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.

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.

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)

FRIDAY 9/25

We look fly! We feel GOOD!…Come out and play with us!

FB RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=131841798479

SATURDAY 9/26

11am-3pm – GRACIE CHAVEZ DJs DANA DAVIS Fall ‘09 Trunk Show
at Nordstrom – Galleria, Houston.

THEN…

10pm-2am – Nacional Records, Fahrenheit-Media & Lunaface Promotions combine forces to present PACHA MASSIVE listening party & KINKY after party with DJ GIL CEREZO (Kinky, MEX) at DEAN’s Montrose.

The Pacha listening party is followed by the official Kinky after party with none other than Kinky lead vocalist DJing Gil Cerezo on the 1s and 2s. Check out the interview with Gil and more info at Lunaface’s blog.

Be the first to hear their NEW sophomore album, If You Want It, and get FREE CDs. Their music is a funky bilingual fusion of traditional Latin rhythms, like Colombian cumbia, Dominican palo, reggae, dancehall, sexy dub and electronica.

Then, DJ Gil joins Gracie & G.Wizz as we spin new sounds of Latin music (bajo tropical, cumbia bounce, dance rock, disco, electro and beyond) for the night.

FB RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=131405053068

See you on the dance floor!

DAVID DORANTES, LA VOZ, April 1, 2009, 10:38AM

Gracie Chávez asegura tajante que nació para ser DJ.

Desde la infancia, rememora, su padre le inculcó pasión por la música y cada domingo, tras las caricaturas de la televisión, le hacía escuchar su colección de discos de The Beatles.

Ahora, Chávez, de 36 años, es uno de los referentes de la vida nocturna en Houston por sus mezclas originales de ritmos electrónicos con brasileños y cumbias.

“Me hice DJ en 1998 porque mi esposo era DJ”, cuenta Chávez, quien es de Brownsville. “Salíamos, por su trabajo y, un día, él y sus amigos me animaron a que mezclara yo misma mi propia música y a que desarrollara mis propias ideas”.

En aquel tiempo, la ahora DJ era columnista de música en un periódico de Houston ya desaparecido, el Public News, según cuenta. Pero, afirma, para ella fue “fácil hacerlo”.

La DJ actúa en clubes como Boondocks, Block 21 o The Mink.

Chávez, hija de regiomontanos, dice que no le gusta definir su estilo y que prefiere estar alejada de etiquetas.

“Me gusta tocar un estilo de música electrónica que se llama club, y yo la mezclo con house, rap, funk (…), porque me gusta la música que tenga muchos sonidos de bajo profundo”, explica. “Y luego lo mezclo con música brasileña porque me gustan los ritmos exóticos”.

Pero uno de los grandes elementos artísticos que hacen a Chávez muy popular en Houston es su identificación con su herencia mexicana, algo que ella misma trata de mostrar en sus mezclas.

“He estado cerca de la música mexicana porque he hecho algunos remixes de cumbias y a la gente le ha gustado mucho”, dice Chávez.

“Creo que eso también me viene de influencia de mi papá porque a él le encantaba y yo desarrollé el gusto por oírlo a él”, reconoce la DJ.

By david.dorantes@chron.com.  Story published in Chron.com.

YO! I played out in Dallas this weekend for the Hands Up party and got a little press while I was out there. 

Thanks to The Party in Dallas–Nature, Sober & Gail–for their gracious hospitality and to the Dallas folks for dancing their ass off. I loved your energy. You really made this girl feel at home!

—–
Posted on www.weshotjr.com (cute, real cute!), June 2008.

Hands Up w/ Gracie Chavez (The Loft, Dallas)
This time The Party presents Houston’s Gracie Chavez who is a DJ, mother, music writer, and veteran of Houston’s club scene. From shedding light on fellow female DJ’s as a co-founder of the “Les Femmes” project, to her recent ten thousand download triumph of her recent “Yo, Mami” mix, Chavez is quite the overachiever as well as the perfect act with a pedigree heavy enough to headline the chaos of The Party. Read the excellent interview over at Central Booking.
 
—–

Posted on www.centralbooking.blogspot.com, June 2008.

This weekend Dallas is gonna get that “trato especial” for real as Hands Up hosts Htown’s finest Gracie Chavez this Saturday @ The Loft.

We were lucky enough to meet Gracie a few months back as The Party started picking up steam in Houston, but the word had been out on this girl WAY before we ever started at Boondocks. With 10 years behind the decks, fresh off the RockBox gig and already mixing it up with her Ruff Cut monthly, this girl is obviously a seasoned OG!! The YO! Mami mix that scored 10,000 downloads in a day kinda spoke for itself alittle something too… Gracie’s got the city hot!

We got together earlier this week for a little back and forth. Here’s what she had to say about Rock Box, Htown, being a mom, and whatever else came to mind…

So we’re all very excited to have you playing with us at Hands Up.  Can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you live now, where you grew up, what crews or affiliates you are part of?
Gracie Chavez: I’ve been DJing for almost 10 years now, representin’ Hustletown to the fullest. I grew up in the 5th Ward area in Northside Houston so I guess I’ve got a little bit of that ’round the way girl in me…

Read more >>
Photos from Saturday’s Hands Up party are up on www.centralbooking.blogspot.com.
You can download the YO! Mami mix here: http://www.zshare.net/audio/12934413e897e70c.

A sort of dress rehearsal, this is how it went down at The Flat just recently for Jukebot. Yeah, Shina’s wild all right!

I’ll be guest DJing at cMo’s Jukebox one SAT of the month. Stop by sometime.
Video: djcMo.com