Friday, August 28, 2009

Late Show



Was late turning in my Spine radio show last week, and now way late plugging it. Suffice to say it's available now for download or stream here once you choose the "archive" option. Soul selections this month include the following:






Enjoy!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The Devil Gives Me Everything Except What I Need



Beautiful forthcoming release from NOLA soul vet Willie West on Timmion. Pre-order here. Now.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Go See the Doctor



Great story from yesterday's Daily News on the Queen of Rox:

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Fundraiser For DJ Kon



The homie Kon (of world famous DJ-ing/digging duo Kon & Amir) has fallen ill in recent days. This coming Monday in Cambridge, MA there is a fundraiser taking place for him. Vital stats (& info re: donations for those not in the greater Boston area) below from the desk of Amir. Get well soon, my man!!!

In case you didn't know already, every Boston DJ's favorite DJ has been in and out of the hospital and unable to play his gigs for the last few weeks. Since Kon DJs for a living NO GIGS = NO INCOME!! A few of us have already donated money from gigs to Kon, but now it's time for everyone to step up for a great DJ and an even better friend...

Monday, August 24, 2009, 9pm - 1am
Middlesex Lounge
315 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA

$10 SUGGESTED DONATION
EVERY PENNY GOES TO KON + you get to hear Kon-inspired music from Supreme One, 7L, Ms. Thang, Gucci Vuitton & Soul Clap!!!

If you cannot attend or want to donate more money you can send via Paypal to: djmsthang@gmail.com

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Wall Ballin'


Newest DWG poster is now out. This time the focus is on promo-only rap singles released between '85 and '97. Theoretically these oughta be even more in my collecting wheelhouse than the records featured in their previous golden era/random rap poster (and this is coming from one of the individuals who actually coined the much-maligned term "random rap" - but more on that another time). But of course those dudes have still stumped me on a few of the featured rarities. Never knew about that Tim Dog "Bronx N*gga" DJ Shame Remix(!), or that Peanut Butter Wolf/Lord Finesse/45 King Stones Throw test press(!!), or the Resident Alien promo 12" (not the EP), or even the Biggie "Dreams" pressing on Uptown. (Great, even more records to look for...)
Yeah, I know - a poster of a bunch of promo rap record label scans has - to put it nicely - a somewhat specialized appeal. But guess what - it's being printed in limited quantities, 350 to be exact. I'm guessing there are at least 349 other rap nerds in the world besides me who would like one of these (I've already got mine). So you do the math. Or simply let your fingers (and your Paypal account) do the walking over here

Monday, August 10, 2009

Doin' It in the Park (Oh, Yeah)



Lean Rock, JBX and myself will be rockin' at St. Nicholas Park tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday) for Digger's Delight - part of the True School NYC Summer Park Jam Series presented by Tools of War. The vibe is always positive and festive, the music great, the system booming, and you can usually count on a few hip-hop legends being in attendance. (Hopefully the weather will hold up!) And as an added personal bonus it's just a five minute walk from the homestead. I'm really honored to have been invited to get down with the program this year. I know Jared and I are both pretty excited to spin, and Lean Rock (who's a protege of b-boy supreme Forrest Getemgump) will undoubtedly bring it. So if you're up to heading uptown (to get down), please check us! All pertinent info here
Here's a little something to commemorate the moment. A cool alternate mix of a classic that I think most folks have sort of slept on.



Sunday, August 9, 2009

On a Sunday Afternoon


"Ho Happy Day" is the feel good Sunday afternoon anthem for lotsa reasons. Not the least of which is the lyrics, which are on some I'm-walking-through-the-park-with-my-baby-and-life-couldn't-be-more-awesome. What's less awesome is how expensive the record has become (at least for those who missed out on copies before the price jumped). But if you're down for an extremely convincing and far more affordable alternative peep this Joneses track, the horn melody from which is virtually identical to that on the Flame N King.



The Joneses had a bunch of similarly strong disco-soul singles from the era - "Who Loves You," "In Love Again," and of course...



I always figured they were a family group, or at the very least all the members had the same last name. You know, like the Ramones. But as I recently learned from an article on the group in an old issue of Black Stars that wasn't the case. In fact, one of the dudes in the group was named Reggie Noble.


The caption to this photo reads: "Reggie, whose range is incredible, is one of today's best tenors." I believe this was also once written about Redman in The Source.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Muro n' Me (1nce Again)



The King is here! This Saturday night we reunite to rock and shock Yellow Sunshine-style. Should be another fun one. Those tuff enough to brave the MP District on a Saturday night - ye shall be rewarded.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Welcome New Warmth



New "Across 135th St."/RBMA radio show streaming here. Stickin' with the summertime vibe, so lotsa doubled up classics, breaks, edits by my esteemed friends & colleagues (I don't know why they didn't credit them properly on the playlist on the site, but you all know who you are; for those that don't peep the links and get familiar). Also, stuff like this...



Oh, and a few disco cuts I more or less let play out in their entirety just cuz I dig 'em like that. Speaking of which - I'm still confounded as to how this escaped my attention for two full years it's so good:


I only first heard it late last year. Dead ringer for some Sigma Sound ish - which makes sense since apparently it's all the OG Philly dudes playing on it. Flipside is the Tom Moulton instrumental mix featuring much Vince Montana. Damn, I guess I oughta be paying a little closer attention to what's going on in the world.