DUSTY CRATES

After a few dance floor test runs (as seen in this video at The Lot on Washington), “El Dougie” is finally an official DIRB! release.

Check out Squincy Jones & Gracie Chavez’s cumbia crunk edit on SoundCloud. It got a  proper debut last week on KPFT’s airwaves during Tuesdays’ Son Pacifica Radio show, and has been making its way onto a few blogs and mixes.

In case you missed it, grab your El Dougie copy (main, inst, art) here now! Color in the artwork for a prize. Enter submissions to dirbtx [at] gmail.

CSD – El Dougie (Squincy Jones & Gracie Chavez DIRB! Edit) by graciechavez
CSD – El Dougie (Squincy Jones & Gracie Chavez DIRB! Edit) Instrumental by graciechavez

After a sensational DIRBversary! at The Lot last weekend, we are gearing up for another gigantic night with DJ Platurn this coming Saturday, March 12. The self-described “real-deal hip hop DJ who rocks the party the original way” just needs two turntables and a mixer to pull-off some classic DJing with top-notch selections and skills to back it up.

The Icelandic jock by way of the Bay is on a quick tour of the Texas region courtesy of all the SXSW festivities, but is making Houston his home-base for the duration. Platurn recently joined DJ Sun for a 45 session at Onion Creek last Wednesday before heading out to Corpus Christi today, then back to Houston to rock the decks with us at DIRB! Saturdays at The Lot on Washington (4212 Washington, 77007). More DIRB! deets and RSVP here.

But here’s how he’s sized up his trip so far:

Dusty Crates: You still play vinyl 45s and you rock on Serato. Do you have a preference?
Platurn: No preference, but 45s will always have a special place. You gotta know how to rock it with whatever format presented, be it analog or digital.

DC: Looks like you’re on a mini-Texas tour at the moment (hope your tall-ass is going first-class on that Greyhound). Where have you been and where are you going next?
Platurn: New Orleans, Mississippi, Houston, Corpus Christi & Austin. Lovin’ the South!

DC: If you could choose a song that represent each city/night you’ve been to since arrived, what would those be?
Platurn: Trip can be summed up in 3 songs so far:

1. Professor Longhair-Big Chief
2. Outkast-Spottieottiedopalicious
3. Archie Bell & The Drells-Tighten Up

DC: Who’s got better Mexican food: Texas or Cali? Don’t answer that! We awwready know.
Platurn: Pretty sure Texas whoops Cali’s ass, but I think it’s safe to say we place in the top 3. Can’t fux with our produce yo!

Keep It Rockin’
If you can’t make it out to see him this week, you still have one more chance. After all the Austin gigs, Platurn will be back for Rock Steady’s Bay Area Invasion on Monday, March 21, with OM’s J.Boogie and DJ Sun again.

Check out more of Platurn’s sound here.
Love & Hate (TRUE Clothing Mix) by platurn

Our next edition of Bombon tomorrow night brings in SA import Sonora of the infamous Peligrosa All-Stars. This DJ/producer has worked with a few fellow Texans, like Mexicans with Guns, and is working on an upcoming EP with Brooklyn’s baile queen, Zuzuka Poderosa.

I caught up with him just before SXSW gets 4Loco next week for a quick Dusty Crates interview. This is what’s goin on in Sonora’s world:

DustyCrates: What kind of sabor do you bring to your music?
Sonora: I’ve been told by numerous people and also [a] dude from Generation Bass dubbing me ”Mr. Multi-Genre”. It really doesn’t matter what kind of track it is, it can be a disco edit, or a hip hop track I’m working on, it will always have some sort of Latin flavor or influenced sound built around [Latin].

DC: Who (or what) are you currently working with in the studio?
SL: At the moment, I have a few projects im working on. I’ve been working with Zuzuka Poderosa via the Internet for this new collab/remix EP. But will be hitting the studio up with her when she gets to Texas for SXSW to record a
couple tracks with her.

I’m also doing projects with two different producers, Orquesta from Dublin, Ireland, and a local here in San Antonio who goes by LeDoom. And in the middle of all that I’m still working on a full length LP; it’s definitely
not going to be for the club, it’s leaning more towards the hip hop side of things with lots of melodys/textures layers, live instruments, and samples from old vinyl.

Frente Cumbiero – Pitchito (sonora remix) by SONORA

DC:  Where do you get your inspiration? What did you grow up listening to in San Antonio?
SL: My inspiration comes from a lot of things: my daughter, of course, or digging for old vinyl at the pulgas and spending hours analyzing tracks and getting ideas.

I grew up listening to a variety of things especially living in the house with three sisters. So, my mom and dad would play a lot of tradicional cumbia, bachata, salsa, and of course, tejano. My sisters had a lot of hip hop playing, like Biggie and Nas, or Michael Jackson. And later in the years,  I started making beats in my bedroom and selling them at school! Haha! That led to making screwed and chopped mixtapes. I grew up appreciating so many things that, at the moment,
it plays a big roll in my production. [Check out more of Sonora's sound here.]

Sonora – Paraiso (Mexicans with Guns Remix) by SONORA

DC: What’s the SA music scene like?
SL: The scene here as far as live shows go sometimes frustrates me. The city has so much raw talent here and great events going on that SA will sleep on it. But more recently things have been picking up, more crews establishing their names, and people actually travelling out a little further to go catch a gig that isn’t on “the strip”.

But all the producers here are really great. It was awesome to see a good friend of mine, Ernest Gonzales (aka Mexicans With Guns), plant his music seed a ways back, and to see it pretty much grow into something huge. [I'm] proud that his success happend here in this city. SA is definetly something that nobody should sleep on.

Peligrosa, ATX from uLOVEi on Vimeo.

DC: Some Houstonians have been out to see you rock it at Peligrosa in Austin. But for those who haven’t, what you bringing with you to Bombon?
SL: At Peligrosa’s, I always make sure to keep up with throwing in tradicional jams or blending it with a big beat, it’s always nice to sneak in some old merengue and mambo, too. But I’ll also be playing some tracks of the new Zuzuka EP, and a lot of my new productions, so Houston will get to hear it first!

Bombon Asesino en Houston
Be one of the select few to hear Sonora this Friday, March 11, at Avant Garden (411 Westheimer, 77006) with Bombon DJs Navo, OG Bobby Trill, myself (Gracie Chavez) upstairs and Cashless downstairs brining more tropical, Afro-Latin, soca, dancehall heat! No cover, 21+ from 9pm-2am.

Bombon Asesino (March 11) RSVP here.

Brought to you every FIRST FRIDAY by: www.dustycrates.com | www.fahrenheit-media.com | www.facebook.com/BombonHouston

¡WACHALE! Más Bombon Dates
APR 01 Aye guey, Bombon April Fool’s
MAY 06 Cinco-Seis de Mayo

Now I say, “I miss you, d&b!”

This one’s straight fiya!

That is all.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – High Contrast (mediafire)

Hometown house/techno heroes, NYC-based Champa Moore and Scope Recordings impresario Andrei Morant (aka Jack Mackrel) just dropped a new EP on us via Beatport.

A memorial recording for Abiel Mejia, a well-respected local DJ and graphic designer who passed away in a tragic car accident in 1997, Respect (Scope Recordings) is a steady stockpile of techno remixes from these two tycs, including Champa’s bumpin original.

Track listing

Respect (Higher Level Original Mix) – Champa Moore
Respect (No Respect Remix) – Andrei Morant
Respect (Lost in the Bassbin Mix) – Champa Moore
Respect (Respect Slower Level Mix) – Andrei Morant

What you want? Baby, you got it! Much respect. Have a listen here.

Then tune into Abiel’s live mix recording on KTRU Radio, 1996.

May you rest in beats.

It’s a rainy, cold Monday in the H and I found some funk for you to jam to today. It’s a mix good enough to get you out of this funk and long enough to tide you over ’til the weekend, once the weather warms up. It’s also a classic mix that should fill in the gaps between not only you and the Gap Band, but also their legacy. Computer <3 !

The influence of Uncle Charlie Wilson on r&b and hip hop is extraordinary. From being the main force in the legendary Gap Band, who’s classic songs “Yearnin For Your Love”, “Outstanding” and “Dropped A Bomb On Me” have been sampled in countless popular songs, to being featured on many newer artist’s current songs.

Recently NYC’s DJ Synapse recorded a mix that takes listeners through some of the greatest Charlie Wilson compositions and Gap Band classics, and the songs that sampled them, as well as newer songs by Kanye West, T-Pain and Lil Kim that have featured the music.

Charlie’s new album Just Charlie and the single “You Are” is starting to get airplay on urban radio.

Download the full mix here:

http://soundcloud.com/edubdigital/outstanding-charlie-wilson-the-gap-bands-hip-hop-legacy

Embed code:

Outstanding: Charlie Wilson & The Gap Band’s Hip Hop Legacy by edubdigital

Outstanding: Charlie Wilson & The Gap Band’s Hip Hop Legacy: Mixed By DJ Synapse

1. Yearning For Your Love – Gap Band (Original)
2. Runnin’ (Jay Dee Remix) – The Pharcyde (Samples “Yearnin’ For Your Love”)
3. Life’s A Bitch – Nas (Samples “Yearnin’ For Your Love”)
4. The Joy FT. Pete Rock, Jay -Z – Kanye West
5. There Goes My Baby – Charlie Wilson
6. All Of The Lights – Kanye West (Feat. John Legend, The-Dream, Ryan Leslie, Tony Williams, Charlie Wilson, Elly Jackson, Alicia Keys, Fergie, KiD CuDi, Rihanna & Elton John)
7. Download (Remix) – Lil Kim Ft. T-Pain, Charlie Wilson, The-Dream & Soulja Boy
8. Computer Love Remix – Zapp Feat Shirley Murdock & Charlie Wilson
9. Boy You Knock Me Out – Tatyana Ali feat. Will Smith (Samples “Outstanding”)
10. Happy – Ashanti (Samples “Outstanding”)
11. Summer Bunnies – R. Kelly (Samples “Outstanding”)
12. Alright (Humps For Your Trunk Mix) – Kris Kross (Samples “Outstanding”)
13. Da B Side – Da Brat Feat. Notorious BIG (Samples “Outstanding”)
14. Every Little Thing I Do – Soul Four Real (Samples “Outstanding”)
15. Outstanding – Gap Band
16. Blow Your Mind – Redman (Samples “Outstanding”)
17. Snoop’s Upside Ya Head – Snoop Dogg Ft. Charlie Wilson
18. Oops Upside Your Head – Gap Band
19. Mo Pussy – DJ Quick (Samples “Oops Upside Your Head”)
20. Burn Rubber On Me – Gap Band
21. Humpin’ – The Gap Band
22. Supa Sexy – Charlie Wilson Feat. T-Pain
23. You Dropped A Bomb On Me (Remix) – Gap Band
24. Fake Hair Wearing Bitch – 2 Live Crew/No Face (Samples “Oops Upside Your Head”)
25. Tommy’s Groove Outro

>> www.charliewilsonmusic.com
>> www.facebook.com/djsynapsenyc
>> www.twitter.com/djsynapse

It’s that time again, mi gente! Our monthly pachanga, Bombón, is in full swing again!

So bring your güiros, maracas, cowbell or anything else you wanna shake tonight at Avant Garden (411 Westheimer, 77006). DJs Navo, OG Bobby Trill and yours truly (Gracie Chavez) will keep you moving, so step your cumbia game up! DJ/MC Bobby will lead the “grito” contest–aye, aye, ayeeee!

While we get our hustle-on, peep out Houston’s own Panchitron, who’s raverton tracks were recently featured online.

Panchitron-Everyday by Panchitron

RSVP for Bombón – Houston (www.facebook.com/BombonHouston) now and check back for updates and upcoming events every First Friday!