ok folks, its dress up time...ive got my outfit figured out (look below)--if you see someone in a bird mask walkin around with no shirt, thats me!! holler....
all my good halloween themed music is on the laptop...since im posting from the desktop, this is all i could scrounge up...its an old smash up i did 5 years ago...ghostbusters v. hyphy v. j boogies "PPP"...it kinda works...play it out and you tell me...oh yeah, this came off an 80s themed smash up mix thing i did, so peep the Revenge of the Nerds drop at the end....!!
there was a time not too long ago, while living in a small one-bedroom apartment in north austin, i would, from time to time, push record and just grab records and start playing. my apt was full of vinyl--records occupied virtually every conceivable corner of the place--in the kitchen, on the couch, behind doors, in the closet, etc...it was both beautiful and pitiful at the same time...
so this mix is one from one of those nites...i called it 'yin' simply b/c thats what seemed appropriate at the time...i call it a 'mix' although i was just kind of playing records, so some of the blends are less than tight...some dreamy-jazz, pink floyd, electric prunes, gravediggaz, doors, beatnuts...and sun ra to kick it off
cant be too bad if sun ra is startin things off, huh?
just finished watching the first hour of Latin Music USA online...This one seems to really focus on the sounds coming out of Cuba and these Afro-Cuban rhythms that really influenced an entire generation of musicians--from jazz cats to latin rockers such as Santana on the west coast. it never occurred to me that groups such as the Beatles, the Stones and the Kingsmen were incorporating 'latin' sounds into their music...
anyhow, while watching this i thought of this movie---
Soy Cuba, made in the 60s by Russian film makers, is really an incredible piece of film making...some of the shots are quite unique, lasting for much longer than normal and moving through a variety of scenery (the pool scene in the beginning and the end shot that falls off the building are both remarkable)...
the movie follows the lives of several Cubanos--a young prostitute, a fruit vendor, a peasant, and a disenchanted college student--revealing how each is some sense exploited, seeking political/economic liberation through various avenues...a top-to-bottom perspective that is left-leaning, yet free of the preachiness so characteristic of such an approach...a fantastic film that comes highly recommended!!
so, back in june the whole digital switch left me sans-tv...just static these days. luckily, theres the interwebs, cuz i was feelin a bit pissed that i was missing this special on PBS on Latin music. so i got the chance to check out hour 2: the salsa revolution.
http://video.pbs.org/video/1293757593/
great interviews, unseen footage, all around exceptional work. Jerry Masucci comes off looking like some Leonard Chess exploiter of the brown and black youth of the Loisaida Nuyoricans...whatever the footage of the show at Yankee stadium, with the crowd surging on to the field, jumping on stage and confiscating instruments was pretty wild. the interview w Willie Colon sayin they sounded awful, Larry Harlow breakin down the piano, footage of Lavoe, Mongo...it was all too much...
As a historian, though, i would have liked to see the film makers tie in the African roots of Salsa and then connect the music to modern day hip hop artists who incorporate salsa rhythms into their productions--a sort of before and after if you will. i listen to salsa from a hiphop frame of mind, and i know im not alone. there are many others.
dj avatar--boricua bounce (loisaida rmx)
another thing, how bout some of the other fania subsidiaries...vaya, inca, etc...?? why no mention of them??
like i said, i'm an amateur historian with an interest in latin and modern day music, so i tend to view these things with a critical eye...forgive me.
so, at home the other nite and i toss an old bellydance cd from one of the nites i dj'ed for the Sabaya girls. my 10 yr old stepdaughter hears the music and comes in the room--midrift exposed--like some professional bellydancer who has been honing her craft for years. she literally wont stop dancing and keeps playing the same song over and over again.......take a listen.
i was getting a kick out of her, cuz usually shes not so thrilled with my obscure selections. however, shes now looking to sign up for beginner classes, so look out....heres another song i really dig...sorry i dont know the artists names here...
i love the music myself, obviously or i wouldnt have been playing it. it seems the arabic influence is slowly creeping into other genres--hiphop, dancehall, etc...American youth are spoonfed boy bands and sub-par musical acts, while radio kneels to the interests of the few and powerful...huge cultural barriers separate us from the music the rest of the world enjoys and experiences. there are attempts to keep us isolated from this music...keep radio dull, repetitive and utterly uninspiring...ok, u get the point......dig the music for now
In the course of putting this whole blog thing together, a number of questions jump to mind. Why? What for? How come? and the like....Well, its all about the music...so, with that said, I will not be posting entire albums for downloading...theres plenty other blogs that do that already...although I will post a song off an album, and if you like that song, I encourage you to go out and support the artists and musicians who make that music. So, who am I and what qualifications do I bring to the table?
good question. heres quick rundown...my first memories of music go back to my days as a child, waking up on Saturday mornings to the sounds of War, Sly and the family Stone, The Beatles, The Stones, Janis Joplin, Earth Wind and Fire, Santana, Malo, etc. My parents grew up in LA during the 60s, and their tastes in music reflected this fact. Where my dad loved rock, soul, blues, and funk, my mom preferred the Motown sound--The Supremes, Temptations, Marvin Gaye. Actually, my mom--prior to meeting my dad--dated a kid who used to work at a record shop off Whittier Blvd in East LA. She amassed a nice collection of 45s too, that now rest comfortably in my hands!! (I'll post on this in the future).
In the 80s, we left Cali and moved to El Paso, where my parents both found work at radio stations. I recall hanging out in the control room while the radio dj picked out records to play. Also, by working for radio stations, my parents used to get free tickets to the shows coming through town. I remember seeing Twisted Sister in 1983, Prince during the Purple Rain tour, ZZ Top the Eliminator Tour, Men at Work, Tina Turner, Phil Collins, and so many more. In 1988, we left El Paso, and came to Austin. My life as a DJ began in 2000. That year I inherited my grandfather's records. This cumbia record was one of his.
Cumbia Colombiana
Its a great record. I ended up using a sample from a different track off that same record for my 'Cumbia International' released this past summer.
Cumbia International--DJ Avatar
ok, so you get an idea of what to expect. I dont want to focus solely on one genre, when my interests are so much greater. I can easily write on some obscure hiphop 12" one day, then some Arabic artists the next, and Reggae, Bollywood, Afro-beat, Salsa, 80s, etc...dig the music.
Friday, October 16, 2009
heres a slice of some lovely soul jazz...i got lucky and found this record this past summer at a local shop. i didnt realize at the time that this record is pretty rare and goes for a bit of $$$...anyhow, enjoy!!
