Music, Beats, Prose
Okay. I really put my foot into this one!
I have a new addition to the Contraband remix series. At the request, I went back to do another Janet Jackson song. Yes, I can commissioned to do an underground remix!
This time I went at Throb originally from her 1995 album simple called Janet.
A download can be had by joining my Contraband journal.
I’ll be catching up with producing a video in the near future, as well as for Zaddy.
My latest is now exclusive on Traxsource!
This was originally supposed to be released last year but then Covid. Ya know.
It is a tribute to the monthly pre-Covid I co-hosted called Butter at Ottobar. Sadly, background conversations has us not returning there after Covid restrictions dwindle. Afropino and I are interested in a new place to host Butter and to build on the 2 year successful run we had.
In the meantime, jam out to this!
There is still time to catch it before it leaves the station!
Catch that 808 in more places here…
What a year it’s been. First there’s a pandemic. Then there’s a pandemic on steroids.
Life has been one rolling set of shut downs since. The number and the length of them has been as numerous as places on the globe.
Fast forward, many of us are looking at the return to some type of normalcy soon. We can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. In that look ahead, I have received several questions regarding the return of Butter.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we have a home at the moment.
However, while we look for a new home to emerge from this pandemic forced hibernation, I am releasing what was initially written to be a theme track for the party, titled Strictly Butter on my mGrooves Music label.
Along with the single, I have designed a graphic T. This shirt with its distinctive Baltimore and baseball look will be available in both classic t-shirt (unisex) style and a feminine cut.
Members of So So Fresh will have exclusive access and member only options at first, with the general access to follow after a short time.
Check back on the event page for the timing of each.
I know. I’ve been too quiet. For those who are interested, it’s a short-long story to be discussed another time.
However, some of it has been productive. North East Regional has been set for release on Jan 4th, 2021.
Associated with the release is a line of graphic t-shirts that I designed. These are available to members of the So So Fresh club at my mGrooves Music label website and social media channels.
There are 4 tracks on the North East Regional EP. I went down the rabbit hole into Tech House and Techno styles in this set of tunes.
For the design of the graphic for the gear, I altered a map of Amtrak’s north east regional route map with the name of the first track I was inspired to make super-imposed over top.
Take a look at the designs. Give the tunes a spin. Join So So Fresh at the level most comfortable for you! We are going to kick off 2021 with purpose!
It took me a while to get this done. I wanted to get it right and when the request was initially asked of me, I just couldn’t get it to come together in any significant way.
Yet, here it is!
I was asked back in June to do a Rhythm Nation remix for a Juneteenth event. I struggled with it.
To improve our way of life
Janet Jackson — Rhythm Nation
Join voices in protest
To social injustice
A generation full of courage
To be honest, it’s been difficult to frame the complex emotions I have regarding our current events that really have long roots and became mature way before todays crazy happenings. On top of all that, or rather underneath all of that, I am still smarting from my mom dying of a re-occurrence of cancer in 2016, followed in 2017 by my one-time finance Lauren passing away from health issues related to her on-again-off-again battle with alcohol.
My creativity has been operating in fits of starts and stops. I’m ready for that types of outcomes to cease.
For others who are classic INTJs like I am, this may seem counter-intuitive, but it’s time for me to put it all out there and just let it be. I am laughing because I’m sure this is cringe-worthy for other intuitive-introverts.
In my somewhat older age–older than what most think that I am–I am already past the point of trying to compare my life (and life/goal posts) to some linear or singular time line of what most think it should ‘look like‘. All of that stuff made up BS anyway, designed–borrowing a quote from the movie Fight Club–to have us “chasing…shit we don’t need“.
Yes, I would like to find a life partner to build together. So what my time line may not fit the classic one or the ones that follow like a predictable shallow movie plot. This doesn’t mean it’s too late, and it doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
Much like most of my life thus far, it just means that I won’t be forced to fit into anyone’s box.
A recent weekend was the second time this summer I had the honor of preparing a mix for The Audio Infusion show.
This late night (over night) show has been one of my favorite local music institutions. In a previous non-pandemic year, I have been actually in the studio for some on-air conversations. In some years, I have actually played live for the show.
Unlike the mix prepared for Audio Infusion earlier this summer, I decided to delve into some of my older tracks instead of recent releases.
Thank you Patrick Scientific for having me on again. It was a pleasure.
The 12 track mix submitted for broadcast included 3 of my own released on my imprint mGrooves Music and 1 underground unreleased remix of mine. Here is a listen to the 3 released on my record label.
About 3 years ago this month, I was in Bixby Park right at the the beach about the half way point between Alamitos Beach and Junipero Beach in Long Beach, CA.
And I mention this because one of my top tracks on Beatport was started while I was working in that sunshine.
This is the top three of my releases currently on Beatport!
This track was done in about 4 hours late on a Friday night. I was home alone (which is most of my Fridays to be honest), and I was fooling around on my decks.
This was the track mentioned at the top that was started on the very beach pictured in the header art. Much of the rest of it came together in what became one of my typical spots to hang out, Hot Java, which is just on the other side of the park.
My latest as it was just released in late Dec 2019, I was in a mood for lots of organ keys. It is also the most favorite on Beatport at the moment .
I am so stoked by this release as I will comment on in future posts. It also debuted on Traxsource at #64 on their House chart the week of Dec 30, 2019.
I’m starting 2020 early. Actually, I started 2020 weeks ago.
Here is my first release of the new year a few days early.
I originally wrote the prose in this track back in the summer of 2018 shortly after landing in LA. Thanks to a buddy of mine, I had the inspirational space to do some creative work while also looking after his place in Long Beach.
The music was subsequently written later that fall after returning to the east coast.
It went through a few test iterations, but basically has remained true to the original feeling.
Light and airy, Back In inspires the boldness to open to love again. It invites as does the warmth of the southern California sunshine from when the track was born.
Sketchings is a manifesto of creativity. It brings the organ and a soul clap to the dance party like a rousing performance by the choir on a Sunday morning.