Summer Soulstice

[image from thefashionist.se]

Summer is a soulfull time. Trade the sweaty denim for the comfort of white linen. Toss the sneakers and slip on a pair of retro Sperry Top-sider boat shoes. Mornings start with espresso (not terrible coffee!?). Days off are spent with friends patio-side, sipping a Pinot Grigio (or a Sauvignon Blanc for all you PG haters) and late-night dinners over a bottle of Riserva Ducale.

During these months I am heavily influenced by Italian casual-chic, so I want to share a perfectly playable summer mixtape by a DJ with an Italian name.

DJ Ferrari isn't Italian, and he has a pretty lame name, but he can sure mix funk and soul records.

DJ Ferrari - Summer Soulstice (2005)

I don't flirt ( I network ). This is the A Terrible Coffee mix.

Here is a mix for you. There is an R.Kelly Soca mix about networking, and there are a whack of guitar solos at the end.

Here is a direct mp3 link. Right Click and Save....
http://web.mac.com/julesandrebrown/Jules/Music/Entries/(null)_South_of_Seattle_files/Terrible%20Coffee.mp3

(link to a mix)

Jules Andre - Brown + Terrible Coffee

Hi! I'm Jules Andre-Brown. Thanks for reading. I've just started contributing to this blog - here's a cool mix I did with my pal Marcus in London last month. We did it at the infamous Glenarmy Headquarters in London. Not only is home to where the radioclit parties started - it's also the best BBQ place in hackney. Anyway -- I hope you like it.

--- MARKS AND SPENCER PRESENT ---
MARCUS AND JULES (webpage)

Direct MP3 (45 megbytes)

Jason Lev

How many DJs do you know who refuse to play mp3s? How many DJs do you know who grew up on the east coast during the birth of house, booty and techno, sneaking into places with fake id just to hear the music? How many DJs do you know who put so much of themself into the craft that they can't play more than once or twice a week? Meet Jason Lev.

I will spare you from the international DJ flyer banter: he owns an edit label... he first cut his teeth... been collecting vinyl for over 15 years... blah blah blah.

Jason Lev is seriously the shit. Check out these mixes he made, called Sound of Gold.

I admit it, when I first heard "Sound of Gold 3", the first of his mixes that he gave me, I was like... wtf, where's the bangers? Where's the fidget electro? Haven't you heard of Bmore?? Cmon man get with it!! ! Then after a couple of listens.. i GOT it... it's SOUL! The enjoyment of these mixes is not in the form of bangers, exclusives, "genre-trashing", or fancy mixing.. it's just the most beautiful disco, funk and soul records that ever existed, mixed live and mastered professionally. These CDs are about 15$ each, and rightfully so, but lucky for you I have permission to post the mp3s right here, so go crazy.

Also peep his new mix, Sound of the Universe, which features more modern soul music.

Jason Lev is playing TOMORROW NIGHT at Fabric (66 Water St. Vancouver) for his birthday, so come support and wish the man a happy birthday! here's the facebook event page. He also is at the Shine back room every friday (364 Water Street).

new post - Foolish Felix mix

I've been getting ready to gear up for the new, multi-contributor blog. In the meantime I will share one of my favorite mixes.. if you have an hour to spare. First of all.. a few years ago my dad bought me a "how to dj" book for my birthday (F off.. i learned a thing or two.. so what) its actually the best book ever for that because the authors are the real deal.. they wrote the "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life" book, which is the definitive DJ history book, so they know what they're talking about. Anyway they have a website and they post mystery mixes up every month. This particular one struck a chord with me because it's one of those spacey disco mixes -- which is awesome -- but get this.. its not boring! It really is a varied mix that takes you on a crazy journey.. you won't know any of the songs but you won't even care. This is one of those mixes that is easily greater than the sum of its parts. It's pretty out there, but give it a go.

Turns out his name is Felix Dickenson. Here's his myspace:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=165964138

and here's that mix i was talking about:
http://cynicrecords.co.uk/mp3s/Foolish%20Felix%20on%20DJ%20History.MP3

Thugged Out! #1

So I was working on a big complicated Ableton mix but I realized I don't really have the production skills to pull off what I wanted.. and then I thought, why spend all that time on a dumb DJ mix anyway? Why aren't I working on a frickin album or something??

I will finish it eventually, but for right now I decided to start posting live mixes on a frequent basis. So here is the debut of a series called Thugged Out!. It's just going to be a semi-casual half hour selection of new/old groovy songs that I'm feeling.

Thugged Out! #1

Radioclit - You Like? You Buy!
Fancy - Inside of you
Thieves Like Us - Drugs in my body
Gichy Dan - Cowboys and Gangsters
Say Wut - Go
MIA - Paper Planes (DJ Sega remix)
Blaqstarr - Tote it
Dre Skull - I Want You Back
Kissy Sell Out - Keanu Reeves
Trans-X - Living on Video
Timbaland - Miscommunication (Bloody Beetroots remix)
Fred Wesley and the Horny Horns -Discositdown
Steve Poindexter - Work that Motha Fucker
Zongamin - Bongo Song (Jackos remix)
Bobmo - To The Bobmobile
King Tutt - We Are the Music Future
Curtis Vodka - Mary Jane 2006

The Greatest Mix Ever

Way back when, in like grade 7/8 when i first started getting into dance music, I bought "On The Floor at the Boutique - Mixed by Fatboy Slim", back when I didn't even know what it meant for someone to "mix" something. The first couple times I listened to it, it was okay, i was a bit confused since it didn't really sound like his albums, but about the 4th time i listened to it, i was hooked. I've probably listened to it about 500 times since then, just doing my homework or whatever in my room with my headphones on. Every 50 times or so, I notice new elements or techniques that never occurred to me. The way Norman mixes oldschool breaks, bigbeat and acid house is pure genius. He selects the tracks in such a way that the sound of this mix is a unique sound of its own. I look for acid house gems or rave compilations, downloading stuff by the same artists as on the tracklisting, but nothing would ever replicate the sound of this mix. The strength of the mix is that powerful. It sounds like a genre of its own. It's just Fatboy Slim's "On The Floor at the Boutique". Here's a high quality, straight-from-the-cd rip, in one track. Enjoy.

Fatboy Slim - On the Floor at the Boutique

Tracks

"Apache" by Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band – 2:46
"Discositdown" by Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns – 3:34
"Deaf Mick's Throwdown" by Clockwork Voodoo Freaks – 2:04
"Because I Got It Like That" (ultimatum Mix) by Jungle Brothers – 3:10
"Vol 1 Side 2 Track 2" by Bassbin Twins – 2:31
"That Green Jesus" by Mr Natural – 4:31
"The World's Made Up of This & That" (Fatboy Slim Mix) by Deeds Plus Thoughts – 3:29
"Michael Jackson" by Fatboy Slim – 4:38
"Phun-Ky" by DJ Tonka – 4:45
"Forget It" by Cut & Paste – 3:05
"Everybody in the House" by Buzzthrill – 3:01
"Can You Feel It?" by CLS – 4:03
"Acid Enlightenment" by Aldo Bender – 2:27
"I'm a Disco Dancer" by Christopher Just – 2:29
"Psychopath" by Hardknox – 4:14
"Break In" by Cirrus – 3:28
"Give Me My Auger Back" by Psychedeliasmith – 4:21
"Post Punk Progression" by Cut La Roc – 2:20
"The Rockafeller Skank" by Fatboy Slim – 6:05

I also made an edit out of CLS's "Can You Feel It" (or is it Todd Terry?), imitating the way it's done in this mix. I just extended the intro and applied a dynamic EQ effect, so it sounds like it bubbles from below for a while and then slams into the full-on synths. DJs, let this play underneath a beat for 16 bars and then just slam it in. I think you won't be let down.

CLS - Can You Feel it (edit)

fidgit fun (new mix)

This is a 30 min quickie I did this morning. Enjoy! Features plenty of bloggy fidgit (wtf does that mean anyway) music like crookers and herve and obviously the obligatory daft punk track, duh!

DJ B - FIDGET FUN