A day late (and always a dollar short), I finally got around to putting Sista Stroke’s sexy mix up for ya’ll.

As I celebrate yet another anniversary with the hub, I suggest you keep a copy at your bedside. It’s recommend for nights of heavy cuddling for years to come.

Should I say more?

LISTEN

Sensuality – 10 Yrs. Later (vol.2) mix – Sista Stroke (Virb)

Some of the more Latin-inspired dance rhythms with spicier bass lines swarming around lately have reawakened a new-found interest in my conquistadora roots. As a first-gen Chicana growing up in Houston’s Northside, I explored Papi’s concept albums and his 45 record collection of cumbia, boleros and traditional Mexican folk music along with his more modern disco, pop music, movie soundtracks and the newer “hip hop” sounds on KYOK radio in the early ’80s.

Fast forward. Today, I get to hear that familiar cultural blend in acts like Mexicans with Guns, a San Antonio producer that’s muy libre with his musical genres and always lucha for more bass. MWG’s recent well-received release, “Me Gusto,” featuring Chico Mann is an explosion of dubby, electro, 8-bit goodies all stuffed into one colorful piñata.

The lively track is part of the similarly titled five-track EP,  Me Gusto (Innovative Leisure/FoF Music), below:

Track List

1. Me Gusto ft. Chico Mann
2. Dame Lo
3. Los Perritos
4. Me Gusto ft. Chico Mann (Ghosts on Tape Remix)
5. Me Gusto (Instrumental)

Get the Mexicans with Guns Me Gusto EP on 12-inch vinyl at Stones Throw. 

Mexicans With Guns – “Me Gustó” ft. Chico MannbyFunny Ha Ha

Download: Mexicans With Guns – “Me Gustó” ft. Chico Mann (mp3)

With music like this, there was a good reason to revive Movida, a close-knit monthly party that featured soul, funk, 80s, 90s, plus other remixes and rarities to make you move. Instigated in 2007 by DJs Witnes (who’s holding down The Lot this Saturday night) & Antonio, the reoccurring night found a loyal niche audience for a good run at The Flat.

This Saturday, May 15, we’re bringing back Movida Remixed with special guest DJ Criminal V and hostesses Las Chiquitas at Dean’s Montrose (315 Fairview @ Morgan, 77006).

Join us for la Movida! RSVP now.

I’m kinda late (like, two months) on upping this mix, but Ramsey sent us another d&b mix exclusively for Dusty Crates to get us going this Monday. He promises his April (maybe May, too) mix will be in our in-box soon, so stay tuned.

Meanwhile, push play and the day will fast-forward.

March Mix 2010 by jseventeenthmd

Ramsey’s March Mix

Track List

Lenzman – Fade Away – Soul:r
Bygones Spectrasoul – Shogun Audio
Flamethrower – Lenzman – Soul:r
Noir – Edward Oberon – 31 Records
The boy who cried wolf – SPY – 31 Records
Robocall – Nymfo – 31 Records
Minimal funk -Icicle – Shogun Audio
Working with Muppets – Vapour – 31 Records
Social Isolation – Nymfo – 31 Records
Silence – Calibre – Signature

Our dude is back!

This Saturday, DJ Mel is gonna DIRB! with us again at The Lot on Washington. We’ve had a lot of fun each time he’s been down and something tells me we’re cued up for a ginormous summer in the H!

Here’s Mel’s latest edits to get you warmed up for summertime! The Goodmen’s is an edit of the original samba club jam, “Give It Up“.

>> Give It Up (DJ Mel edit) – The Goodmen (mediafire)

>> When I Think of You (Summertime remix) – Janet Jackson (mediafire)

DIRB! in TX and FB RSVP for more event details and updates.

For those of you that caused disorder north of the border last night, here’s a Cinco de Mayo hangover cure that I think you’ll like.

Henry Chow follows up his recent To the Moon mix submission with this lovely, deep house original that’s sure to remedy any of your ills today.

Five by Henry Chow

Dayta sent me NYC DJ mOma’s sunny mix last week. It’s been keepin my head noddin all day today and just the remedy I need for the Monday blues.

Listen to SFNY promo mix here.

Track List

Trev95 “Shoot Em Up” (95Flavas)

Outkast “Player’s Ball (Remix)” (LaFace)

Camp Lo & DJ Honda “Disco-tec” (DJ Honda Recordings)

Imagination “Music & Lights” (R & B)

Kano “Can’t Hold Back” (Full Time)

Matrix “Stay (I Need Your Love)” (Sugarscoop)

Gladys Knight & The Pips “Taste Of Bitter Love” (CBS)

D Train “Do You Wanna Ride (The “D” Train)” (Prelude)

Ghostface Killah “Paragraphs of Love” (Def Jam)

Erykah Badu “Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long” (Universal Motown)

M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.

In light of current events in the Middle East and even here at home in Arizona, MIA’s new video, “Born Free,” speaks volumes.

The 9-minute short film was directed by Romain Gavras, who also directed Justice’s thuggish “Stress,” so it’s no surprise she chose him to help convey her socio-political message by focusing on the persecution of society’s “red-headed stepchildren”.

Watch the video that’s been yanked from Youtube here and let me know what you think. But a word of warning: it’s brutal, raw and provocative.

If that’s too much, here’s MIA’s airy “There’s Space for Ol Dat I See” (also from her upcoming, yet-to-be-titled, but soon-to-be-landmark 3rd album) to temper an aggressive “Born Free”.

So how’s this for ending on a good note?

There’s Space for Ol Dat I See – MIA (filesavr)

Paper Planes (DFA remix) – MIA (filesavr)

Tech-house DJ/producer Henry Chow is rollin off his final Rekliner at Dean’s Downtown, which featured Austin’s JAMON. He wrapped up the monthly, an amalgam of house and techno featuring international and regional DJs, he has maintained with cohort Sasha Braverman for a couple of years now. They are moving the night over to Club FWD>> (510 Gray, 77002).

Formerly Deco in Midtown, FWD>> will usher a new era in Houston’s electronic music, says Henry. Currently, the local underground dance music community does not have a comfy home for regular, intimate house and techno events since La Strada closed. FWD>> looks to fill that gap with regular and special events starting in May. Sasha and Henry kick off their Saturday monthly Rekliner nights there on May 15th with San Antonio’s house playas, Sun City Hustlers (lovin’ the name).

Meanwhile, Sasha and Henry will maintain their more eclectic residency, Crossroads Fridays (Dean’s Montrose, 315 Fairview, 77006). This Friday, April 30th they host special guest DJ Jeff Shelton (Reverse, Houston).

And just to give you insight on what you may hear, Henry’s dropped his new house, disco and other rarities mix on us here at Dusty Crates.

About his To The Moon (Late Night Mix) release, he says:

…[it's] something for the ride, to do laundry to, dishes, exercise, and make love to! This mix set features a few new, a few old tracks by artists such as Lee Curtiss, Dirty Jesus, I:Cube, Manuel Tur, & many more. Pretty much a summary of tunes we play at our residencies.

Henry Chow – To The Moon (Late Night Mix) by Henry Chow

Track Listing

Mike Shannon – Under the Radar feat. Fadila (Massi DL Rmx)
Dirty Jesus – Don’t Fuck with My Shit (Plane Paper Edit)
I:Cube – Falling
Jozif – Just You
Guillaume & The Coutu Dumont – Raw
Sascha Dive – Suburban Night
Alvaro Ernesto – Inside My Soul (Pezzner Rmx)
Lee Curtiss – Sister
Hector – Suavecito (Nick Curly Rmx)
Jozif – Chicago
Lewie Day – That’s the Thing
Hall & Oates – I Can’t Go for That (Edit)
Manuel Tur – Beasts & the Birds
Lee Curtiss – The Glow
Tensnake – Coma Cat

Push play and enjoy!

If I had this Saturday night off, I’d be off to see ATX’s Nick Nack at Top Notch HTX (Boondocks, 1417 Westheimer, 77006).

So who’s the DJ with the odd sing-songy name, you might ask?

Well, if you’ve browsed thru GigaCrate for music (see our widget –>), then chances are you know the man behind the Texas-based DJ-friendly digital download music site. And like most top-notch talent worthy enough to play out of town often, Nick Nack has been rockin it for quite some time, covering everything from golden-era hip hop and psych rock to more current dance/electro via performances (2000’s SXSW show with the late all-mighty Guru ain’t too bad) and a gang of mixes. Plus it helps when you also own your own record label, Crowd Control Records. Nick Nack is gearing up for an upcoming full-length CD/mp3 release, Dearly Departed, of original music and remixes any day now. The album’s first single, “Strangest Secret,” is available on limited 7-inch vinyl.

Here at Dusty Crates, we can admire that ability to turn the drop in vinyl use in the DJ game (more on that later) and parlay that into a new opportunity–it’s precisely why this blog was initially established as a shared ftp site for digital music in ‘06.

But digital downloads and tool use aside, I’m just down for a DJ that makes me work up the dance floor. However, this Saturday, April 24, I won’t be able to make it; but perhaps you will, and I hope to get a full report from the floor as DJ Nick Nack joins them two, Sober and Dayta, and El Roy Boogie for the usual mayhem.

Meanwhile, Squincy & yours truly are cueing up requests and workin up The Lot on Washington. So post up your Tweets or send me a postcard from Top Notch with, “Wish you were here. <3 Nick Nack”

Download, Buy or Listen

>> Nick Nack’s Mixes

>> Nick Nack’s Soundcloud

Bristol’s 20-year-old producer Joker has a passion. It’s a passion for subterranean subwoofer frequencies he’s shared with a steadfast group of dubstep fans worldwide for quite some time. Following a string of remarkable releases characterized by 8-bit sounds,  swooping synths and rattling basslines, Joker’s anthems are uniquely branded the ‘purple’ sound of dubstep.

Eventually Gritsy’s don, Suraj Kurian, tuned in full-blast.

The first time I came upon Joker was while * was running a dnb/dubstep/2step record store out of my house in 2007. I  had ordered a few copies of his first release called the Kapsize EP on DJ Pinch’s Earwax Label.

The thing that really set this release apart from all the other stuff that was coming out at the time [at least] dubstep-wise was its hype, grimey/SNES feel. It was a good release, but definitely not a game changer…

Enter Jae Swope from Sines. He dropped “Gully Brook Lane” during a set at Gritsy in the summer of ‘08.

It was the first time I’d heard [the track played] out on the Gritsy sound system, and quite frankly, it was the shit!

This track shoved my prior conceptions about dubstep immediately out the door. I wanted more.

I purchased the record that next Monday and  instantly fell for the B-side, “Retro Racer,” which became one of the first of many Joker tracks in heavy rotation in my DJ sets.

Since then it’s been a stratospheric rise for Joker, including remix work spanning various genres. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s in the company of international dubstep superstar DJ/producers Skream and Benga.

Not surprisingly, Joker’s “purple” anthems have gone over really well in Houston, particularly “Purple City” which got a lot of play last summer. I’m still partial to the monstrous “Snake Eater“.

And as expected, Joker’s recent popularity has also made him as elusive as his purple-draped comic book namesake. But persistence always pays off. Suraj and the notorious Gritsy boys finally locked Joker down for a Houston date.

Now the city infamously known for purple drank and passionate for dubstep parties is only one of four dates on Joker’s North American tour this spring. He touches down this Saturday, April 10th, at newcomer venue Wired Live (2000 Bell Street, 77003) to play alongside MC Nomad. Tickets are $20 for 18+ and $10 for 21+ before 11 p.m. with a Facebook RSVP. Doors open at 9 p.m. Purple attire and earplugs are highly recommended.

Download

“Tron” + VIP Mix (soundcloud)

Purple Wow Sound Mix (zshare)

Joker’s Guest Mix on Skream’s Rinse Show

Joker’s Sonar Mix (zshare)

“How You Like Me Know” (Joker remix) – The Heavy (mp3)