Spring 2012 Mix

New mix for Spring, get it!

The strict conventions of Drum N’ Bass, House and Techno eventually made me give it up, but those conventions actually made DJing a much more creatively satisfying experience. A stack of records becomes building blocks. Mixing three vinyl records together for any length of time not only requires incredible concentration and planning, but is also only really possible with music that is sonically sparse and rhythmically consistent. 50’s and 60’s RnB really does it for me lately, musically. But DJing it is a different animal. It’s more about curating, with tendencies towards vinyl fetishes and musical purity. So it becomes about rare records mined over the years, gold panning in dusty basements and out of the way record shops. Dogmatic praise for vinyl “warmth” over MP3 “sizzle”, failing to recognize that a preference for one or the other is purely generational; failing to recognize that there may be other formats which are sonically superior to both. (sidenote: as a collectable music item, records cannot be beat). And the integrity of the songs is important. This one I tend to agree with. Perhaps some really understated turntablism, sampling, maybe even a clever mashup would fly. But the type of fearless sonic manipulation common in other genres is not possible, and it’s this “anything goes” attitude which is necessary to elevate DJing from merely playing records to something more. Is it odd that I’d rather hear an oldies DJ, but I’d rather be an EDM DJ? So I’m trying to focus my energies on playing guitar, since my creative drive wasn’t being satisfied DJing. But the joy these old records beings me is incredible, perhaps I need to put together a new DJ set and employ some of the ideas I just mentioned.

Irma Thomas Rocks My World - Twice!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is the Soul Queen of New Orleans. And here are two of her biggest cuts!

The first, released in 1960 on Ron, came out when Irma was the tender age of 19. But by that time she'd been married twice and had four children! So she could tell you a thing or two about men.  This one hit #22 on the charts and was her first hit. Great sense of humor, swinging beat, screaming horns - "Don't Mess With My Man" has all the makings of a Nola classic.

"Wish Someone Would Care" came out in 1964, and was Irma's biggest hit.  It's about a perfect soul tune if you ask me. 

Irma Thomas never got the mainstream success she deserved, but she is still known and adored by music lovers everywhere.

Professor Longhair - "Big Chief" - Watch Records, 1964

Today it's a real treat - one of my favorite records from New Orleans legend Professor Longhair!

Henry Roeland Byrd AKA Professor Longhair AKA Fess was born in 1918 in Bogalusa, Louisiana. Although he didn't really begin to play music seriously until his 30's, and never had a large repertoire, Fess became a huge figure in New Orleans music. He had a unique style which instantly set him apart from his peers, but he lacked the crossover appeal to become a national star.

Black or white, local or out-of-town, they all had Longhair's music in common. Just that mambo-rhumba boogie thing. —Allen Toussaint

Check out "Tipitina", "Let's Go To The Mardi Gras" and "Bald Head" for more of a feel for this cat's sound.
I don't have much info on Watch Records, but I believe it was run by Earl King and Wardell Quezergue. They recorded a ton of great NOLA artists from that era like Eddie Bo, Tommy Ridgley, Benny Spellman and others. Now listen to this and start strutting!

The Cynics - "Sweet Young Thing" - Dionysis, 1985

Today it's a mid-80's garage rocker from Pittsburgh! So who are The Cynics?

They formed in '83, with Gregg Kostelich on guitar and Michael Kastelic on vocals the constant driving force over many years and lineup changes.The influence of 60's garage punkers and RnB is definitely apparent in this record, their first outing.

“I was maybe 4 or 5 when I started collecting Garage records, and I’ve been listening to that type of music ever since." - Gregg Kostelich

Cynics '92 lineup

These guys are still going strong after 25 years, now on Gregg's "Get Hip" label.

Dionysus Records was based out of California and hosted the Cynics first two outings. Interesting, not only was this The Cynics' first release, I believe this was the label's first 45 release. From the label website:
"Dionysus Records was started by me, quite haphazardly and from scratch at the tail end of 1983 because I wanted to release a 45 by my then band Yard Trauma. The label was actually an extension of a cassette-only label run I ran out of the Roads to Moscow record store on Park Ave in my hometown of Tucson, AZ between ‘81 and ‘83. In 1984, I moved to Los Angeles and became pals with Greg and Suzy Shaw at Bomp who helped me to establish the label here in Southern California and distribute the first two albums (by Yard Trauma and Thee Fourgiven) and a couple of singles (by The Cynics.)"
And of course, the clip!

Halloween 2011 Mix!

For a limited time only. Something totally different - a bit of a flashback for me to the stuff I listened to in high school. Let's go goth this Halloween!

Oh My Goth It's Mike Crash! by djmikecrash

Rufus Thomas - "Walking The Dog" - Stax, 1963

This one's a classic tune on a class label, one that always gets the crowd amped. Let Rufus show you how it's done!

A Memphis native, Rufus was performing early and performed until his death, releasing R&B, Blues, Funk and Soul tunes. He was also a comedian and DJ. Now that's what I call an entertainer!
Today's song was the first big hit for Rufus, hitting #5 R&B and #10 Pop. A song's influence can be gauged by the bands that cover it.  This monster was covered by The Rolling Stones, The Sonics, Aerosmith, Roger Daltrey, Green Day, The Trashmen, and many more.
We've talked about Stax before; great label with tons of hits. It's pretty hard to go wrong with the early catalog if you ask me.