Commandeering the kitchen at Subsuelo/Gnawledge HQ in LA (thanks G-Notes!) ( foto x Farah Sosa)

8 tomatoes

1 Roasted Red Bell Pepper

1 Roasted Green Bell Pepper

15 Kalamato Olives

1 Tsp Italian Herb Tomato Paste

3-4 Sprigs Thyme

3 Garlic Cloves

2 Olive Oil Drizzles

6 Tilapia

Cilantro

Lime

I invited some friends to eat in exchange for a bread-breaking data swap. I’m definitely not on a culinary level with my dude DJ Rajah over at SoulCocina but this is really what meetings should be like. Exchanging in currencies that don’t depend as directly on the dollar really has an intrinsic value in making people connect. It leads to better less guarded conversation and reminds us that if we work together, there’s always more to eat on the table. Here’s my TOP 5  Things I won in the West Coast Data Swap

First up, G-Notes, the guitarist and beatsmith behind the hybrid flamenco act Granada Doaba and all around Gnawledge famalam hit me with a few remixes and edits

a sick Mex with Guns – Dame lo [Gnotes Rmx]  hyper dembow bizness

and this touch up of Gotye’s anti-love jam caught me off guard…

Now my homie, Santero in the Bay Area has been holding me down for a few years now. I was happy to crash at his this time around and spend some time getting to know what he’s been up to.  I learned he has been working with our homie Boogat up in Montreal.. Notice how the cover art is Boogat with the fam all around at a BBQ or somn… home cooking how we do !

(Incidentally, since that convo I’ve been rocking Dos Cervesas (prod by Poirier) off the PURA VIDA EP like its my job)

Santero also just put out a brand new mixtape a couple days ago for Los Rakas’ homegirl FAVI called Flor de Azahar (orange blossom – really the best smelling flower in the world for my money)

FLOR DE AZAHAR (#ORANGEBLOSSOM MIXTAPE x DJ SANTERO VOL 1) by FaviSF

Santero also put me on to this Goapelle/Los Rakas Remix I had admittedly been sleeping on. It was featured on Fader and Rcrd Lbl months ago. Be sure to check them out on November 19th with me and Dre Skull at SOBs

pardon my a b s e n c e and tardiness… big up Prince Quan Luv and the Old Money massv.

I’ve been traveling to Colombia at regular intervals to present a new sound fusing folkloric Afro-Colombian rhythms with modern day electronic music production techniques that harmonize into a synthetic club sound rooted in tradition. Via the internet, the birthplace of Cumbia has become a source of inspiration to a number producers worldwide. Recently, we invited some of the top names in the scene to a bandcamp in Colombia and a filmmaker to document it.  We want to provide an insider view of the impact this music is having on the local scene and how a small network of globally minded producers are defying conventional standards of Latin club music.

We have a couple weeks to get this production costs for completing this project funded. To hear more about how you can help please visit http://www.indiegogo.com/Pico-de-Gallos

People of LA! This Saturday one-time Mudd Up! guest and great DJ Lengua will celebrate his record release party for his LP Cruzando put out by Unicornio Records. Más Exitos crew + special guests, Mister Juanderful and Sonido Franko will play some great vinyl you would be hard-pressed to hear anywhere else. In Más Exitos’ words expect everything “from fuzzy cumbias, to jumping boogaloos, to funky soul oddities, to disco aztecas, rock n’ rolleros, a-go-go latino, paisadelic-psychedelic freak outs and janky electro beats.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

DJ Lengua-La Jungla

DUTTY ARTZ SWEAT LODGE

Atropolis Album Release feat. Atropolis w/ special guests Noelia Fernandez & her comparsa and Nabin Shanti

DJs:

DJ /Rupture

Matt Shadetek

Chief Boima

Geko Jones

The Cove 108 N. 6th St. Brooklyn, NY.  L train to Bedford Ave.

Friday May 13th, FREE PARTY 10-4AM

Click here to view the embedded video.

Not really a lot of commentary about this besides the fact that I just listened to it like 19 times in a row.  This is, how you say, my shit.  Sweet and low rnb en espanol by World Hood out of Sacramento with Peligrosa crew’s own Sonora coming in hard body on the remix. Big tune, and it’s downloadable via the soundcloud page, so get to it.

World Hood/Estrella Sanchez – Indigenous 808 (sonora remix) by SONORA

Here’s the video for the original, which is also very nice:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Very Be Careful are from L.A. and play a rowdy rootsy version of Colombian vallenato & cumbia. VBC have released a number of albums over the years but it’s their live shows — legendary, high-proof fun — which have won them a kind of cult following. Accordion cultists, it turns out, are the best kind.

Catch em in Brooklyn’s Coco 66 this Saturday Jan. 8th, along with yrs truly, DJ Rupture & Lamin Fofana. Not to be missed! I’ll give away some tix on my radio show tonite, 7-8pm WFMU.

For a bit more on VBC, try this post: “The cat pours the dog a stiff drink. The dog longs for opposable thumbs so he can reload the shotgun.”

I can’t find a purchase point at the moment, so I’ll hold off on further notes until I can link to magic you can buy. Suffice to say I’ve been waiting for this ever since producer-wizard Pablo Lescano of Damas Gratis played material from it over his SUV’s incredible soundsystem as we swerved around Buenos Aires (an optimal listening experience if there ever was one).

Also note their correct spelling of ‘kumbia’.

Contraportada en NY1 Noticias, platicando con el gran José Manuel Simián.

Bajo el seudónimo de DJ /Rupture, Jace Clayton lleva años sonando como uno de los DJs más interesantes de Nueva York, gracias a su mezcla de ritmos, géneros y texturas de todo el mundo. Además de ello, Jace se ha ganado el respeto de melómanos y críticos por su trabajo como bloguero musical y un programa radial que presenta cada semana en la prestigiosa WFMU. DJ Rupture, Jace, conversó con José Manuel Simián en Contraportada.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sept. 29, 2010
Que Bajo?! w/ El Guincho
Santos Party House
96 Lafayette St.
New York, NY
que bajo?! facebook

Within days of my arrival I found myself in the midst of some of the top dawgs of the reggaeton and electronic music scenes and I wanna take a few to hip ya’ll to whats gwarnin out there. Its way too much for one post so I’ve broken it up into three that will air this week.

First off, shouts out to Toy Selectah who was also in town to work on some tracks for Calle 13 and Argentine reggae artist Fidel Nadal. At Toy’s invitation, I found myself at Visitante’s home recording studio where C13 have been working on their new album.  Hand’s down, what the boys have built is the most beautifully decorated and acoustically engineered studio I’ve ever stepped foot in. Cherry oak walls engraved with logos from their various releases, persian rugs, top notch gear, blah blah blah. I got to hear what Toy was contributing and what is coming down the pipe is explosive. Visitante their producer, Ismael their drummer and Mark, the dread in the video who doubles his duty as guitarist in the video and the carpenter who’s been building the studio, are all hella cool peoples and you should definitely peep this new single Calma Pueblo which has been riling up the religious censors.

Yo soy el que quiere que coman, aunque no tengan hambre – Residente-Calle 13

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’m the one that wants you all to eat, even if you’re not hungry

I feel like with that line alone Rene’, better known as Residente, summarizes one of the most disenfranchising aspects about life on the island and the reason that his band is so popular. It’s what my friend Yari calls The 100×35 Mentality. There is a serious apathy plaguing the island when it comes to embracing change. New is completely disregarded until its cool and there are very few artists (or members of the general populace) that break norms there. C13 has consistently pushed the envelope. As do we..

Toy Selectah and I played together to a capacity crowd of 550 party people, on a monday night. The resident DJ has been building the night for 4 years and leans toward hip-hop and dancehall. I played about 45 minutes of dancehall cumbia mashups, crunk cumbia refixes, panamanian plena and hip hop in spanish. I’m happy to announce that it was received fairly well received by most of the audience, the bartenders and even by the resident DJ (*you’ll never kill a top 40 hip hop crowd with all new underground sounds, but do dare yourself to try).

The part of the audience that comes to dance liked it more than the guys that were there to drink and pose off but I’d definitely say it was the first time for almost anyone in the room to hear this stuff and something went right because I had alot of hits on FB the following day as a result.

At the end of the night, we had an honest conversation with the DJ about having built something that could change island. He could be the one to introduce a world of new latin sounds to the island, to which he replied… that’s really not my thing. And therein lies the problem on the island. They need more leaders like c13 to set trends and propel them forward. The people are getting tired of la misma mierda. The strike at the University of Puerto Rico en April was a perfect example that the people want things to be done differently. They are willing to stand up for change.  What they need is a movement, and in my next post I’ll tell you more about how I’m getting that ball rolling.

Dutty Artz is very pleased to announce the debut official release from Dominican underground superstar Rita Indiana.  For those unfamiliar with Rita’s vibe download her La Hora De Volver here, courtesy of Remezcla.  Perez Hilton is a fan saying:  ”Super caliente!  We are obsessed with it – and HER!!!!!!!”

Her Dutty Artz single features two songs.  One, called ‘No Ta Llevando El Diablo’ (translated as ‘The Devil is Taking Us Away’) is Rita backed by her band Los Misterios.  It’s an angry blast of punk mambo with Rita singing about grannies smoking crack over distorted guitars, guira and 808 boom added by Shadetek and Rupture.  The second track ‘Los Poderes’ is Rita solo over Shadetek and Rupture’s rework of a Bannana Clipz riddim (Bannana Clipz is Dutty Artz own Chief Boima and Bersa Discos Oro 11).  Over a mix of digital and live hand-drumming contributed by Ivory Nunez playing an interpretation of Dominican Palo over Bannana Clipz 4×4 beat Rita sings a haunting tropical voodoo ballad.

The release will be available July 6th in all fine digital retailers including iTunes, Juno, Amazon and Boomkat.  In the meantime, soak your eyes in these:

La Hora De Volver (official video):

Click here to view the embedded video.

El Blu del Ping Pong (scroll to 4:20):

Click here to view the embedded video.

THE PURE CAPITAL DANCE PARTY

WITH DJS
N-RON AND REAGANOMICS

COME FOR THE CASH AND STAY TO DANCE TO THE SOUNDS OF
BAILE FUNK + CUMBIA + BRASIL + BHANGRA + KUDURO + BASS + TREBLE + EVERYTHING ELSE IN-BETWEEN

FRIDAY MAY 21, 2010
11 PM ON AT B.EAST NYC
171 east bway
FREE

Here’s DJ N-RON’s  M-C-M1 Mixtape to get you hype for the free party. Head over to Spannered, where it was originally posted for download link, tracklist, + info.

& from Reaganomics SoundCloud page:

E boi by dj reaganomics

20 meninas remix by dj reaganomics

fuego puro by dj reaganomics

DOWNLOAD:

Los Rakas feat. Faviola : Abrazame (Uproot Andy Hold Yuh Remix)