Beat the heat and line with a Fancy Pants pass.  This VIP pass allows you additional access to the air-conditioned Fancy Pants stages/tents complete with quick entry at the festival gate, seating, shorter food and beverage lines, plus exclusive DIRB! performances.

Here’s the lineup for our Fancy Pants (In the Bowl) stage:

Fancy Pants Stage

DAY 1: JUNE 5th
Doors open from 2pm-10pm

2:00-5:30  DIRB! DJs

5:30-6:05  Guerilla FoCo Plan

6:05-6:40  Nosaprise

6:40-7:30  Ghost Mountain

DIRB! AFTER-PARTY at  THE LOT  (4212 WASHINGTON, 77007), 10pm-2am

DAY 2: JUNE 6th
Doors open from 11am-10pm

11:00-3:00 DIRB! DJs

G.Wizz – 11:00
Squincy Jones – 12:00
Gracie Chavez - 1:00
Tonio- 2:00

3:00-5:30 DJ Meshak

5:30-6:05 Mic Skills

* All times subject to change.

For the entire festival lineup, go to www.freepresssummerfest.com.

Buy your 2-day Fancy Pants wristband pass here.

But remember, when you get your wristband at the festival entrance on Saturday, DO NOT REMOVE IT! If you do and try to re-attached it, you won’t be allowed back in on Sunday! Wristbands are void if torn, broken, stretched, taped together or not worn snugly on the wrist. So, now you know!

THE FREE PRESS SUMMERFEST AD from Free Video Houston on Vimeo.

UPDATED: Join us DIRB! DJs at the Fancy Pants Stage at the Free Press Summer Fest on Saturday and Sunday for some cool jams–literally!

The VIP stage in the Bowl near Buffalo Bayou sponsored by Fahrenheit-Media and our Dusty Crates blog of course, is air conditioned! YES, I said AC!! Which will make it a nice break from the heat/humidity and the hotter acts at the Fest.

Brett Koshkin

Just added to the lineup: Dirty Honey’s funk master Brett Koshkin will join DIRB! DJs on Saturday. So come by and cool off with us, Gracie Chavez, Squincy Jones, G.Wizz,  Tonio, plus local hip hop act Nosaprise, electro duo Ghost Mountain, rappers Guerrilla Foco Clan, DJ Meshak, hip hop artist Mic Skillz and more special acts.

Check back for a performance lineup!

To purchase pre-sale passes and get up to date information please visit: www.FreePressSummerFest.com

Then later Saturday night, it’s the DIRB! After-Party at The Lot on Washington (4212 Washington, 77007) with Gracie Chavez and Tonio doin it real big!

Bring lotsa water and sunscreen…this weekend’s gonna be straight fiya!

Co-sponsored by www.DustyCrates.com and www.Fahrenheit-Media.com.

Raspberry Criminal from Orion Garcia on Vimeo.

This weekend, our dudes Klassen and Orion from Austin are stopping off in Dallas then Houston, completing the golden triangle of their Raspberry Criminal (sorta) mini tour. Watch them battle the best originals and remixes from musical icons Prince and Michael Jackson at the Bronze Peacock Room (House of Blues – Houston, 1204 Caroline, 77002) this Saturday, May 22nd.

The Houston battle pops off at 10 p.m. and fizzes all night long. The King of Pop and His Royal Purpleness costumes are strongly encouraged! Tickets are $10 pre-sale (available thru Ticketmaster) and $12 at the door.

Come out and get it on the floor. I’m gonna put my money on Prince ‘cuz I gotta represent for the City of Syrup!

Meanwhile, I’ll be holdin’ it down at The Lot on Washington with my DIRB! pahtnah, Cashless Tonio.

Hey, Tonio, after you get over your jet lag, I’m gonna find out what happened to my postcards from Greece! Ha!

*Sniff, sniff*

I may not have tickets to see the sold-out Phoenix show tonight, but this HOB Klever-Sober-Dayta-Roy show should make up for it!

Bring your Phoenix ticket stubs and get in FREE!

FB RSVP for more info.

Download

Klever mix-tapes

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!

By now Houston hip hop fans have noticed a void on the local air waves. The crazy Kracker Nuttz are no longer on KBXX 97.9 The Boxx for supposedly playing the Trae verse in a Chamillionaire song.

After 12 years on the radio, the say goodbye via their Kracker Nuttz blog:

…we want to thank everyone of you who tuned in. For all the times we felt like giving up on “corporate/commercial” radio & quitting… YOU were the only reason why we stayed. We felt like we owed it to YOU… the voice, the fan, or the listener who was never properly represented…

But these are not the last words on their abrupt departure. Taking a parting shot in an Open Letter addressed to The Boxx, writer/blogger and pusher of all things truly hip hop, my dude Matt Sonzala put it best on his AustinSurreal blog:

KBXX – you are in the wrong here. You initiated this problem, and now refuse to work to fix it. Your ban on Trae, and the subsequent actions you have taken on fairly innocent parties, is reprehensible and cowardly. It’s also lazy. I realize that in the age of 140 character tweets and Facebook updates, genuine conversations often take a back seat. This situation merits a genuine conversation, and a solution.

Your half assed, one sided solution is not the answer…

Word.

Best of luck to Clean Kutt, Baby Jay and the Nuttz; I’m sure I’ll see you out rockin more clubs where now we’ll all get that first-hand “all up in yo mouth” experience.

Read the entire Open Letter to 97.9 The Boxx at AustinSurreal.com >>

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

SDF-one in his element. Photo by Jessie Weber

UPDATE: It took a minute, but I finally pieced this monumental night together thru photos and actual accounts. I unfortunately got there late and missed Joker entirely. But from the looks of it, a lot of people should be able to fill in more of the gaps and help me experience the sounds radiating from the stack of rumbling subwoofers vicariously.

Here are a few quotes and flicks from the Houston Beats and FB Joker/Gritsy recaps:

That had to be one of the best top 5 nights of my whole freaking LIFE! My entire body still hurts from dancing. Absolutely unbelievable! Thanks again to all the Gritsy family for bringing it proper. You guys are ridiculous! — HB

Ohmydays! big up gritsy for bringin that UK grime to Houston…now, i dont wanna sound greedy..but who’s next? big sets all around tonight and joker put the show to rest! — FB

Joker & MC Nomad on deck.

Purple H City!

OE and Drank was flowin'.

Gilbert feelin top notch!

There were too many great photos to post. But you can see more photos here, thanks to Jessie Weber. Other photos here. If you got ‘em, feel free to toss me more links to photos in the comments area below.

Noted! I’m not gonna miss it either, that’s for damned sure, and neither should you.

Gritsy DJs Live, Pt. 1,2,3 – 4/10/10 (mp3)

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)

UPDATED: Fixture (aka Brandon Gresham) is one of Houston’s leading electro house DJ/producers who’s been tearing up the scene with amped up remixes and original tracks for quite a while.

With 12 years of experience DJing and a growing production arsenal, he’s quickly becoming more than just a permanent fixture in Texas. The DJ of Neon Nites fame was heavily influenced by a variety of major house players like Prodigy, Junior Jack, Fedde le Grande, Dave Spoon, Eric Prydz, Dirty South, Sebastein Leger, Patrick Alavi, Groove Armada, Vandalism, Spirit Catcher, Boris Dlugosh, CZR, Kid Creme, Sebastian Ingrosso, Boys Noize, Axwell and Roger Sanchez.

Fixture sent over a couple of tracks for our listening pleasure. The first is a hard winding remix of “Touch” by local femme fatale, Shina Rae. And the next is a driving Lissy Trullie remix, “Self Taught Learner,” to add to your playlist. POSR’s “Cocaine Nose Job” and “Hellz Bellz” are available on Beatport.

But my personal Fixture favorite remix has to be “Love on my Mind”–a fokin’ classic!

DOWNLOAD Your Fixture Tracks >>

Freemasons – Love On My Mind (Fixture Remix) by Fixture aka LuvLux

Shina Rae – Touch (Fixture Remix) by Fixture aka LuvLux

Lissy Trullie – Self Taught Learner (Fixture Remix) by Fixture aka LuvLux

Fixture – Hellz Bellz (Original Mix) by Fixture aka LuvLux

More Fixture on SoundCloud >>

Find Fixture online:
MYSPACE
FACEBOOK
SOUNDCLOUD
YOUTUBE
TWITTER