For the Yout' Dem

Traygod-For the Yout' Dem (produced by Avatar)
Traygod-For the Yout' Dem produced by Avatar by dj avatar

Psychedelic Tejano--Latin Breed

~these guys put out several albums on Manny Guerra's GCP label out of San Antonio, Tx...I havent heard all of em, but this one seems to be the one thats in demand. The stand out cuts are 'Maranatha,'where the band lets the funk roots fly; some groovy basslines, and a few open breaks make it a staple in the Funk crates.

A couple other tracks are of interest here as well, to me at least. "It Keeps You Runnin' is the sleeper joint--a soulful, laidback track with a long intro for seamless blending. A lil somethin different for the early set. Also check out "Cuando de Canses de Llorar,' which is perhaps the most experimental track off the album--it starts off with some psych-ish grooves then jumps into a more traditional polka groove--midway through the song, though, the bass guitarist drops a jazz riff, then cuts back to the beat

~these are high quality wav files, not mp3s!!
Maranatha
It Keeps You Runnin

hiphop record nerdery--dork out

my fellow hiphop 12" completionists will surely understand--been on the hunt for this one for a loooonng minute and its finally found its way into my hands--perhaps the only copy that is not in Japan...ok, time to crack a beer and reminisce to summer of '94



this was/still is my shit


this cd didnt leave the deck in the jeep for months...classique!!


another banger...damn i miss hiphop


no intro necessary


haha...this album was/still is legendary...another one that was in heavy rotation


and this track here...so slept on!! that horn is so sick...

R.I.P. Wille Mitchell

~one of the greatest producers in the history of Soul music--the man had a hand in so many hits and had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented musicians to ever grace this great earth of ours...your work is testament to your genius...RIP Wille Mitchell

~just one example of Willie Mitchell's place in hiphop...

A New Year~A New Look

~ended up djing a New Years Eve gig after all...the dj booth at the spot has a poster of Selena hanging up on the wall; the place used to be a Tejano bar and the new owners havent bothered to take it down...I kinda dig it. Damn she wouldve been huge--so beautiful and talented...such a tragedy...RIP Selena


...the nite was fun and people kept dancing---a few annoying drunks talmbout "whats your favorite song ever?" (fyi: most djs are busy tryin to work and have little time to answer such questions--please save them for later)... The highlight for me was at the end of the nite dropping all my favorite reggae selections...the drunks were too drunk to care or notice and all the real heads were feelin the irie vibes....



-not really a roots/reggae riddim...but fiyah nonetheless





Sabbo-Far To Go Feat.Little X by Sabbo

2009~The End of the Year...

but the road continues on......2009 in the rearview mirror....2010!!...so, as those who know me well might tell you, Im something of a bibliophile, a reader if you will...cue Bill Hicks bit..."Looks like we got ourselves a reader." So, I thought I'd post some of the books I read this year along with some music to accompany each book..sounds exciting, huh?






~Jeff Chang's "Cant Stop Wont Stop" is the book every hiphop historian wishes he couldve written. I mined this book for source material while writing my own short piece on hiphop and found Chang to be my guiding light through the rough and tumble boroughs of New York City. Chang, along with Robin D.G. Kelley, stands as the archivist and interpreter for the embattled hiphop nation.

B-Boys-Rock the House






~Aliester Crowley, the Great Beast, was a truly unique individual who engaged in all sorts of strange occultist activity. He was into yoga and the Kabbalah way before Madonna made such things en vogue...I first heard of Crowley over 10 years ago; I tracked down a book of his (Magick Without Tears, I believe) and found it utterly incomprehensible...this biography by Martin Booth entertains and informs...perhaps I'll revisit Crowley's work this year if time permits....

Mos Def-Supermagic





~A number of years ago, I was afforded the pleasure of meeting Dagoberto. We sat at the same dinner table at the wedding of a mutual friend. I knew he was a writer, but had yet to read any of his work...too bad b/c, as it turns out, he writes about the same three cities Ive called home---Los Angeles, El Paso and Austin. For me, reading Dagoberto is like reading a letter written by some not-too-distant relative. His English/Spanish word use and his subject matter seem ever-so familiar. I almost expected him to write at some point about Chicos Tacos in El Paso, or El Tepeyac in E. L.A. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from Dagoberto this coming year.

Grupo Fantasma-Cumbia del Coyote






"If He Hollers Let Him Go" by Chester Himes may very well be one of the great pieces of African-American literary art in America...Whereas Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and others appear in highschool textbooks, Himes gets left out for some reason (interracial sex)...whatever, I ran through this book in a few days, hungry for more from the mind of Himes. His books can be tough to find (at least where i shop), so if ya find one grab it.

Jay Electronica--Exhibit C (one of the best hiphop tracks of the year)






Rick Strassman's "DMT: The Spirit Molecule" found me; I was in the bookstore looking about, and there it was. I bought it, obviously, and devoured it (not literally-but you knew that). Strassman is a researcher at some university in New Mexico who began performing experiments with volunteers who he would give DMT to. The volunteers would undergo incredible experiences, many of them claiming that they felt as if they had died and left their body for good. The DMT users returned to their bodies safely, telling of strange realms filled with amazing colors, shapes, patterns, music, machines, and the tale of an occasional alien presence. Cool.

DJ Avatar--DreamingofMyToad

Buyin Old Records is a Habit....

but if I cant afford to pay, I'll just bag it...(not really though)...



~just came up on this one here...(mp3s to come--hold tight)...........found another great cumbia track on another record, gonna chop it up and turn it into some nasty tropical-krunk-goodness real soon like.......


~La Kabala---latin psychedelic soul out of Mexico, i believe...late 60's/ early 70s era stuff...real groovy and funky tunes...plus the covers something else.......check the link below for a taste of La Kabala.........

La Kabala--El Cumbanchero

~whoa....