Dusty Crates

Raw Word Record’s DJ Orion is a DJ/producer from Austin, TX of Colombian/Puerto Rican ancestry who just released a new album. Although we’ve yet to make a formal introduction, this guy has been on the radar for quite some time. He’s been making moves at his Peligrosa nights and various other spots along with Klassen in ATX, and seems to be building una tremenda onda tropical.

Carajo Colombia is mainly his edits of tracks he grew up with and focuses on cumbia, with bmore/funk/hip-hop vibrations that manage to sneak in. You can name your price and download the album here.

Check DJOrion.com for his SXSW 2010 schedule as I’m sure he’ll be rockin’ a party near you!

Once upon a time drum & bass was king.

By 2000, Houston had become one of North America’s headquarters for dominating beats and tougher basslines. Any new d&b soldier in the area had to earn respect (and status) from either pride of DJs at the forefront of the d&b movement — Purrin Lion or Protoculture – if they wanted to step up to the decks.

Shortly after Matrix Crew’s Chris Anderson and Andrei Morant introduced “jungle” over the KTRU Rice Radio airwaves in 1996, I started covering its progression at home and abroad for Public News, Tha Pride and URB magazine. All truth told, I fell in love.

At its peak in 2000, Houston’s d&b crews (reluctantly) fraternized on successive UK-headlining events, monthly Micros at 2020 Commerce and weeklies across the street at Club Hyperia. Audio 3 (Lionel Gonzales), Classic (Brad Slack) and Ramsey (Mike Davila) spearheaded Static, a weekly d&b night and ad hoc DJ crew made up of oftentimes opposing units. That collaboration ushered in a new era of d&b here nearly a decade ago.

Today, Heavy DNB is the only d&b event in town that’s endured featuring local and out-of-town talent on a quasi-monthly basis at various venues. Our own DIRB! crewmate, SDF-One, and Pejman have become musical curators of sorts, carrying on the d&b sound via Heavy DNB installments. And this month’s round-up brings it full circle (see flyer below).

This Saturday, March 6, a founding member of each d&b crew, Matrix’s Andrei Morant, Purrin Lion’s BMC and Static/Protoculture’s Ramsey, steps up the bpms at The Blue Room (Wired Live, 1503 Chartres, 77003). Ramsey also dropped us his new February Mix 2010 to share just in time. After listening to the mix, it also reminded me of that long-lost love.

Ramsey February Mix 2010 (dnbshare)

Track List

I Need You – Subwave (Medschool)
Bone Structure – Rockwell (Critical)
Dark age – Total Science & SPY (CIA)
Lonliness feat Riya – SPY (CIA)
Tribes – Rockwell (Critical)
Jerhico – Total Science & SPY (CIA)
Spectrasoul – 4points (Metalheadz)
Slum Dub – SPY (Soul:r)
Stars Get Down – Subwave (Medschool)
Jubei – Outcast (31 Records)
Icicle feat Noisia – Driftwood (Shogun Audio)
Alix Perez feat Peven Everett & Spectrasoul – Forsaken (Shogun Audio)

(l-r) Madlib & J.Rocc

Hip hop. Visionary. Dilla.

Those are the three words that come to mind when you think of Madlib. A trifecta of hip hop, this much sought-after rapper/producer/DJ has mastered a variety of ambitious projects, like recording Yesterday’s New Quintet, creating his alter-ego Quasimoto, and collaborating with the late J Dilla .

Since his rise in the late ’90s to last year’s Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6: A Tribute to Dilla, Madlib continues to explore the soundscape of hip hop, jazz and soul through his honorable tributes and music collaborations: from tha Alkaholics, Peanut Butter Wolf, to MF Doom, and most notably with Dilla (and J.Rocc) as Jaylib.

Madlib joins his Stones Throw label mate and turntablist, J.Rocc, at Numbers (300 Westheimer, 77006) this Saturday, February 27th in Houston. The Beat Junkie’s founder DJs during Madlib’s live performances and has also put out his own Dilla tributes, Jaylib vs. J.Rocc (mp3) and Thank You Jay Dee mixtape series.

The doors open at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday night and I highly suggest you get there early. Hosted by the ever prolific B Boy Craig, you won’t wanna miss Houston’s hip hop powerhouse HISD live show and a radiant set by one our own DJ Sun.

Get your money’s worth is all I’m sayin, ’cause these men deserve mad props!

Tickets are on sale now.

Listen >>

J.Rocc

Jaylib vs J.Rocc (Stones Throw, mp3)

Hueston Independent Spit District (H.I.S.D.)

PeaceUvMine.com (videos, clips)

DJ Sun

Soular Grooves Podcasts (SoularGrooves.com)

Thanks to my homie Witnes who also contributed to this post.

Some of you may have been around the Houston electronic music scene in the mid-’90s and perhaps had the pleasure of meeting Abiel Mejia who was part of the original Matrix Crew. Along with DJs Chris Anderson and Andrei Morant, the Crew hosted some of the first raves in Houston, which featured DJs mixing hard house, techno and jungle all night long.  They began a movement that became not only an integral part of the local rave scene, but also one that permeated through subsequent electronic music communities in Texas.

Abiel was also a graphic designer who designed some of the most recognizable rave fliers in town. He later became art director and worked alongside with me at newsweekly Public News before his tragic and untimely passing in 1997.

Fast forward 12 years:  we still haven’t forgotten his impact. Thanks to his loving family and friends, Abiel’s legacy lives on through his recordings and mix tapes.

So today, tune in to www.di.fm as Andy “Champa” Moore pays tribute to Abiel by webcasting his classic Chronolog mix on what would have been his 41st birthday.

To listen as the 2 hour-long PING program streams, go to: http://www.di.fm/calendar/event.php?event=16088. And for more show info, check the FB event page: 02.24.10_Got to Keep the Fire Burnin.

For those of you in Texas, showtime is at 1 pm (CST). If you live elsewhere, click on the most appropriate “Listen Now” button on www.di.fm just before or during show time:

* 2pm US EST
* 1pm US CST
* 7pm GMT
* 20:00 CET

Finally, to hear more of Abiel’s live recordings and mixes, visit www.subcrates.com. The forum chronicles his recordings as far back as 1994.

As you rest in peace, brother, we’ll celebrate your life.

Here’s a bit of the hair of the dog that bit ya last weekend.

With so many Valentine’s-themed mixes to choose from, it felt like standing in front of the condom aisle wondering which was gonna get the job done.

I rounded up five mixes, so choose a flavor to get you in the mood. Or try them all–just be sure to also pick up Alka-Seltzer for that love hangover in the monin‘!

1) The Motel Mix 2: For the Ladies – DJ Mel (aka Mel Caravicci) [mediafire]
A nice segue from our last post, this smooth transition is brought to you by none other than our dude in Austin, DJ Mel.

It’s been a minute and since it’s that Valentines time of year, I’m breaking you off another volume of THE MOTEL MIX. This time around, the focus is on the ladies and female R&B groups.

Get the track listing at www.smellyone.blogspot.com.

2) VDAY Mix – DJ A-One [mediafire]
Double-whammy! Also coming off an All-Star weekend high, Dallas’ DJ A-One found time to drop this joint. Find out how insane it got at www.djaone.blogspot.com.

3) #CHNS2DSD – Bobby Trill [zshare]
This one hails from our boy Bobby Trill in S.A. He’s been rampin’ up on them Twitter hash tags and this is the pantie-droppin’ outcum. Squincy Jones pimped it on his blog Awwready:

This mix hops around genres with dope cuts and blends while staying on that luvy dubby tip.

4) Cowboys & Girls, Vol. 1 – Ace Boon Coon & B*Luxe [mediafire]
B*Luxe dropped this hot one on me via email. Now that he’s back in the H, B*’s ready to ro-de-oh with pahtnah Ace BoonCoon! Check ‘em out at www.cushcushco.com.

5) LuvStep – Dirty South Joe & Flufftronix [direct]
With dude-step now synonymous with dubstep, it’s a huge relief to hear that Dirty South Joe & Flufftronix exposed a softer, more feminine side thru LuvStep. No half-steppin’, this podcast mix made me wonder why I didn’t think of it first (thanks, SDF-One ;P)! Mami likes!!

We live in a cynical world, and we work in a business of tough competitors, so what’s in a wobble? You don’t have to be a smart man to know what love is. LUVSTEP completes you and is programmed for pleasure. It’s music for starry nights and candle light…slow wine and grind time. Dirty South Joe and Flufftronix are your captains for this maiden voyage into the heart of the boom’s cosmic bosom. It’s amazing, the love inside. You take it with you.

Peep the track listing and more on Mad Decent.

The beats are kickin. The bass is thump, thump, thumpin.

Your toes are tappin. The tempo starts to travel from your toes, up your leg and through your body.

Your heart is pumpin just a bit faster than the cut that’s playin right now. But all you hear is the next one cued up in your headphones.

You look up for a sec…yep…they’re still dancin. Now you’re starting to feel their heat. A beam of light shines in your eyes. The disco ball showers the dance floor with color.

OK, focus…

Levels? Check!

Beats are on…

Timin’s right…

All right, here we go…

When it comes to DJing, Austin’s DJ Mel always maintains that next level. His eclectic musical taste blends well with his masterful mixing. This DJ innovator pulls out classic gems and current tracks for awe-inspiring mixes each and every time. He programs sets from a vast collection of history’s recorded dance music. Plus, it helps when you’ve been Waterloo Record’s perennial music buyer for years.

Mel’s broad criss-crossing knowledge of music genres coupled with an unbelievable dexterity behind the decks has earned him numerous credits–Lollapalooza’s stage manager (2008), Scion “Free Your Mix” Finalist (2004) and Austin’s “Best DJ” four-times over!

But, I personally consider DJ Mel a “DJ’s DJ.” He happens to be one of my top favorite DJs of all time and, I’ll even admit, a source of inspiration for my threading musical taste in my DJ journey. But I’m not gonna discount that he still makes me shake my ass pon de floor.

Mel made his debut at The Lot (4212 Washington, 77007) with us last month in the H. It was one of the coldest weekends in Houston, but he brought some heat with him and set shit on fire. The response was tremendous!

So, I’m happy to announce that he’s back this month to DIRB! with us again! This Saturday, February 6th, get there early because traffic on Washington Ave. gets pretty heavy after 10 p.m. Parking can be spotty, but there’s valet available right out front of the Lot. There’s no cover and drink specials include our favorite Texas beer: Lone Star tall boys. I’ll be on deck to warm it up before Mel, but save me a spot on that dance floor as soon as he’s on!

Now, if that ain’t enough to get you out to see this man live in 3-D this Saturday night, push play on the video link to see what you missed last month. Or just download DJ Mel’s mixes and remixes at www.smellyone.blogspot.com.

DJ Mel Mixes

• DJ Mel – The Motel Mix
• DJ Mel – The Funky Terrier.
• DJ Mel – Live @ Nasty’s – 06.11.07.
• DJ Mel – Live On East Village Radio – 11.17.06.

For more details, RSVP: DJ MEL at The Lot, Feb 2010 (Facebook)

I came across this two-hour long Essential live mix by the Brazilian duo, The Twelves. Over the weekend, João Miguel and Luciano Oliveira recorded their DJ set using a laptop, bass and synths.

Matt seems to enjoy it, so it must have that “sizzle”. ;P

The Twelves Essential Mix, 12/19/09 (BBC Radio 1/MediaFire)

Tracklist

01. Fever Ray — Seven (The Twelves Remix)
02. The Rapture — Sister Saviour (DFA Dub)
03. Phoenix — Fences (Accapella)
04. Cerrone — Look For Love
05. Kraftwerk — Music Non Stop (Vocoder)
06. Daft Punk — Da Funk
07. Glass Candy — Last Night I Met A Costume
08. LCD Soundsystem LCD Soundsystem — Nike Run (Excerpt)
09. Yelle — Ce Jeu (The Twelves Remix)
10. The Chemical Brothers The Chemical Brothers — Music-Response
11. Mr. Oizo — Two Takes It
12. D-Train — You’re The One For Me
13. Metric — Help I’m Alive (The Twelves Remix)
14. Roger Sanchez — Computabank
15. Chilly — For Your Love
16. Dynasty — I Don’t Wanna Be A Freak
17. Radiohead — Reckoner (The Twelves Remix)
18. Siriusmo — Last Dear
19. Empire of the Sun — Walking On A Dream (Accapella)
20. Zeigeist — Humanitarianism (The Twelves Remix)
21. Eddie Tour — Up The Glitter
22. Gaznevada — I.C. Love Affair
23. Phoenix — Lisztomania (Accapella)
24. Groove Armada — Drop The Tough (The Twelves Remix)
25. Methusalem — Robotism
26. Gossip — Standing In The Way Of Control (Accapella)
27. Chromatics — I Want Your Love (The Twelves Remix)
28. Laid Back — White Horse
29. Metronomy — Radio Ladio
30. Sparks — Tryouts For The Human Race
31. M.I.A. — Boyz (The Twelves Remix)
32. Daft Punk Daft Punk — Voyager
33. Indeep — Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (Accapella)
34. The Virgins — Rich Girls (The Twelves Remix)
35. Fleetwood Mac — Dreams (The Twelves Remix)
36. In Flagranti — Just Gazing
37. The Alan Parsons Project — Be Like You (The Twelves Remix)
38. B.W.H. — Stop
39. The Chemical Brothers — Block Rockin’ Beats
40. Karen O and the Kids — All Is Love (The Twelves Remix)
41. Fleet Foxes — Mykonos (The Twelves Remix)
42. Patrick Alavi — Power
43. Michael Jackson — Thriller (Instrumental)
44. Justice — Stress (Siren)
45. Kano — Ahjia
46. Mr. Oizo — Gay Dentists
47. Donna Summer — I Feel Love
48. Cerrone — Give Me Love
49. Mr. Oizo — Hun
50. Chic — Everybody Dance
51. Coldcut — Timber
52. Basement Jaxx — Rendez-Vous
53. Les Rythmes Digitales — From Disco To Disco
54. Alex Gopher — Motorcycle
55. Nirvana — All Apologies (The Twelves Remix)
56. Kraftwerk — Trans Europe Express
57. Black Kids — I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You (The Twelves Remix)
58. The Rapture — House Of Jealous Lovers
59. Scenario Rock — Skitzo Dancer (Justice Remix)
60. Daft Punk — Aerodynamic
61. Boys Noize — Arcade Robot
62. Basement Jaxx — Good Luck (Accapella)
63. The Beatles — Eleanor Rigby (The Twelves Remix)
64. The Twelves — Nightvision (Daft Punk)
65. La Roux — In For The Kill (Twelves Remix)

Tonight, Friday 12/11/09, the DIRB! Fam is live on MK Ultra Radio Show, KTRU’s only live electronic mix show in Houston since…oh, I’d say 1996.

After my webcast on Brick City House (ChicagoHouseFM.com) last week, we’re all doin’ it ol’ school and broadcasting live on the air waves.

Starting at 9pm, DJs on board to “bring the noise” are:

G.WIZZ
JEP
GRACIE CHAVEZ
TONIO
SQUINCY JONES

If you’re in the H, dial your radio knob into KTRU 91.7 FM. To give us BIG LOVE during the show, call in at 713-348-KTRU. Or, if you’re global, listen in at http://ktru.org/listen.shtml.

MK Ultra has a rotating staff of radio jocks, like DJ Great Scott, from Rice University each semester; many thanks to you guys for the invites each time, and also for keeping us on the ayre!

And Sandeep, I know you’re out there somewhere. Thanks for getting this show off the ground; It’s still goin’ strong here in the H. Holler at a girl if you’re still tuning in!

For more on the MK Ultra radio show, visit www.myspace.com/mkultrashow.

Check back for downloads and track listings, or go to our sister forum at www.subcrates.com for more rambling comments. Yep, yep!

Update: G.Wizz, Jep and I played on the radio for 3 hours. Thanks to Manny and Paul at KTRU’s MK Ultra for having us out. The cozy mix session was just perfect for a cold and rainy Friday night!

DIRB! Live on MK Ultra Radio (KTRU) 12/2009 (3-hour mix)

1st hour – G.WIZZ
2nd hour – JEP
3rd hour – GRACIE CHAVEZ

Gracie Chavez & Jep DIRB! on MK Ultra 12/2009 (zshare)

GRACIE CHAVEZ Track Listing

1. Heads Will Roll (A-Trak remix) – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2. Right Hand High (Kingdom remix) – Kid Sister
3. Black & Blue (Savage Skulls remix) – Miike Snow
4. Kids (Soul Wax remix) – MGMT
5. Woz Not Woz (Dub mix) – Eryk Prydz & Steve Angello
6. Sweat on the Walls – John Tejada
7. Be Alone No More (Another Level) – Rip Groove
8. Spin Spin Sugar – Sneaker Pimps
9. Hold the Line (Golden Gloves Wobble & Shake remix) – Major Lazer
10. Animal (Fake Blood remix) – Miike Snow
11. Let You Go – Bounce Camp
12. Replacement Girl (Illo Bounce Edit) – Drake & Trey
13. Flashing Lights (Diplo remix) – Kanye West
14. I’m Here You’re There (MWG) – Ernest Gonzales
15. A Man’s World (Regrooved by Parker) – James Brown

Earlier this week I recorded HouseWife, an exclusive hour-long mix and a short interview for today’s Brick City House (BCH) on ChicagoHouseFM.com. The online weekly show is run by none other than my girl Sista Stroke and it features mixes by DJ staples of the house scene worldwide. I’m extremely honored to be part of this set. Many thanks, girl!

Now, it’s no secret that some of my DJ roots go deep into house, so doing this mix was the perfect opportunity to go back to one of my first loves. So I dug thru a few of my favorite classics and added a dash of new house to come up with HouseWife, a mix I feel truly represents the house I get down to. It’s so house, it’ll make you wanna do your house chores! Here’s this Mami’s track listing:

“HouseWife” – Gracie Chavez (DIRB! 2009)

1. It’s Just Begun (Larry Levan remix) – Jimmy Castor Bunch
2. Last Night A DJ Saved My Life – Dcup’s Bootleg Remix
3. Enjoy Yourself – Soul Avengers
4. Stepping Out (Frankie J mix) – Candy Dealers
5. Why Don’t You – Gramophonedzie
6. Phat Mama (Sub Dub) – Troydon
7. Sweat of Your Brow – Jully Black
8. Hit the Ground – Mario Fabriani
9. Baby How Long (Johnny Fiasco remix) – Da Sunlounge
10. Bushes (Norman Cook remix) – Markus Nikolai
11. Fix My Sink – DJ Sneak
12. Hot City Bass – Hot City
13. Come On Girl – Magik J
14. Let You Go (Got The Funk Mix) (Da Fresh Remix) – The Freshmakers
15. Life is Changing – Cricco Castelli
16. Vision of Paradise – Bob Sinclair
17. Big Love – Pete Heller

After today’s live webcast at 1 p.m. CST (if you’re DIRB! in Texas), I’ll sideline I have sidelined the HouseWife mix here on DustyCrates’s Mixes. You can also catch the entire show, plus more, as a podcast at SistaStroke.Podmatic.com.

In short, BCH is all about those solid house tracks that make you wanna put your fist up in the air and say “Amen, Sista!” And you can’t hate on that!

Coincidentally, this BCH show is also a preview of what’s in store for this weekend.

Ladies of the Kitchen

Before she returns to Mr. Hun in London, Stroke is wrapping up her stay in Texas with a stop in Houston this Friday, December 4. The Kitchen Family has teamed up with renowned Les Femmes de la Nuit DJs Jessica Lozano, Candice Elliott and myself to support the all-female DJ event, Les Femmes de la Cuisine (Ladies of The Kitchen), at Avant Garden (411 Westheimer, 77006). The Kitchen Family — Drew, Pooks, Mr.Bristle, and Criminal V and Brad of the Lamborghini Crew–will play more delicious house, UKG and funky upstairs. There’s no cover for ladies all night.

So bundle up! It’s gonna be cold (and possibly snowy) outside, but it’ll be oh-so hott in The Kitchen with Les Femmes de la Cusine!

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve written here. What, maybe two weeks? Well, that’s way too long. Since then we experienced Oktoberfest in August, the start/end of a *ahem* new monthly (it had potential–just sayin), and the close of a high-flying venue (it went three months strong, yay! *applause*). Here’s the long-overdue recap:

Lasting longer than the requisite 16-day beer fest, Sista Stroke’s tour through Texas evidently still has some of us in an intoxicating honeymoon phase. The newlywed popped into the H for special “homecoming” performance at The Flat’s Sideways Tuesday with DJ Pooks & Drew and then played along with Eddie Spettro in her original hometown, San Antonio. Who knows how long she’ll be in the Lone Star State or if she’ll make another cameo behind the decks before jumping the pond back to London. But if you happen to somehow miss her Freaking Freely here, you can always tune into Mr. and Mrs. Hun’s Brick City House podcast sponsored by ChicagoHouseFM.com on Wednesdays.

Meanwhile, the DIRBY! came out of the starting gates at a slow trot. I’ll admit, we enjoyed the pageantry and newish spot; who cares if there wasn’t much participation–we still had fun. We did manage to declare a DIRBY! mustache winner at the end of the night. Thanks to TABC’s late entry, we thought G.Wizz had it in the bag until said agent and pahtnah swaggered in at 1:45 a.m. He won, hand(lebar)s down!

Speaking of going down, let’s all pause for a moment of silence for the untimely demise of the indirigible airship-themed venue. In it’s heyday it was a mecca for Rich’s over-spill; in its most recent short-lived rendering, it was a ragbag of music and misfits. And although it didn’t amass the notable acts and acclaim that Walter’s on Washington did, it goes to show that throngs of d-bags don’t always ruin it for everyone.

So now that we’re moving on, I should note that DIRB! Block Party is on an indefinite hiatus from Washington Ave. Last Saturday’s performance with Jessica Lozano at the Boo Williams show at Block was certainly memorable enough that I recorded our Les Femmes reunion. G.Wizz capped it off on the decks after 3 a.m. Click below for a listen.

On short notice, however, I’m closing out the HMNS Mixer & Elixirs summer series tonight before the lively Latin act Grupo Ka-Che takes over the Dino Exhibit Hall. It’s been a fun gig all summer long, thanks to the open-minded museum curators!

And tomorrow, Saturday, 8/29, Antonio & I are DIRH! (Doin It Real House) again at the swanky Zimm’s wine bar while LBO Takes 5. And heed this: no socks for shoes people! RSVP pronto on Facebook >>

Meanwhile, I’ve updated DustyCrates’ sideline events widget with upcoming event flyers. Peep it. iCal it. Twitter it.

And as promised, more music mixes:

DIRB! Live on KTRU (May 2009) (mp3)
Listen to the 3-hour long live mix with Squincy Jones, Gracie Chavez, Tonio, G.Wizz & Jep in it’s entirety.

Les Femmes Gracie Chavez & Jessica Lozano Live at Boo (August 2009) (Zshare)
Thanks to HMH’s Jep, I’m learning to record on the iKey-Audio. Here’s the raw, 3-hour live set from last Saturday.

Thanks for reading this extended DustyCrates Blog-a-thon of the Month. You’re now exempt from the pop quiz.