DUSTY CRATES

As some of you know, Chris and I have already been affected by this invasive sound ordinance. And it seems that the trend is more pervasive than originally thought.

A couple of the bar/club establishments on Washington have become an easy target for police enforcing the new ordinance. Over the weekend some of the working DJs on this strip have gotten slapped with $1000 tickets for loud noise without warning. This isn’t some one-off festival or event. These are DJs that work weekly for their livelihood. These bars/clubs are local establishments that open their doors to our community to run a business. And this kind of subjective enforcement does not make quantifiable sense.

If you are in the local music industry, own a venue or play music, please join us on Tuesday at Fitzgeralds to formalize a coalition to take actionable next-steps to change this sound ordinance. With the holidays (and festivities) only a week away, it is important that we plan for the year to come while perhaps neutralize or prevent more tickets being issued.

Click thru this FB link to find out more about the Coalition and how we can make a change. http://www.facebook.com/events/338256122856529/

photo by Gracie Chavez

 
While I’m off DJing soft openings for newer watering holes, Houston’s ultimate tropical crew is ready to warm it up at the next installment of DUSTY CRATES with sultry ritmos Americanos.

And staying true to the night’s concept, these guys are not only bringing their extensive  digital music collection to play on Serato, but they’re also dusting off their record crates to bring you more eclectic downtempo and world beats on vinyl.

FRI JULY 15th

DUSTY CRATES

with Guest DJs CASHLESS [www.BuhbOmp.com]

NAVO & OG BOBBY TRILL [www.bombonhouston.tumblr.c​om]

Hosted monthly by GRACIE CHAVEZ [DIRB! | Bombon | Dusty Crates]

The Fairview [315 Fairview @ Taft, 77006]
$2 Lone Stars; $3 Jello or Test Tube Shots
No Cover | 21+

Doin It Real BIG
About two years ago, or thereabouts as the story goes, DIRB! descended on Washington Ave.

Nowhere near as epic as the history behind Washington on the Brazos, the DIRB! crew of Texas DJs–Gracie Chavez, Squincy Jones, Antonio, Dayta and Jep to name a few–came to take over at least part of the now popular bar and nightlife strip in Houston. And while we almost retreated and then lost a few good DJs along the way, we managed to keep DIRB! (Doin It Real Big! for those not indoctrinated) each and ever Saturday night at The Lot on Washington since.

Sabado Gigante
And although we ain’t quite two yet, this Saturday night, March 5th,  we’re doing it extra LARGE for our DIRBversary! at The Lot (4212 Washington, 77007) with yours truly, Gracie Chavez, Squincy Jones and Dayta. We even recruited our dude Shaun from Caught in Customs to press up some fresh DIRB! shirts to giveaway for this special soiree. So get there early to cop you one! There’s never a cover, and it’s always 21 and up.

¡Gracias!
We want to give thanks to the staff at The Lot for taking a chance a bunch of DJs with wild styles, out-of-the norm tastes (mostly for drinks) and a need to showoff our moves (lookin right at you, Dayta)!  Thanks goes especially to Sunshine, Jeff, Cam, Jay Dub, Kat, Eric, Big T, Edgar, plus all the lovely bartenders that quench our thirsts and the security dudes that protect us from bad requests after 1am.

And thanks to the aforementioned DJs (past and present) that gave this pseudo ice house a spin to help it achieve it’s lofty regular club-going aspirations, including DJ Mel, Witnes, Good Grief, DJ Raize, Empanadamn (XXL thanks for the flyers, dude), El Roy Boogie, OG Bobby Trill, G.Wizz, Cashless, Nonsense, Leo, Sizzle, cameos by Karina Nista and Wine-O, and last but not least, the infamous Go Go Garcia.

The DIRB! fam raises a Lone Star can up to you, our Texas-friendly friends! Let’s DIRB! this Saturday awwready!

FB RSVP at our DIRBversary! event page.

The end has come, my fellow DJs. The tables have turned–one last time.

It’s time to find a special place to store your Technics turntables because Panasonic has just announced that they are no longer making the analog, direct drive record player. For nearly four decades, Technics have been the reliable standard for DJ equipment, keeping the music going for disc jockeys and party-goers well into the wee hours of the morning weekend after weekend since 1972.

After a year of speculation, the recent decision from Panasonic comes because of “a decline in demand for these analog products and also the growing difficulty of procuring key analog components necessary to sustain production.” But don’t run out with $2Gs to buy a pair of Pioneer 2000 CDJs just yet!

There are a few places that are still selling parts and servicing turntables. You can find replacement parts online and in the Greater Houston area, you can still take your decks to shops like Sound Exchange. Or, on the home front, get them repaired by Chris Cardenas (aka DJ G.Wizz) of  Fahrenheit-Media who has been servicing decks by WOM for years now. I personally like this DJ’s personal touch ;P!

So before you retire your tables to a place where they collect dust next to Edison’s “sound writer,” phonographs and other antiques, collectibles, curios, let’s hope true audiophiles with a love for wax and DJs with expansive record collections alike keep these record players and their legacy well preserved for years to come.

The new Def Jam Rapstar game releases this weekend nationwide and we’ve got the (promo) goods here in the H to keep you in the know.

On October 5th, you’ll be able to experience the first true interactive hip hop music game on any popular gaming console. The final seven tracks, which includes Beastie Boys, Snoop and Kanye, available on the MC game were announced today, bringing the total to more than 40 of the all-time hottest hip hop cuts to be featured on Rapstar.

Newly added tracks include:

ARTIST – TRACK
Beastie Boys – Brass Monkey
Kanye West – Stronger
N-Dubz – I Need You *UK Exclusive
Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa
Rob Base – It Takes Two
Roots Manuva – Witness The Fitness *UK Exclusive
Snoop Dogg Gin and Juice
So Solid Crew – 21 Seconds *UK Exclusive
Soulja Boy Tell’em – Turn My Swag On

More than a karaoke game,

…Def Jam Rapstar allows YOU to be the star by rhyming, using your console camera, and uploading your video to the fully integrated Def Jam Rapstar community at www.defjamrapstar.com.

Our Def Jam/Fahrenheit-Media street team will be out in full-force this weekend giving away promotional items at a show or venue near you. Look for us at Bassnectar at Warehouse Live on Friday, Michael Franti at HOB on Saturday, and at the usual DIRB! spots like The Lot on Washington, The Flat, Grand Hall and Boondocks.

So get ready, ’cause the world is your stage!

UPDATE
Part 7 in this series is with my DIRB! pahtnah Squincy…and, yes, he got his hair did for this Kracker Nuttz interview!

I’m super honored to be part of this with the Kracker Nuttz…see you all there in November! Thanks for the interview, guys!

The Kracker Nuttz 12 Yr Anniversary coming NOVEMBER 2010… DJ’s get ready to experience something new!!!
DJ Gracie Chavez interviewed by Reko Trill and shot by Druski.

http://www.krackernuttz.com
http://www.krackernuttz.wordpress.com

I love long weekends and this…

I Love You So (Krusha remix) – Cassius (mediafire)

Roots

About 60 years ago, Jamaican soundsystems gave birth to dub, a variety of reggae music that features sub-bass (bass less than 100Hz), skittering and jittery drums, distortive echo and reverberation effects. The prominent features of dub music, along with reggae’s pioneering use of dubplates, went on to not only shape a growing DJ culture but also continues to influence a variety of electronic dance musics today.

Dubbed

And true to that motif, there’s been a rumble underground since dubstep began spreading in late 2005. Although the now mainstream sound tips its hat to it’s irie origins, sort of, dubstep borrows more from drum & bass and grime. Many would even say that the “dubbed” bleepy, ominous dubstep sound had moved away from, and was out of step with, its genesis.

In ’08, a limited pressing 12-inch “Iron Devil” was released featuring Lee Scratch Perry and Prince Far-I in a dubstep style. It included a tune based on the Perry riddim used on reggae hits like “Disco Devil”, “Chase The Devil” and “Croaking Lizard”. This was the first recorded example of a founder of Jamaican dub style acknowledging dubstep and creating new music in the genre, reinforcing the connection of dubstep to its roots in Jamaican dub reggae.

Soul Iration

So when fellow DJ Meshak dropped this Release the Lions Vol. 1 mix on me this week, I found myself scouring the ‘net to find more on “soul iration,” a French Algerian variation of reggae. Music keeps evolving and people will always put their spin on things creating the next sound.

But as I dig in to hear soul iration while revisiting some roots, I’ve kept this all-vinyl mix on repeat and I suggest you should, too.

Listen. Download.

Release the Lions Vol. 1 – DJ Meshak (Mixcloud)

Release the Lions Vol. 1 - DJ Meshak (Sendspace)