The homie and fellow DJ / producer, DJ (Omar) Morsy, recently had his DJ equipment stolen. As a result, his friends are putting together a benefit to help raise some dough to help him regain the tools that allow him to make his living. If you’re in NYC, it would be great to see you out at the benefit. Help out the homie – break off some bread, offer some used equipment or hook-ups. There will be DJs, live performances and OPEN BAR.

If you can’t make it out and are interested in making a donation, Morsy is offering digital downloads in exchange for your contribution. Hit him up at nanachill@nanachill.com. Anything is appreciated!

Thank you for your efforts. Please spread the word!

For those of y’all in New York this week, I can’t recommend this event enough.

Writer and human rights activist Austin Dacey has put together this amazing event showcasing the musical talents of HAROON BACHA,
a Pashto singer who fled censorship and persecution from the Taliban and has made a new home for himself here in New York. Haroon will be performing this Wednesday at one of my favorite venues, littlefield in Gowanus, Brooklyn, as a prelude to Human Rights Day. Here’s the info:

Music is a Human Right: A performance by Haroon Bach
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2009 @ 8pm | $10

Presented by Austin Dacey and co-sponsored by FREEMUSE: The World Forum on Music Censorship and the Center for Inquiry

@ littlefield
622 Degraw St.
Brooklyn, NY

A celebration of Human Rights Day featuring Haroon Bacha: The singer the Taliban tried to silence

Haroon Bacha is one of Pakistan’s most celebrated Pashto singers. Because of his music’s messages of tolerance and pluralism, he became a prime target of the Taliban’s deadly campaign against music. In 2008, he was forced to flee the country, leaving behind his family, and seek asylum in New York City. Determined to continue making music, Haroon has recorded a new album and begun working with Radio Liberty in Washington, D.C., where he hosts cultural and musical programs with the Pashto service.

This will be Haroon‘s first concert for the general public in New York, and he will be accompanied by master musicians Mohammad Essa on the tabla and Pervez Sakhi playing the rabab.

You can get more info from the facebook event page. Tickets are available on Ticketfly or via the littlefield website.

For more on Haroon, check out his interview with Austin:
¬ On the Taliban’s Hit List: An Exiled Pakistani Singer’s Plea to Save Music

And here’s a write up on Haroon from the New York Times last year:
¬ U.S. Refuge for Singer Fleeing the Taliban

** UPDATE **

Here’s an interview SLF‘s Ezra Gale did with Austin Dacey recently, discussing music censorship, Haroon Bacha, and the upcoming The Impossible Music Sessions.
¬ Music as a Human Right, and a Weapon: an interview with Austin Dacey

Sad news today. Philly guitarist and wild man Jack Rose passed away yesterday morning of a heart attack leaving a massive emptiness in guitar playing and in music generally. He departed this reality far too early and he’ll be sorely missed. Memorials and stories have quickly piled up on the ‘net and it seems appropriate to show some love for his music. Below are some links to other folks posts about Jack. Bourbon drinkers raise one up to this guy – he liked the corn mash libations. There’s already a few empties ’round these parts…

Arthur Magazine’s memorial
Logo’s Books and Records post
Spinner.com article
Philly’s Citypaper with a nice collection of links

JACK ROSE – EXCERPT FROM “ARTHURFEST” from Lance Bangs on Vimeo.

Thoughts go out to his wife, Laurie, and his family and friends. Thanks to all the fellow bloggers who’ve made an effort to remember.

This really breaks my heart. I don’t even know where to begin describing how influential Domu‘s music has been to me over the past seven years or so. (For those who don’t know who Domu is, you can read his bio at the end of this post.)

Domu posted a goodbye letter on his TrebleO blog earlier today, letting the world know that he’s walking away from the music world:

It’s over. I can’t go into the personal reasons, but of course will leave you some explanation as to how I got here. It feels a bit like walking away from a life of crime or the Mafia. I am Carlito, I have finally made the break from the old dangerous way of making a living. I just hope Benny from the Bronx doesn’t shoot me as I am boarding the last train out of here. The point is that I am no longer Domu. He is a character, always has been, and as of Friday 13th November 2009, he no longer exists. Neither does Umod, Sonar Circle, Bakura, Yotoko, Rima, Zoltar, Blue Monkeys, Realside or any of the other names I put out music under. I am cancelling all my gigs and not taking any more. My hotmail is closed, my Twitter is closed and my Facebook is closed. If any of you want to talk to me and know me well enough to have my mobile number then that is still the same, and please feel free to call any time. My other email address I mail from occasionally is still open to tie up any loose ends.

I had started to change, for the worse I am now sure. My confusion was growing, my insecurity and bitterness getting out of hand, a lack of creative direction and focus were leading me somewhere very dark. I have felt so depressed by all of this. Believe me I have searched my soul long and hard this year to find the reasons again why I do this, but I can’t locate them. Too much of ‘me’ is mixed up into all of this, and no one should ever give so much of himself or herself to a job. I once believed in all of it, that I made and played music for a certain type of person, for people who didn’t want to adhere to the ‘normal’ way of life, the free thinker, the independent or open minded type who was bored of the genres, the staples, the blueprints or the formulae. The underground. But I just don’t truly believe I am needed in this battle anymore. It has been passed down to another generation, who are doing it their way, and I have no desire to try and edge in and start proclaiming to be fighting a fight that is no longer mine. I am a 31-year-old man. I can’t claim to be holding a torch up to something that meant so much to me at 15. At 21, maybe. But now, after ten years going full time, I think I have said all I had to say. My creative light has dimmed. Maybe because I started so early, who can tell? But I feel satisfied that this is it.

Seriously, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go to the site and read the whole thing. It’s one of the most honest and heartfelt things I’ve read in a long time:
¬ The full post on the TrebleO site

(In case Domu’s post or his site has been taken down by the time you read these words, I’ve copied the full text at the end of this post, so drop down there and give it a good read.)

I’m pretty devastated by this.

I was so geeked when I got to see Domu spin at a loft party here in New York last month. It was my first time getting to see him spin live, and that meant a lot to me because when I was first getting into Broken Beat, Domu was the first producer who’s music I really latched onto. His beats absolutely blew my mind.

Broken Beat entered my life back in early 2002 while I was watching videos at my cousin Daryl’s apartment in Arnhem, where I was living at the time. MTV Europe played a video by Vikter Duplaix called “Sensuality”. It changed my life.

I made it back to the States later that year and went on a mission to find any and everything Broken Beat-related to play. One of my earliest Broken Beat record purchases was a Jazzanova 12″ for “Soon” that featured one of Domu’s remixes (coincidentally, with Vikter Duplaix on vocals).

I bought his Up and Down LP around the same time, and soon after, I was buying pretty much any record I could find with Domu‘s name (or any of his many aliases) on it. I’m listening to a lot of those tunes as I piece together this post, and his work still inspires and affects me tremendously.

One of my all-time favorite Domu tracks is a remix he did for Sequel’s “Upsolid” that I put in a mix a while back. Here’s a snippet taken from my mix:

[audio:http://www.buhbomp.com/audio/misc/upsolid.mp3|titles=Sequel – Upsolid (Domu’s Liquidification Mix)]

I have always felt that dude’s music was ahead of its time, whatever that might actually mean. I don’t know. I just get this sense that years from now, folks will discover his music and be blown away by it’s brilliance and marvel at how, in the grand scheme of things, his work had managed to stay under the radar when the quality shined so brightly. That fate is not unique to Domu by any means, but I can totally see how the reality of that can affect an artist to the point that leads us to his post today.

My friend Aser, who sent me the email that brought my attention to Domu‘s post, had this to say about it:

I have eerily similar feelings about a lot of things in life right now. I can totally see where he’s coming from, and the place he’s at. We’re the same age, and I feel a lot of us are struggling for answers like he is right now. I hope we all find them eventually, one way or another….

Amen.

Pete Philly (a fellow Arubian and the MC half of Pete Philly and Perquisite) had some poignant things to say about Domu’s decision on Twitter earlier today:

That Domu piece, really made me sad. As an artist we ask ourselves the question daily. “Why am I doing this?”

Current technology gives freedom to the consumer. But great independent artist like Domu are continuing to bite the dust.

The insanity it takes to keep up with this shit, must be unfathomable to outsiders.

I understand what he’s talking about when he says, so many people are giving a go at this music thing..

..it feels like a crowd where everybody is screaming and all you can do is try and scream louder..

The internet dogmatists don’t like it when artist complain about this and neither do I, but..

..seeing someone like Domu, who has created so much goodness. Having to call it quits at only 31 scares the shit out of me to be honest.

I’m successful and have been for a couple of years now. But no matter how succesful you are that voice never goes away..

Trying to let the reality you’re presenting be somehow profitable while staying creatively satisfied..

.. Is something I have managed to do, but saying it was without losing relationships, my mind, my health even.. Forget it..

In the comments to Domu’s post, someone posted Domu’s When I’m Feeling Down mix, and I thought I’d relay it here, since it’s pretty damn apropos. (Also, I have to give props to any mix that has a song by my man Kay of The Foundation aka Slow Boogie on it.) Big shout out to Scott at Back and Forth for sharing this:

[audio:http://www.back-and-forth.net/audio/Domu%20:%20When%20I’m%20Feeling%20Down.mp3|titles=Domu – When I’m Feeling Down]
¬ DOWNLOAD IT HERE

I also found this post just now while searching around the internet:

No matter what anybody says, in my opinion, what he wrote in that post and many other posts in the past, shows courage and honesty, two features that are rare to find not only in the music industry but in people in general.

Orsii‘s full response to Domu‘s post is a good read. I recommend you check out the whole thing.

I’m sure more people will chime in, and I think it’s important in the spirit of Domu‘s artistic struggle to spread as many of those words as possible so that his influence and legacy thus far can fill the void his retirement will leave in the greater musical landscape.

I wish Domu the best, and I thank him dearly for all the music he has made that has touched me and so many others. I, as well as many of his fans, hope that this retirement is short-lived, but ultimately, after giving us so much, I just want him to find whatever happiness he can in life, with or without music. He deserves that.

Here’s the full post, for archival purposes, since the TrebleO site’s days are obviously numbered now:

The End

It’s over. I can’t go into the personal reasons, but of course will leave you some explanation as to how I got here. It feels a bit like walking away from a life of crime or the Mafia. I am Carlito, I have finally made the break from the old dangerous way of making a living. I just hope Benny from the Bronx doesn’t shoot me as I am boarding the last train out of here. The point is that I am no longer Domu. He is a character, always has been, and as of Friday 13th November 2009, he no longer exists. Neither does Umod, Sonar Circle, Bakura, Yotoko, Rima, Zoltar, Blue Monkeys, Realside or any of the other names I put out music under. I am cancelling all my gigs and not taking any more. My hotmail is closed, my Twitter is closed and my Facebook is closed. If any of you want to talk to me and know me well enough to have my mobile number then that is still the same, and please feel free to call any time. My other email address I mail from occasionally is still open to tie up any loose ends.

I had started to change, for the worse I am now sure. My confusion was growing, my insecurity and bitterness getting out of hand, a lack of creative direction and focus were leading me somewhere very dark. I have felt so depressed by all of this. Believe me I have searched my soul long and hard this year to find the reasons again why I do this, but I can’t locate them. Too much of ‘me’ is mixed up into all of this, and no one should ever give so much of himself or herself to a job. I once believed in all of it, that I made and played music for a certain type of person, for people who didn’t want to adhere to the ‘normal’ way of life, the free thinker, the independent or open minded type who was bored of the genres, the staples, the blueprints or the formulae. The underground. But I just don’t truly believe I am needed in this battle anymore. It has been passed down to another generation, who are doing it their way, and I have no desire to try and edge in and start proclaiming to be fighting a fight that is no longer mine. I am a 31-year-old man. I can’t claim to be holding a torch up to something that meant so much to me at 15. At 21, maybe. But now, after ten years going full time, I think I have said all I had to say. My creative light has dimmed. Maybe because I started so early, who can tell? But I feel satisfied that this is it.

I have had an amazing time. I’ve travelled the world, drank and partied and made a decent living out of entertaining people throughout all of my 20’s. I met some incredible people in cities I never dreamed I would visit, shared my thoughts and collected wisdom from a huge range of deeply profound and lovely people. But I have also met some real arseholes, and I could feel I was becoming one. Playing records I wasn’t sure I liked to people who had no idea who I was. I had gone cold, cold to the music, to the reactions and to the point of it all. I was changing what I thought I liked, so that I would be liked. I am not a chameleon. I am not Madonna, I can’t stay abreast of the current styles and keep changing with it just to stay in fashion or retain some kind of credible status or career. I have had my moment. If you know me well, you would have sensed a change in me over the last two years. I have always suffered with problems of confidence, but I know that’s not why I am throwing in the towel. I feel like I have to change so much of what I think is ‘me’ to carry on. What I believe in, how to talk to people, how to behave. I just don’t think I can be so arrogant and harsh to stand out anymore. There is so much noise out there that people have to shout louder and louder to be heard. And for what? I am beating myself up over something I no longer believe in for an income that is stressfully patchy and more often than not, very low.

I used to say I owed it to ‘the fight’ to keep going. My belief in that has waned over the last few years too. Yes we needed Coltrane to go against the grain, to sacrifice his well-being and life to create beautiful art. We needed all of them, creative and unique beings burning brightly in our souls, our influences and idols that created the music and the movements that can provide us with sanity, sanctuary and meaning through our confusing lives. But music has lost some of it’s meaning to me as a medium. It’s everywhere; everyone is making it, playing it, giving it away, and trying to make a living. So many people have a voice in it now it is hard to pick out what is cutting edge from what I actually truly feel. I have gotten numb to my life’s biggest passion, and I need to leave it for a while to see if I can ever get it back to how it was.

Some have attributed meaning and understanding to my some of my work. I know it is special to some people, and my message was understood by a few, which I am very grateful to have come to know over the years. I was lucky enough to catch a ride in it for a while, was recognised by some very special and talented people and I earned the respect of my peers and achieved a hell of a lot in a short space of time. There have been huge highs whilst playing music to all sorts of crowds, creating an atmosphere and being in control. I have felt the joy and adrenaline rush of the success, alongside the emptiness and despair of the empty club or the unresponsive floor. Now I recognise I have done all that, I need to put it all behind me and move on, and the only way to do that is to disappear. It has to end sometime, and as I keep saying, everything is finite. I don’t want to lose everything else in my life for this. I just don’t believe in it enough to make that sacrifice. The kids are fighting the battle now. I hope I influenced some of them, I know I have, and that gives me a sense of ease doing this. I haven’t wasted 10 years, I know I have bought joy and hope to many of the disenfranchised, the open-minded, the musical outsider or the devoted dancer. There are people creating things and using technology in a way that I am having to try and catch up to, but I no longer feel the desire to. They are doing it better than I ever could now. It’s their time, and mine has passed. You can either think I am being incredibly brave by admitting it or incredibly weak and stupid for stopping. But it’s just how I feel. I was going wrong in many aspects of my life, and I need to start making a change. I have no idea how long this piece will stay up, but this site won’t be here forever. Please feel free to copy and paste and pass on to preserve it, to let others know why I left, assuming anyone cares.

I have tears in my eyes now. I have so many people to thank for all the personal and professional support they have given me over the years, but I shall do that personally in time. But I want to thank everyone who has bought a song, paid an entrance fee, had a dance or just come up and spoke to me about life, music, the world or whatever. You have given me a dream-like blessed existence for many years. If I have inspired anyone, then I am a happy man. You all have certainly inspired me, and I want to use those years of travelling and sharing to good effect, not this anger and confusion I feel towards it all now. I need to find meaning to the next phase of my life. So I bid you all farewell. I am just too sensitive to keep up the façade of something that doesn’t feel right. I knew it would come someday, maybe some of you that knew me saw it too. I have so much love and respect for my peers and teachers that are carrying on with the struggle, and want the next generation to achieve the best they can for themselves and their art. I am just not a lifer. I’ve traded up, and I’m out.

I’ll leave you all with this. Life isn’t the X-Factor. No one has a God given right to his or her dream or ambitions coming true. I have worked hard and had some great luck. I followed some opportunities, squandered others. I have no regrets, other than not stopping when I knew I should have done this time last year. The only thing you have to guide you through your life is your instinct. Sometimes the right decision isn’t the easiest, but between your conscience and your intuition you will find the answer. Please listen to it. It’s you.

And here’s a little background info on Domu, taken from the bio on his site:

Domu Biography

Dominic Stanton is the real name behind many of dance music’s most mysterious pseudonyms: First there is Sonar Circle, avant garde Drum and Bass outfit signed to the legendary Reinforced Records. Then Domu, his main guise, designed to further the explorations of the syncopated rhythm, remixing and appearing on many labels such as 2000Black, Archive, Ninja Tune, Sonar Kollektiv, Compost, Rush Hour, Especial, Bitasweet, Schtum among others. Umod, the backwards glitchy Hip – Hop kid, all nerdy and introverted, has had one album and a few remixes on Sonar Kollektiv, Jazzanova’s imprint. Then the collaborations: Bakura with Robert Marin on Especial Records Japan, a boogie – Brazilian fusion, culminating with the Reach The Sky, their first LP released 2005. Alongside Archive and Neroli head honcho Volcov, Rima – with an album that dropped on Compost Records in 2003, with much sought after artwork by Dutch uber-cool designer Delta. And Finally, Yotoko, the experimental Techno outfit, formed with web designer and long time friend, Shiftee a.k.a Dave Farlom. The Dutch label Delsin was home to the LP “Wet Ink” from 2004.

The follow up to Domu’s 2001 LP “Up and Down” was released in December 2005. “Return of the Rogue” is a step further into the depths of drum, synth and vocal explorations. Remixing is also continuing nicely, with reworks for Tortured Soul, 24 Carat and Nathan Haines coming soon.

New for 2009

Domu is putting together a compilation of his remixes, rarities and b-sides for Brighton’s Tru Thoughts label. Expect a 12” before the summer and the CD in Autumn 2009. Work has started on the 3rd Domu LP, and the second Bakura and Umod LPs are well into production, all of which should all be completed this year.

Treble O…the mp3 based label Domu is running…watch the website for links to releases from NS2, Yannah Valdevit and Ben Mi Duck this year. The Compilation HERE COMES TREBLE was released on 28th April 2008, distributed by Kudos. Check www.trebleo.co.uk for more info!

Domu has also regularly featured on BBC’s 1Xtra hosting the Xtra Talent show from January 08 to March 08, covering Benji B’s Deviation show on numerous occasions. For more information & show archives pls visit: www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra

Domu has also been DJ’ing since 1998 touring worldwide in Japan, Australia, Russia, USA throughout Europe and most of Scandinavia playing on the international circuit. Among these have been tours and one offs with many of his musical heroes and contemporise: 4Hero, Bugz in the Attic, Jazzanova, I G Culture, Phil Asher, Rainer Truby, Chateux Flight, Kaidi Tatham, Gilles Peterson, Theo Parrish, Photek, Patrick Forge, Kyoto Jazz Massive, Jazztronik, DJ Sunshine, Raw Fusion (Mad Mats), Nu-Spirit Helsinki, Swell Session, Titonton, John Tejada, A Few Among Others, Ayro, Eddy meets Yannah, Rednose Distrikt the list goes on. Domu is also resident at the world renowned 8yr old GPWW award winning CO-OP club night in London, Miami & Worldwide.

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending one of the most remarkable sound system events I have ever seen: the legendary King Stur Gav Sound live and direct at Club Amazura in Jamaica, Queens.

My friend (and fellow SLF member) Q Mastah managed to get a press pass for the event and did a little write-up/photo essay on how the night went down that I wanted to share with y’all. Here’s an excerpt:

Irish and Chin have been notorious for staging mega productions worldwide, the most legendary being their prestigious World Clash series held in New York, London, Jamaica and Antigua. With “Reewind: past meets the present”, their concept was to combine a vintage rub a dub show headlined by the legendary King Sturgav Hifi with the star power of popular contemporary artists such as Capleton, Luciano and Beenie Man. The bill also advertised U-Roy, Brigadier Jerry, Charlie Chaplin, General Trees (all of whom were affiliated with the sound in its heyday) and Mighty Crown Sound who was entrusted with the task of warming up the audience. With such a stellar lineup, this was undoubtedly the most anticipated dancehall event of the year and it was clear that it was going to be a memorable night. …

To read the rest, you can check out the full recap on the Sound Liberation blog, including some of Q‘s dope photos from the night, and healthy bit of historical context.

For reference, here’s the flier for the event:

We love Rakim. Rakim has provided us with many hours of entertainment and prolly paid a few bills for the dj’s amongst us. Nothing but love for the cat who said suburbanites can rap aka It ain’t where you from (Long Island) but where ya at!

So when Nas did his “Unauthorized Biography,” we were feeling it:

*Shout to Shaun Boothe, who has a nice little series … hope he don’t get Mad Skillz‘d though*

But it don’t seem like the R is too happy with it:

BBB…BBBBUT wait it gets worse.

*hits rewind on tape*

What did Rakim say about it back in 2006?

MTV: Rakim, Nas paid you the ultimate compliment in 2004 by recording “U.B.R. (Unauthorized Biography of Rakim)” [on Street’s Disciple]. What was it like when you heard that song breaking down your whole life?

Rakim: That kind of puts things in perspective. You got this far and somebody that you respect, somebody that’s on a high plateau, took time and showed you love. And to hear a lot of it, I was like, “Where did he get that from? How did he know that?” He does put things in perspective, man. He kind of opened my eyes, like, “OK, people’s watching. People really know about Rakim.” It kind of let me know where I was in the world.

Nas: Thanks, man. I always wanted to know how you felt about that, ’cause if somebody made a song talking about me and stuff like that, I wouldn’t know how to react. I just had to make a song about Ra ’cause if we in there making songs in the studio, let’s make songs about things that are important. The dude is important right now, so I made a song about how he inspired [people] a great deal. I used to look at Ra like, “This dude’s an alien. He’s an alien. He’s not from here.”

*pours out some more decaf for another fallen hero*
**shout out to them boys @ The Lesson**

I went see one of my favorite producers, Domu, at the Raw Fusion Loft Party this past weekend, and had the good fortune of running into Ernesto Vigo and Probe dms, the Harlemite bruk gurus who hosted the brilliant Elevations Harlem broken beat radio show on WHCR in Harlem when I first got to New York.

That show went off the air a while back, and it has been sorely missed. The last time I saw Ernesto, he assured me that they had something special and new in the works, and that, despite taking a hiatus to attend to life, love and happiness, he and Probe were definitely still putting in work for New York’s broken beat scene.

So, when I saw them at the Domu party, I was ecstatic to get my paws on handbills promoting a party to celebrate the rebirth of Elevations.

If you didn’t get the chance to check out the original Elevations when it was on FM radio, you missed out on some serious heat. Ernesto and Probe, both deep and focused with their music knowledge, always had the latest and greatest bruk tunes on rotation. With their deep connections to artists across the pond and in the boroughs, they carried the torch in New York for the forward-focused, progressive, and soulful sounds of the broken beat scene.

And now, they’re back. I’m geeked. They’ve teamed up with Brett from Boundless to raise Elevations from the dead, launching a new website, elevationsradio.com, and a weekly podcast. They unleashed the first episode last week. You can check it here:

[audio:http://www.dmscountry.com/elevationspodcasts/elepodcast1.mp3|titles=Elevations Radio Excursion 001]

¬ DOWNLOAD IT FROM ELEVATIONSRADIO.COM

As usual, it’s a mix of classic and new bruk tunes with a bunch of exclusive and unreleased gems, including a dope new cut called “Ghost” from Probe’s upcoming album Life is a Movie.

Here’s the playlist:

1. These Things Will Pass – Kaidi Tatham (Freedom School)
2. Believe In Something feat. Heidi Vogel – Grey Matter (Unique Uncut)
3. **M.J. Tribute: Do You Remember The Time (Aroop Roy’s Brukup) – Harry Coade vs. Michael Jackson (CDR)
4. Jump Up feat. Lindah E and Koder- Jason Eli (Groovadelica)
5. More Ways Than One – Altered Natives (Eye 4 Eye)
6. Lose It – 2000Black (Third Ear)
7. Calling Out (Maddslinky Remix) – Mr. J (Askew Recordings)
8. Ghost – Probe dms (DMS CDR)
9. Untitled – Arch Typ (CDR)
10. Hope – Fujimoto Tetsuro (Unique Uncut)
11. Spoiled Edit- Daz-I-Kue feat. Bembe Segue and Colonel Red (Ben E. King) – Ubiquity
12. Fire – Jonny Miller (Jus Listen)
13. The Galactica Suite (Domu Remix) – Simon Grey/Domu vs Papa (Papa)
14. Bamboo – Yellowtail (CDR)

If you’re in the New York area, you should stop by and support their pre-launch party in Brooklyn tomorrow. Ernesto and Probe will be on the decks alongside Yellowtail and DJ Zhill of Bagpak, one of my favorite online music stores. Here’s the info:

ELEVATIONS RADIO pre-LAUNCH PARTY
Thursday, October 15, 2009
8pm-1am
NO COVER
Moe’s
80 Lafayette Ave
Brooklyn, NY

¬ facebook event page

As a former radio dude, this one really gets me. Anybody who has ever done anything radio-related in Hip-Hop owes something to this dude. Actually, anybody who loves Hip-Hop owes something to this dude, period.

Mr. Magic, Disc Jockey for Early Hip-Hop, Dies at 53
{ New York Times obit ]

Rest in peace, Mr. Magic. Rest in peace.

This year is just much too much.

Another legend gone. R.I.P., Roc Raida.

Here’s part of Roc Raida’s bio, excerpted from his myspace page:

Roc Raida began his DJ career in the early eighties at the age of ten. Surrounded by such inspirations as his father, a member of the Sugar Hill Records act Mean Machine and hip hop impresario Grandmaster Flash, Raida cultivated his interest into an absolute passion. Now, Roc Raida is considered among the best of the contemporary DJ’s and has brought the art of Turntablism and Party rocking to a fresh new level.

In the late eighties Raida gained prominence as a member of the New York-based crew the X-Men who, for obvious of copyright reasons, later became known as the X-Ecutioners. Champions of furthering the turntablist movement, the X-Ecutioners made their reputation by utilizing the techniques of beat-juggling; the manual alteration between individual kick and snare sounds to create original drum patterns in real time. This practice has been an inspiration and a force in Roc Raida’s style.

In the beginning defeat was commonplace, as battles were mainly popularity contests. The more contests he entered the more the competition began to appreciate his style and determination. Pushing his limits and raising the standard with which DMC’s are judged, Raida began to get noticed. His impressive finishes in some of the premier DJ battles; first place in the 1991 “As One”; second place in the “Superman Battle”; and second place in the 1992 DMC US Finals were just the beginning. In 1995 Raida, was crowned the DMC World Champion in front of a massive London audience.

Too many legends passing away this year.

I was reading up today on yesterday’s passing of Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson, half of the legendary reggae/dancehall production duo Steely and Clevie, and came across this interview with them at the Red Bull Music Academy in 2005. Thought I’d share it here:

It’s a great look into their history as musicians and producers, their many talents, and the breadth of influence they had upon music. It also digs deep into the history of Jamaican music.

Steely Johnson was winding his waist to the original dancehall boom in the early ’80s, playing with Sugar Minott and Roots Radics. But things got kinda cloudy when he linked with Clevie Brown in Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Black Ark studio. Clevie was playing with these new drummachines that had just come out, which were totally dissed by the reggae drummers. That didn’t stop them becoming the house band at King Jammy’s before they really hit their stride and literally led Kingston down the path of electronic production by the scruff of a neck. By the time they’d formed their Steely & Clevie label in ’88, they were in charge of runnings proper. Nice up!

R.I.P. Steely. You will indeed be missed.