//March Goes Out Like a Lion..

//In the home stretch of what some of us educators call The Long March, I'm blessed to be throwing down at some incredible events. This time around I think I'll just let the images speak for themselves.

//Much love to Devil's Pie fam un.D.fine, WonWay, Paloma and DoDat -- Soul Sessions peoples The ReMitch and LA fam Phatrick and Roza, and the homies Beatnick, Mr. Mention and Bency down in San Diego. Southern Cal we'll see you this weekend! 1neLuv..

//Riddim Right Mix #2: TAXI

//Inspired by OG producer Ski's comeback record "Taxi" with Mighty Mos, I ran it alongside one of my favorite riddims of all time, the immortal "Unmetered Taxi" Riddim of course by the legendary Sly & Robbie & the Taxi Gang. Then I was reminded of how elusive the Souls of Mischief "Taxi Song" demo was in the '90s (so named because it sampled the theme song from the late-'70s/early '80s Emmy-award winning TV series Taxi) -- and how excited I was to find the sample record in a dollar bin of a now-defunct South Side Chicago record store.

I'm having hella fun with these Riddim Right mixes, I don't know about you. Free Buju!

Riddim Right Mix #2 - TAXI

Ski Beatz f/ Mos Def "Taxi"
Ambelique "Taxi"
Buju Banton "Driver A"
Lone Ranger "Learn to Drive"
Wayne Wonder "Fast Car"
Souls of Mischief "Cab Fare"
Bob James "Angela (Theme from "Taxi")"

//Riddim Right Mix #1: Mansions

Any time is a perfect time to conjure the spirit of Tupac Shakur, and Esco of the dancehall duo Leftside & Esco just released a full riddim based on the sublime acoustic version of "Thugz Mansion" which was released posthumously on the 2002 album Better Dayz.

Nas also used the song on his God's Son album, and I always loved the descriptive detail of his first verse ("missionaries pass out papers that read 'Love God'"). Now in 2010 Elephant Man straight murders the updated riddim with conscious lyrics and tune after tune follow with good vibes from some of my favorite reggae singers.

I can already count the number of Jamaican riddims I am feeling in 2010 on two hands, which has inspired me to start a new series of "Riddim Right" mini-mixes wherein I can juggle my favorite new ones and dig up my favorite old ones on 7" vinyl. Enjoy.

Riddim Right Mix #1 - Mansions

Nas "Thugz Mansion (NY)"
Elephant Man "Mansions"
Esco the Shocker "Blessings"
Rollin X f/ Stratdon "To Mi Father"
Jah Cure "Love You Anyway"
Etana "True Love"
Alaine "Bring It Back"
Wayne Marshall "Everywhere I Go"
2PAC f/ Nas & J.Phoenix "Thugz Mansion (Acoustic Version)"

//MoAD Think Tank Slideshow..

//Last Thursday I had the honor of presenting at the Museum of the African Diaspora's quarterly Thursday Think Tank. Also invited to present were incredible community organizers, youth advocates, visual artists, food justice workers, and other good people steady doing the work of social change. Poet/Superwoman Chinaka Hodge, Hood Games founder K-Dub Williams, Community Justice Network for Youth's Krea Gomez, a whole posse from the Pin@y Educational Partership at Balboa HS, and a handful of others put it down with 20 PowerPoint slides (showing at 20 seconds each) and a microphone... 6 minutes and 40 seconds to wreck it.

//Like any good DJ, I spoke with my hands instead and recorded a short mix to go with the slides. The first few slides and audio are snippets of some of my own mixes and live sets to establish who I am as a DJ (there being 20,000 DJs in the Bay it was necessary to let folks know). All the rest however, is really the heart and magic of what I wanted to convey: my work the past 11 years as an English and History teacher/artist guiding my students to find their voices and providing some technical skills with recording and production. The beats, rhymes, rhythms and sounds are all done by my middle school youth. It is a daily inspiration to watch and learn from the kids as they speak what's on their mind and create music without a presumption of how "hip hop" is supposed to sound. Like one cat told me afterwards, "It's raw, like how hip hop used to be."

//It was an amazing event and I am grateful for the new connections. Below is an extended 12" version of the slideshow with the audio included:

//If you are able to contribute to the program, here is the link for our project proposal on DonorsChoose.org. All my people fighting the good fight, let's keep it moving! 1neLuv..

//Oakland Weekend: WE LOVE THE TOWN x SAMPLEd..

Two serious Oakland get-downs this weekend:

WE LOVE THE TOWN / FRIDAY JAN.29 / LUKA'S:
This Friday night is my personal favorite party to spin at, period. One, I have always loved the vibe in Oakland, and two, Zita and I always put in brisk work on the turntables here. It's a more fierce, energetic look than our GOLDEN night, which is more laissez-faire clubhouse style (which is still big fun). WE LOVE THE TOWN at Luka's, come early and join the multitude on the parquet floor at the first needle drop, and stay late cause hey, East Bay folks you ain't gotta cross a bridge!

SAMPLEd / SAT JAN.30 / PARADISO:
This Saturday I have the good fortune of not only spinning a second night in a row in The homeTown, but I also get to join one of my DJ Heroes (the real thing, not a video game) World Famous DJ SHORTKUT, plus one of the most genuine homies and skilled-on-the-fader Oakland Fader DJ PLATURN, plus my brother my ace DJ MPENZI inna di place, all under one roof the new ParaDiso in the already-bubbled Oakland Uptown. Now this new 5th Saturdays jumpoff, aptly named SAMPLEd, is set to be a musical history lesson /slash/ name-that-sample game /slash/ these.. are.. the.. breaks /slash/ all-out shake your body down to the ground now Get Down. It is a place where beat-heads, record nerds, music lovers and beautiful people will all converge for some top notch Edutainment. Lemme tell you, I witnessed Shortkut slay an all-45s set last week and to catch him in Oakland is NOT TO BE MISSED. Thank me later!

Also, I would like to announce the February return of a concept I really love, me & Zita's Looking for the PERFECT BEAT at a new SF venue!

Lastly, as thanks for making it to the bottom of this note, if I get TWENTY guestlist email replies for Friday and/or Saturday night to goodlifeoakland@gmail.com not only will you get in for cheap but I will donate my Saturday DJ earnings to Haiti relief via HERF. And as additional thanks, here are a bunch of free downloads of my mixes and live sets via the excellent Mixcrate, including my 2009Rewind mix, a live at Golden opening set from the vaults, and Stop the Fussing & Fighting! Enjoy:

//The Funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr..

The Funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr.

His headstone said
FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST
But death is a slave's freedom
We seek the freedom of free men
And the construction of a world
Where Martin Luther King could have lived and
preached non-violence

-Nikki Giovanni

//GOLDEN 2010

//Here's to a GOLDEN 2010. Recent unfathomable events, while reminding us of the tremendous inequalities that exist yes in the western hemisphere, should also remind us to heed Jill Scott's mantra to live ya life like it's golden and not take anything in life for granted. And to help in any way you feel able (like this).
//This Saturday DJ Zita and I kick off our GOLDEN year with a couple of the homies in tow. Not only are they nice djs but they are also a couple genuinely nice peoples:

//OwlBoogie (Action Figures) - This dapper dude has been around for a while now, he ain't no new jack. In fact I remember seeing him catch wreck on the wikka-wikka a good 8 or so years ago as the backing deejay for Kiwi. Know his steeze by checking out this 15min-to-the-head 4-track mix from 1993 (!!what were these young serato whippersnappers doing back in '93? huh?) and more flava here, like Low End Theory vs. Midnight Marauders for your ATCQ fix.

//DJ un.D.fine (Devil's Pie) - This cat Virak is another dj for the people. Hella soulful. Check him out on some ol' robotic futuristic George Jetson crazy joint--live a coupla weeks ago on Neitherworld Radio with his Come Ride My Spaceship mix, and of course, you can't front on his Devil's Pie Maxwell Tribute.

//Lastly, I went into the archives and pulled one of my live sets from Golden in March '09. This one in particular is an opening set (we drop the needle at 9pm)...one of the great things about spinning in the early hours of a party is being able to focus more on laying a vibe and setting a mood versus trying to keep pushing the energy higher and higher during the peak of the night. You get to express your inner music nerd and throw on some cutty album tracks and lesser-known gems that you love. Vibe with me..

DJ Dmadness Live at Golden (March 21, 2009)