Changin times, changing tunes. Here’s a new one for the faithful. The as yet untitled track is somewhat of a departure from my old style of sampling and looping old vinyl. It’s been inspired by some other stuff I’ve been getting into lately, but nothing worth mentioning because I don’t want to beg the comparisons. It’s still in a rough draft state; I can’t seem to stick with one thing long enough to consider it “finished.” Just getting some ideas down….
Nick Love Japan
July 20th, 2009
Finished up a new mix this weekend featuring some new vinyl pieces I picked up a couple weeks ago in Japan. It’s a rough mix, done live in ‘the studio’ with all wax. Thanks go out to Dam Funk and James Pants of Stones Throw and Beat Electric for putting me onto some of these tracks. Definitely check the links.
Nick Love Japan (Right Click and Save As to download. Click to Stream.)
Track list after the jump….
James Dewitt Yancey, RIP
February 11th, 2009
James D. Yancey, you may know him as your favorite producer’s favorite producer, died at the age of 32, just three days after releasing his final, seminal album. J Dilla was a musical genius, he belongs in the musical canon, colleague of Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, or John Coltrane.
February plays host to tributes throughout the world, as fans of all stripes come out to celebrate the man and his eternal music. I recently visited one of a series of tribute events in Los Angeles. Illa Jay, House Shoes, J Rocc, and Madlib all were there to reminisce and smile at the memories we all shared.
I hit the bar. Madlib orders a Martini next to me. I finger at the bartender and order two shots – Tequila. And two waters, tap, please. After reminding Julie of the tragic story of the famed producer (she’s been to her fair share of Dilla related events), we concurred that it was necessary to drink in his honor.
Turning to Madlib, I ask him what J Dilla’s drink was. He leans in. Hawaiin punch. I can’t believe it, but somehow I can. Motioning, he tells me how J Dilla preferred to smoke. It all made sense. Marijuana is the link that ties all of the hall-of-fame musicians together.
So this February, if you can’t make it to a tribute jam on your block, throw on some Champion Sound, and smoke ‘em if you got ‘em, for Jay Dee.
(legal disclaimer: I make no representation of what Madlib, aka Otis Jackson Jr., actually said or meant in any conversation with me. I’m a fan, and I’m not trying to blow up spots, slander, or defame his reputation as a serious, professional artist)
Pencils
December 27th, 2008
My mother always said I had good taste in office supplies. I used to think that it was just one of those things that my mom said because I was her son. Things like I could be anything, do anything, or go to any school I wanted to. Fortunately for me, I’ve recently discovered finer writing instruments and stationary products. That just about redeems my mother for those other things being less true.
On a recent trip to little Tokyo in LA, I came to Kinokuniya bookstore.
What I’m listening at.
December 12th, 2008
2008 was a good year for music. The Carter III went muliplatinum. Kayne put together an album with nothing but an auto-tune and a TR-808. Q-tip releases his first album in almost ten years and “Hipster” music was thrust to the forefront of the scene.
The times, they are a changing. But, if you’re like me, you don’t really know what to make of it all.
Still though, there was and is lots of good music floating around – it’s just harder to find. The music industry, and the listeners along with it, are in a state of confusion. The problem, I figure, lies in the fact that radio listenership is down 18 percent from 1998 among 18- to 24-year olds. People no longer make trips to the local music store. Finding music has been reduced to a solitary pursuit, scattered among the millions of blogs, MySpace pages, message boards, online music magazines, and endless commentary. There are no singular tastemakers, no all-powerful all-reaching influencers like there used to be. That leaves music fans drawing numbers out of a hat. And everyone’s drawing a different number.
Maybe it’s just me, living in a big city, surrounded by all different cultures and tastes, but when I ask anyone what kind of music they’re into, invariably, I’ll have no idea what they’re talking about. It could be I’m just out of touch, spending too much time with dusty vinyl and golden-era hip-hop.
For those not able to make sense of the new music landscape (or without the url to Turntable Lab), I’ve prepared a list of some of my favorite releases as of late. With the exception of the Metro Area LP, all came out in 2008, although at only about 10 titles deep, not complete or well thought out enough for a best-of-the-year-list. Hopefully, you can find that special something for that special someone, or a few new tacks to accompany you on your holiday travels.
Download “Gold” Dam Funk – Rhythm Trax Vol. 4, Stones Throw
Got Hosting?
December 11th, 2008
Yes, you may have heard the rumor. The word on the street is true. We now have paid, stable hosting. Apologies for the downtime over the last couple of months, but both the site and I have been in transition.
I moved to LA in June and we’re just now getting things together. You can expect new and varied content and a better overall web experience. We’ve been at this now since April ‘07 and it’s been a learning experience. We’re 259 posts deep and 274 comments into it. What started out with 4 core authors has now expanded to a crew of 7 worldwide. We’ve got a completely customized Wordpress setup and the hits just keep on coming.
Thanks for all the support from the readers and fellow bloggers. Subscribe to the feed. Keep it locked right here.
They’re Baaaack
July 14th, 2008
Big up to the Consortium and extended fam worldwide. Just got everything off the ground out here in the West Coast. Lot’s of catching up to do on all sides, north, south, east and west so stay tuned.
Dilla Day @ XM Studios 2/21/08
March 28th, 2008
I’ve been meaning to post about his for over a month. Last February, I was invited to attend Dilla Day at XM studios, the headquarters of XM Satellite Radio, here in DC. It was a retrospective of J-Dilla’s life and music featuring a panel discussion with hip hop icons Pete Rock and Talib Kweli and special guest Ma Yancey. Attendance was strictly limited to 60 people; mostly people in the music game. I worked my producer/WMUC DJ/music-blogger credentials to scoop up one of the limited tickets for myself. Needless to say, the entrance policy kept things pretty intimate.
How I’m Livin
March 18th, 2008
It’s Delux, son, Delux. It’s not that hard.
What you’ve all been waiting for. A guided tour of the place I rest my head; in pictures of course. With the obvious exception of the bathroom, closet, and laundry room, which altogether comprise like 50 square feet. Plus I can sum it up in a few words: granite counter tops and a mess load of shoes (mine and m’julie’s).
Weekend Digs
March 17th, 2008
A big case we were working on at the office settled last week. I had been working 9 days straight, staying in the office sometimes until past 2AM but regularly until 10PM or 12AM (hence the lack of posts). Anyway, once the case settled, we got half the day on Thursday and all of Friday off. That helps, but I can never get my soul back. Working all that time just saps the spirit.
And, so, to re-energize myself, I headed out to Clarendon, VA to Orpheus records.