shit or having their cars keyed as we speak. Fuck 'em. What goes around come around kid!

Hope you are all doing well out there in the world. Things seem to be getting better every day for me. Got a bunch of love to spread so I hope to see you soon in the flesh! I'll be the broke dude spinning that wax...see ya round the sco!

COUNTDOWN TO HAVING THE NATION'S FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT IN OFFICE: 9 DAYS AND COUNTING!!!

PEACE Y'ALL!

GO TO SLEEP!!!

2009-01-10T04:40:00.000-08:00

Just joined facebook today. Fuck. The world is weird these days. I feel like everybody wants to share boring bullshit going on in their lives and expect people to care. Seriously...who gives a shit about your "status". What the fuck do you think I'm doin', I'm living life not telling people about me doing my laundry and wiping my ass and shit. Come on now, this is just stupid. On a lighter note, it is obvious that I am currently on a late night drunken rant (ooh, better update my FB "status"). Time for me to GO TO SLEEP!!!!!!!

It's all love, but it just feels good to go off on how weird shit is these days. Seriously, anyone else feel me on this?

Oakland riots over Oscar Grant.

2009-01-09T17:20:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Day 22-year-old unarmed Oscar Grant was shot in the back and killed by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle while Grant was pinned down on his chest by other officers. Before being shot, Grant was somehow involved in a fight aboard a train and then dragged by officers onto the Fruitvale Station platform. The incident was captured by two separate witnesses on camera phones.

This Wednesday Officer Mehserle resigned from his position and now Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff says he needs two weeks to decide whether to file criminal charges against Mehserle.

The city of Oakland erupted in protests which later lead to rioting due to anger within the community over the incident and the lack of any immediate criminal action against the officer.

I do not condone the rioting in any way, but this is going to be really fucked up if no serious criminal action is taken against Officer Mehserle. This is reminding me all too much of the shooting in Queens of the unarmed Sean Bell on his wedding day where police shot Bell 50 times and later the officers were acquitted on all charges (reference this past Realness post). I really hope for the family of Oscar Grant as well as our country that horrible acts such as this aren't just allowed to slip through the cracks. Updates to follow, I'll keep you posted on new information in this horrible tragedy.

Afreaka! with Señor Oz 1.7.09 Photos

2009-01-08T14:07:00.000-08:00

Last night's Afreaka! was really fun. Señor Oz killed it! We watched Vampiros Lesbos and it was cool because we kept the vibe sexadelic 70s vampire style, not Hot Topic goth, black eyeliner vampire style.

...but more like this.

Quality peeps in the mix.

I have been getting in a habit of dropping a 45 of Prince's Erotic City at 33 1/3 with the pitch sped all the way up to match the vibe of the night which I think sounds pretty dope, however this chick said I ruined the song and "Don't do it again". Wow, I didn't know the she was the authority on preserving the musical integrity of this man.

She's lucky I'm the laid-back MAKossa I am or else I might have called her out on killing my vibe, the consequences of which are unimaginably devistating to one's ego. Let's just be glad no one had to witness that.

So what else do you need? Shit's free son! Come get freaky at Afreaka! every first Wednesday of the month at the Attic.

Next month on Wednesday, February 4th my guest will be Mophono aka DJ Centipede. Dude's the shit, betta ask somebody!

LAST MINUTE AFREAKA! SUB-IN!!!

2009-01-06T16:18:00.000-08:00

Okay so I just got a call from Centipede and unfortunately he will not be able to make it out tomorrow night for Afreaka! because he had another obligation that came up last minute. Instead, he will be my guest next month Wednesday Feb. 4 at Afreaka!

It is all good though because taking his place for tomorrow night will be my main homey Señor Oz (Afrolicious/El Buen Sabor records).

Señor Oz has made quite a name for himself in SF with his weekly Afrolicious party. Although he generally is used to making asses move on the dancefloor, homey has got some eclectic taste in music and he'll be busting out some crazy psych-funk he's got in his crates tomorrow night. Don't miss it!

AFREAKA! WITH GUEST SENOR OZ

WEDNESDAY JAN. 7 AT THE ATTIC!!!

AFREAKA! IS FREE EVERY FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH AT THE ATTIC!!!

THE ATTIC IS LOCATED AT 3336 24TH ST. BETWEEN VALENCIA AND MISSION.

AFREAKA! WITH CENTIPEDE THIS WEDNESDAY.

2009-01-05T20:33:00.000-08:00

I can't stress enough how excited I am for this month's Afreaka! One of my favorite DJs will be throwing down a set of psychedelic beats as my guest. DJ Centipede aka Mophono has been one of my greatest influences as a DJ and sources of inspiration since I moved to San Francisco about six months ago. Having him DJ alongside me will truly be a pleasure and honor.

Come check out DJ Centipede as my special guest this Wednesday, January 7th at the Attic for Afreaka! Free every first Wednesday of the Month.

Mophono aka DJ Centipede at Beats, Rhymes and Life -

HOPE TO SEE YA THERE!!!

R.I.P. JB

2008-12-27T02:05:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-12-27T01:45:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-12-24T15:44:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-19T20:04:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-12-18T19:40:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-12-14T17:39:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-10T00:17:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-12-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-28T21:16:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-11-28T15:53:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-11-25T15:00:00.000-08:00

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.

Sugar Man - Rodriguez

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...

Juke Joint 11.13.08

2008-11-14T16:57:00.000-08:00

Last night was my first time throwing down a set at the Juke Joint weekly party in Sebastopol, CA. (About an hour north of San Francisco). The party was quite bangin'. My homey DJ Malarkey books some amazing DJing and musicians. Next month he will be welcoming Turntables on the Hudson (Nickodemus, Zeb, etc.) and past guests have included the Pimps of Joytime and Fort Knox Five. So although Sebastopol might be just a small town in Northern California, Malarkey is booking some world class acts.

Chango B warming things up.

DJing alongside me last night as the headliner was this cool cat from Vancouver called Wicked Lester. His sets are entirely comprised of 45s.

Kicking it with DJ I&I.

They are definitely doing some good things up north. Check it out for yourself sometime soon. Every Thursday night.

Wild Combination.

2008-11-12T11:29:00.000-08:00

"This was a guy who could sit down with a cello and sing with it in a way that no one on this earth has ever done before, or will ever do so again."
-Philip Glass on Arthur Russell.

Last night, I saw Matt Wolf's documentary on Arthur Russell at the Roxie. It was done better than I could have imagined. Wolf paints a truly touching story of the life of Arthur Russell with some amazing footage and interviews with those closest to him. What really made the film so impressive was that you did not have to be a fan of Russell or even know anything about the artist to appreciate the story of his life as told through the film. The interviews with his parents and his partner were extremely emotional and beautiful. I highly recommend seeing this film, for I promise it will both touch and inspire you in a way few films can.

For more information on Arthur Russell, check out the article in Waxpoetics issue 23 with interviews from Francois Kevorkian and Bob Blank.

The new pad.

2008-11-10T16:50:00.000-08:00

Just relocated in SF and I am quite stoked on the move. My room is quite a bit smaller but I've got huge place with some amazing new roommates and a back yard (WHAT WHAT!). So my room is far from organized but I've been listening to some new and old records today and just kickin' it.

I've been taking advantage of my new roommate Señor Oz's record collection. You may have heard of his weekly Afro-funk party on Thursday's at the Elbo Room called Afrolicious that he does with his younger brother Pleasuremaker.

So I drank heaps of coffee and danced the robot to this...

The back cover...

...as any close friend should do.

Other records of his I was diggin on include Bohannon's 1975 LP Insides Out.

So tonight Tunnel Top is going to be quite bangin'. Hope to see you down there.

The new lineup.

I've got some other dope stuff going on this week too.

Kung Fu Chris and I just started a dope new Thursday night party in the Mission that is free every week. It is called Discos Fuentes. Discos Fuentes is your source of latin funk, soul, reggae and hip-hop. Held every Thursday at Skylark (16th and Mission). Come say what up and I'll even buy you a drink (seriously).

I am actually not going to be there this Thursday Nov. 13th however because I'm heading up to Sebastopol (North of SF) for this dope little weekly.

So taking my spot alongside Kung Fu Chris is gonna be this man...

That would be Toph One from XLR8R magazine's Lucky 13 column and his 10 year long running Red Wine party Wednesday nights at Dalva.

Also this Friday...

Kung Fu and I hold down Fo Sho! Fridays every second Friday at Madrone. Always a good time.

So tons of good things going on. Hope to see your beautiful face soon!

No more wars...

2008-11-09T22:30:00.000-08:00

Timmy, you do it to me every time.

Timmy Thomas "Why Can't We Live Together" (1972)

Halloween Weekend in NYC

2008-11-05T18:49:00.001-08:00

New York, New York. Feels damn good to be back in the big city. SF is feeling a little small these days. So, I arrived in NYC last Thursday night after an extremely long day of traveling with a connecting flight in Austin, TX of all places. I was on about 45 minutes of sleep after my Afreaka! gig last Wednesday at the Attic so I was pretty much passed out the majority of my two flights.

My whole time in NY I was staying in Williamsburg which is one of the more convenient locations I've stayed in NY, just one stop from lower Manhattan on the L train.

This is one of the cooler pieces I've seen in a little while. The painting of the tiles so it looks pixelated a la Pacman is extremely creative. Diggin' it.

Other dope artwork in the hood.

DUMBO neighborhood in Brooklyn. I'm not too crazy about all of the work of this Neck Face character but he certainly knows where to drop a tag to be seen. Pretty crazy shit.

Brooklyn Bridge.

I got on a float for the Halloween parade. Shit was bananas.

What was I dressed up as you ask?

You guessed it, a coked up American Apparel model. (P.S. This is flour and MAKossa doesn't roll like that.)

Gettin' all tatted up. That sharpie hurt like a mothafucka.

Our float had a decent funk band on it dressed up as the muppets. Animal on the kit of coarse. Ali G grabbed the mic for a minute.

There were a shit load of people out.

There were definitely some damn good costumes in the mix.

This was hands down the best zombie I've ever seen. Check the colored contacts.

I also really liked this costume. Every year apparently a group of bikers dress up as E.T. and the boy on the bike. This year someone also had Gizmo on a scooter.

This dude was loving being the devil.

(By the way, I just found out in the new Waxpoetics that Grant Green had a dog named Satan, I didn't think it was possible but I now love him even more.)

Later we stopped by a house party that was not too exciting with mostly boring costumes but we made the most of it.

Saturday I kicked it in Central Park. It goes without saying how effing beautiful the park is in the fall.

Saturday night I saw one of the craziest shows I've ever seen in my life. It is called Fuerza Bruta and I'm not going to even attempt to explain it too you. Just peep some of these photos I took and check it out for yourself.

Sunday was the NYC Marathon which was unbelievable. I saw a blind man running it as well as a man with only one leg. People are fucking amazing!

Little dude was killing on the kit while the runners passed through Williamsburg.

Later that afternoon I kicked it in Park Slope for a while before my gig at Rose in Williamsburg.

So my flight home was in the evening on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The whole flight I was scared as hell that McCain was somehow going to pull off a win despite being the underdog. Sometimes you just never know what can happen especially when there is such a high chance of some shady shit was being pulled.

So halfway through the flight, the flight attendant announced the Obama victory. A couple loud cheers erupted from within the plane. I have never wanted to hug someone so badly in my life. Unable to do so as I was traveling on the solo and I found myself next to an older couple of an ambiguous political stance, I couldn't contain my happiness. Close to tears, I smiled brightly as I knew the the horrific Bush era was finally over.

As I arrived in San Francisco, I took the BART directly to the mission district to meet with some friends to celebrate the Obama victory. As soon as I got off the BART, I couldn't believe how many people where out in the streets celebrating. People were openly drinking tallboys and dancing to drum circles everywhere in the streets.

It was fucking unbelievable. People were so happy. It was truly beautiful.

Pleasuremaker even busted out a stogie!

Tuesday night was my happiest moment of my life as an American citizen. I am truly proud to be an American again. We will once again gain the respect from around the world that was taken from us by the Bush administration.

Althought I believe Obama is going to be the best president our nation has seen in decades, our country is not going to just fix itself. We need to work together to make this happen. It isn't going to be easy, but with hard work and a new hope for the future in President Barack Obama we will bring ourselves out of this tough economic crisis and end the wars in Iraq and Afganistan.

The world just got a lot better.

Congratulations America from a very peaceloving and patriotic DJ MAKossa.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

2008-10-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

I am sure that this is blowing up all over the blogosphere but peep this. Music by FlyLo, directed by Eric Wareheim of Adult Swim's Tim and Eric. Shout out to Dr. Steve Brule!!! More info below.

This video below contains some explicit cartoon scenes, flashing lights and is FOR OVER 18's ONLY.

Directed by Eric Wareheim (Tim & Eric) in association with Warp Records and Warp Films. Music by Flying Lotus. Co Directed/ Animation by Devin Flynn. Co Directed/ Edited by Eric Fensler. More info at dancefloordale.com

Reason #674 to never sell your Rhodes...

2008-10-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Michel Sardaby's "Welcome New Warmth"

From his very rare 1974 LP "Gail"

Welcome New Warmth - Michel Sardaby

Peep the full track here.

Malibu is my fucking idol.

2008-10-27T00:26:00.001-07:00

Afreaka! this Wednesday night at The Attic.

2008-10-26T22:42:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday I'll be presenting a night called Afreaka! at The Attic. I'll be spinning psychedelia from all over the globe including rare shit from India, Turkey, Brazil, Africa, Jamaica, and right here in the US of A. Don't miss out on the weird cuts I'll be dropping for ya all evening long. Plus, it's free because I love you.

Mophono Record Release Party

2008-10-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm about to make a really bold statement but. . . Mophono aka DJ Centipede could be the illest DJ in SF. If you don't know, homey slays it every Tuesday night at Madrone with Citizen Ten at their night called Change the Beat. Do yourself a favor and check it, I promise you won't be disappointed.

So last night at Space gallery he had his record release party for his skip on beat edit of the classic David Axelrod cut "The Edge". Guest DJs include E Da Boss, The Gaslamp Killer, B. Cause and Guillermo. Dopeness ensued.

Deejay OM and Samiyam.

E Da Boss spinning a set of 45s at 33 1/3 rpm.

Centipede made the night fun with encouraging people to fuck with the table while he was spinning his Axelrod edit. It was cool because no matter how much people were fucking with the needle, the beat stayed strong. True skip on beat shit.

Later I stopped by a warehouse party in SOMA with Lazer Sword that was interesting . I also ran into my old friend Bryan Wiseman from back in the day who lives in Chicago now. Dude is the shit. People were getting down late as hell. I didn't take many photos though.

I love this city.

Pleasuremaker Birthday Getdown.

2008-10-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

The newly engaged lovebirds. I love them!!!

I know what you're thinking, "Gee MAKossa do you ever change your fucking clothes?"

Yeah well I'm working on that, Imma broke azz these dayz so chill.

Me and my friends love ourselves some Fela. (Hand drawn Fela birthday card by D~Lux. Hella Props grrrl!)

Three words: suave.motha.fuckas.

Yes ladies, Marcus dresses this well all the time, so you might wanna take a number!

Benicio is the sheeeeeit. Homie hooked me up with one a these and an hour later I was toast!

Great night indeed. We celebrated Pleasuremaker's birthday properly. We hit some great Indian food, then Revolution Cafe, Elbo and finally Bruno's. Tuesday is the new Friday!

Now I'm headed down to my new favorite dive in the Mission, the Attic, to peep some tunes at Deep Listen hosted by my man Izzy.

And one more thing...

GO B-ROCK!!! Things are looking up America. Stay strong.

Palin wants your vote, then your blood.

2008-10-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

Saw this down in the Mission last night amidst celebrating Pleasuremaker's birthday. Pretty dope. More photos on their way.

Fo Sho! Friday with DJ Quickie Mart 10.10.08

2008-10-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Our homey Gavin grabbed the mic and destroyed it.

We rock this party every second Friday of the month at Madrone!!!

Don't miss out on this!!!

Catchin' up.

2008-10-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

For the past couple weeks I have not posted many photos of what I've been up to, so without further ado, here are some random photos from my life the past couple of weeks.

Here are some from Lovefest.

The DJ booth in the cockpit was a nice touch.

JonH of Fort Knox Five and Drop the Lime chattin' at the Supper Club float.

There were a rediculous amount of extremely young ladies loving the attention they were getting from wearing close to nothing.

This dude was thrilled about it.

The festival was a good time but 95% of the music was crap. It is extremely cool that a festival like this can still go down every year for free however. Only in SF.

These are all from a couple weeks back at various locations around SF (Revolution Cafe, Obama fundraiser parties, Afrolicious, late nights, etc.)

There is a lot of love in the city this time of year. Beautiful people sharing beautiful times together. Spread the love.

PEACE!!!

Scratch.

2008-10-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

Just thought you could use a little Lee Perry in your day...

DON'T MISS THIS!!!

2008-10-09T15:38:00.000-07:00

This Friday Oct. 10th we have a very special guest alongside Kung Fu Chris and I. DJ Quickie Mart will be gracing Madrone with his turntablism for our monthly night. I really hope to see all of your beautiful faces.

Don't ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!

Quickie Mart Myspace

L.A. Photos

2008-10-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

So, as promised here are some photos from last weekend down in L.A. with Pleasuremaker and Co. Friday I accidentally left my camera at the hotel so I missed out on taking photos at the Soul Sessions party in Chinatown. Lot of heads showed up. Noelle Skaggs and Rhettmatic were also performing in addition to the Pleasuremaker Band with Oz on the decks. I even saw J. Rocc there diggin' the scene.

Saturday we kicked it at Venice beach, despite the fact that the weather was piss.

Venice Beach was a trip. I felt like if I were to do the most amazing thing I have ever done in my life people would not be remotely impressed amongst all the other entertainers on the boardwalk.

My favorite was this dude though. This stunt was straight outta the Matrix. Seriously, although this might look fake, I can assure you this really happened.

Later we stopped by Turntable Lab and kicked it. I picked up the new Karl Hector and the Malcouns album. It is similar to the Poets of Rhythm but more of an Afro-beat feel. Definitely recommended.

Original Dilla photo by B+ in the TTL office.

After Turntable Lab, we realized that Joey accidentally locked the keys in the van so we had to chill out and get some eats at Canter's while we waited for someone to unlock the car door. Canter's is an old school LA spot known for it's Reubens. LA is all about the comfortable booths.

After we got the situation taken care of with the van we went to check out the last Funky Sole party. On the decks were Jeremy Sole, Miles from Breakestra and a surprise all 45s set from Cut Chemist.

Sunday we had the Custom Sundaze pool party going on at the Custom Hotel but the weather was still pretty crappy so we didn't think many people were going to come down. Later the sun decided to come out and we were able to still throw down and make the most of it.

Sunday night we went to a night called Deep at a huge club called the Vanguard where this cat from Baltimore named Karizma was spinning. They didn't let cameras in so I didn't get any photos but you aren't missing out on much. The music was cool but the club was not really my style. A little too LA for me.

Anyway, the weekend was damn fun and I look forward to kicking it again in LA some time soon. Contrary to what I had heard, almost all the people I met in LA were really cool. The driving on the other hand, is definitely no joke. I feel like my carbon footprint is currently about a size Shaquille O' Neal.

Out in L.A.

2008-09-28T12:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, so yes I do know McCain actually did make it to the debate. I listened on the radio in the car on my way down to LA. I think Barack did very well and I still think McCain is crazy. Particularly after proposing to freeze spending except for on the military. Dude is definitely crazy.

I head back to SF tomorrow. Last night was dope. Went to the last Funky Sole party and kicked it with Miles, Jeremy Sole and Cut Chemist. Despite what everyone says, LA has been really good to me. People are cool as hell. The driving thing ain't no joke however. Photos soon to follow.

Keep the faith with Barack. We are going to make this happen. Stay strong people, we got this.

Much love.

Thank you David.

2008-09-25T23:50:00.001-07:00

So as most of you have heard, McCain ditched out not only Friday's debate that millions of Americans, including myself, were anxiously awaiting but also on Letterman because he has decided to suspend his campaign in light of the financial crisis that the U.S. is currently suffering so he can focus on helping the economic situation. Last I heard, one of the qualifications of the President of the United States was the ability to multitask. Well, let's just say Letterman isn't gonna let the old bag off that easy. Enjoy. Letterman is a good man.

Photos on a leisurely Thursday afternoon

2008-09-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

A couple photos I took out of my window. The lighting is perfect in my neighborhood right now so I decided to take advantage.

The fam.

Here are a couple other photos I took earlier this week around SF.

These are some random ones from the past couple weeks that I have yet to post.

C. Moore recording the very first edition of Realness Radio.

Western Addition at 5 am.

Power to the Peaceful Festival at Golden Gate Park.

King Britt rockin' the Obama tee.

Rock hard, rock chalk Jayhawk!

2008-09-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

So I am seeing that the student newspaper from the University of Kansas, the University Daily Kansan, is stirring up quite a bit of controversy over its annual Sex on the Hill issue. Particularly over photos taken depicting sex in a WWII memorial. Although, Lawrence is a progressive, liberal-minded college town, it does however lie in one of the more conservative states in the country. Which for me makes the issue that much more enjoyable to read, knowing that many of the readers are going to have to pray extra hard for God's forgiveness for seeing images of...gasp...homosexual affection. I am also quite impressed by the way many of the businesses in Lawrence supported the issue with aggreeing to run risqué ads. I can now say I am proud to have written for this publication and graduated from such a amazing University and community. Big ups Lawrence and KU!!!

Sex on the Hill "08

Fleshbot Article (NSFW)

Afrolicious Photos

2008-09-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from my last guest appearance at the Afrolicious party that happens every Thursday night at the Elbo Room hosted by Pleasuremaker and Señor Oz. Definitely, one of the better weekly parties in the city. Check it out if you haven't already. (All photos by Skyler)

Big news...

2008-09-21T23:33:00.000-07:00

So, soon I will be launching a new addtion to the Realness, something I am really excited to announce. Stay tuned for fully downloadable radio show podcasts featuring a new guest for each segment. We are talking Realness Radio. I will be inviting DJs and producers from the Bay Area and beyond to share some of their original productions in addition to throwing down a set of some of their influences. Thrilled would be an understatement for how much I am looking forward to getting the ball rolling on this. Feel free to send me an email at souljazz45@gmail.com if you are interested in possibly being a guest on the show.

Peep this new flyer. . .

2008-09-21T23:29:00.000-07:00

I put this together for our little Monday night weekly at the Tunnel Top. Hope to see your beautiful faces out some night.

Economy got you down?

2008-09-19T13:07:00.000-07:00

Yeah, me too. Seriously, I'm not only worried for the U.S. but the world economy is struggling consequently. My only advice to keep us from getting down and panicking is to believe that we have the power to change things and understand that we run this nation, our nation doesn't run us. People make the world go round, not Wall St. If we work together to ensure Obama gets elected, that will be a great start but it will only be the beginning of a tough road ahead. Synergy is the answer. The power of many working as one will lead us out.

Now let's unite and do this together.

Much love and respect.

Out with the old...

2008-09-16T00:55:00.000-07:00

So I've been trying to think of some new material for the Realness as I've hit a stage of boredom with simply posting photos, videos and DJ mixes, etc. So, I thought I would share some personal information you probably didn't know about me, because who wants to just pretend to be cool all the time. Afterall this is the realness, so let's keep it real.

I truly love playing frisbee for really, really long periods of time.

I am a sucker for hippy shit, i.e. Goji Berries, Kombucha, Dr. Bronner's, heaps of granola, tea tree deodorant, organic produce, although my style is far from your typical deadhead yogi.

It takes me really long to finish books because I like to start many at a time.

I used to be really good at football and rugby in high school.

I am really sore right now from falling off my skateboard going down a San Francisco hill.

I had a black lab named Spike growing up who was the kindest creature to ever exist.

My younger brother's name is Ryan and he lives in Miami.

Often I have really amazing ideas that I let fade away.

I miss people who have come and gone throughout my life and wish I could somehow throw a big party with all of my friends from my entire life...and the Talking Heads played the party.

I am really bad at saving money.

I've never been to L.A.

I love sleeping.

I will never be able to dunk a basketball although I came close while living in Italy in '04.

I talk shit on hipster bikes but I kinda want one.

Getting a tattoo and skydiving scare the shit outta me, but I want to experience both some day.

I need more classical music in my life.

I love meeting people and then kicking it with them for a full day.

It takes me a really long time to pick out beer at the store.

I worked as a fish monger at a fish market in Seattle.

I love dreams where you can fly.

If I hear a funky breakbeat I can't not dance.

Thanks for reading. Perhaps you feel you know me a bit more now. Stay tuned for more new additions to the Realness.

Paz y amore.

MAKossa @ MADrone this Friday

2008-09-08T15:52:00.000-07:00

Friday Sept. 12 is gonna be mad fun as Kung Fu and I hit the decks extra hard at Madrone. Get down there for a healthy dose of hip-hop, funk, soul and reggae. Breakbeats so hard you might not ever come out of your b-boy stance.

Fear and Loathing 2008

2008-09-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

I came across this photo blog today and was really affected by the powerful images taken from the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN and the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO. Tim Hussin, Noah Rabinowitz and Danny Ghitis are the photographers. Please take a look.

Fear and Loathing: 2008 Conventions

Currently haunting my dreams . . .

2008-09-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

this dude.

Not even funny. Just fucking scary.

The United States of America and the Deprivation of Democracy

2008-09-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

Whenever I see footage of police brutality in America against innocent citizens stripped of their freedom and rights I become irate. I also think about the 99.9% of the time when injustices such as this are not able to be captured on tape, and how simply voicing these crimes, even with witnesses, fails to ever produce any repercussions within law enforcement. We can not let things like this happen in our country. The level of hypocrisy that this creates within the United States is intolerable, especially as we criticize or even invade countries for lacking a democratic foundation. I believe we need to focus internally on ensuring ALL Americans constitutional rights and democracy rather than pointing fingers at other nations while our government buries acts such as these seen in this video under the facade of our "democratic" nation.

MOMA Gratis.

2008-09-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

Went to the MOMA yesterday because it was the first Tuesday, which meant I can actually afford it. One of my favorites of the day was the Jack W. Stauffacher Typographic Meditations installation.

Highly recommended. Insightful thoughts laid out in perfectly appropriate fonts.

Labor Day in the Bay.

2008-09-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

Labor Day. Usually means summer is almost over but not in SF. Surprisingly this just means that the better weather has yet to come. So less fog and more sunshine. Sounds good to me.

Friday I unintentionally drove over the Golden Gate bridge and went to the beach over in the Marin headlands. I say unintentionally because I was trying to get to Baker Beach but almost no where in this city are you allowed to make a left turn, and before I knew it we were on the bridge.

These two passed out on the way home.

Later in the weekend I went on a boat ride in the SF Bay and saw some lovely views of the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset as well as Alcatraz.

The rest of the weekend was a lot of straight kickin' it.

MAKossa loves his orange mocha frappuccinos.

Sunday was classic Bay Area great summertime vibes as a little Labor Day celebration was going on in Golden Gate Park called Doin' It in the Park. It was put on by Mr. E of Papalote and heaps of other Bay Area community leaders. Behind the decks, we had Shortkut, Sake One, Platurn, Hakobo and plenty of others. It even had free BBQ, an Arcade and a Moonbounce for the little people.

Unfortunately, the event got shut down earlier than expected by the park ranger. People were disappointed to say the least but it was certainly fun while it lasted. Check out this video I shot. I particularly love how kind the gentleman in the shades is to point out that the joint he is so graciously sharing also contains tobacco. Gotta love a little Bay Area summertime spliffage!

On Labor Day I went up into Redwood country and checked out Muir Woods. The trees are unbelievable. It was a magical feeling to be dwarfed by thousand year old Redwoods. Quite a humbling experience.

After the forest, I headed over to Stinson Beach to get some rays.

Stinson Beach exemplifies what I love the most about the Northern Cali coast. It has the beautiful trees of the Northwest and the white sandy beaches of So Cal. Perfect compromise of North vs. South west coast loveliness.

Unbeatable. Labor. Day. Weekend.

Birthday love.

2008-08-28T00:26:00.000-07:00

So, my birthday has come and gone but I certainly won't forget the amazing times that were had in celebration of it.

A crew of us went out for sushi to celebrate and then down to Club 222 for a reggae night called Sleng Teng where Shortkut was spinning. I also ran in Qbert down there, that dude is a legend.

The next night I was a guest DJ for the Afrolicious party down at the Elbo Room. It was my first time DJing there and I certainly had a blast playing some fresh cuts.

The rest of my weekend was pretty chill however. I kicked it in Dolores park on Saturday.

And went with my friend Dana to Baker Beach on Sunday, where there was no shortage of naked dudes. Baker Beach happens to be a nudist friendly beach on the north of SF, just west of the Golden Gate Bridge. It is beautiful to say the least and the weather is finally starting to be consistantly warm, I'm still not used to San Francisco's atypical summer weather.

Not a whole lot is new otherwise, just been watching the Democratic National Convention whenever possible and looking forward to kicking it with some friends in from NYC and Seattle this weekend.

26th Birthday Mix

2008-08-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

What are birthdays for?

DANCING YOUR ASS OFF!!!

Yes, that is right. So for my birthday today I decided to throw down an extra special birthday dance mix. 100% dance floor bangin' funk, disco, boogie, latin and breaks from around the globe. After all, makossa does mean "dance" in Duala, the native language of Cameroon.

I hope to see you all tomorrow night at Afrolicious down at the Elbo Room as I will be guest DJing.

Much birthday love for you all!

The download is available here.