I've known about Miguel for a few years now. I remember hearing a Ne-Yo song titled "Hands Up" & Dj Spider telling me about this cat Miguel who wrote the song and did his Own Version . My first impression of Miguel was this guy must be dope if Ne-Yo is singing his songs. I had not heard any new material from Miguel for a while until I Dj'd with Adam 12 over the Summer & he dropped "All I Want Is You". Instantly, the track caught my ear. On some old Wu Tang R&B Mary N Mef Shit, I had to know who the artists was. Much to my happiness I found out it was Miguel (ft. JCole). Im Oficially a Fan.
So when a good DJ Friend of mine laced me with the Acapella, I knew a had to make something. Fortunately last week the "creative juices started flowing" (ayyyo) & I was able to make the remix. Enjoy.
I had the honor of dropping a guest Video Set on Dj Revolution's New Online Mixshow, The Cut. The Cut features special guests & dj sets including Legends like 45 King, Crazy Toons (Madd Circle), Evidence (Dilated), Ed OG & Masta Ace, + Many More.
Growing up Rev was one of my main influences, including Rob One, Kool Dj Eq, Dj Premier, + countless others. I used to tape The WakeUp Show on cassette damn near every week & when I heard Revs scratching on Dilated's "Work The Angels" it Blew My Mind!
Being a Club Dj I have to play a lot of Pop Music & songs I dont necesarrily like (its a job, people). But sets like this are what keep me sane & allow me to stay true to my Dj roots & hip-hop background. I hope you like the sights & sounds. Next week I'll post my Interview w/ Rev. Enjoy.
Reggae Chops & Apple Sauce isn't your everyday mixtape, and as the quirky name suggests the mixers had fun with this one. This one of a kind mix is actually comprised of track after track of songs completely re-built and transformed into dancehall-friendly versions of their original counterparts.
Today these mixes are made much easier than when they first saw the light of day, says CrooklynClan.net heavyweight DJ Danny.Like many 20-something jocks, he used to frequent clubs in the late 90's and hear the party breaks, chops, etc and watch the club energy go through the roof. "Back then there wasn't 20 remixes and edits of every record out, there was only the original, so those breaks and chops really stood out then you know?!" He leads off the project with a selection of 12 club-ready joints ranging from his vicious chop of Lil' Jon's "Outta Your Mind" to his incredible rendition of LL's "Doin it."
Diggz goes on to credit DJ Riz (1/2 of the legendary duo The Crooklyn Clan & Special Events DJ for the NFL) as the originator of these chops. Riz was "Chopping" on hardware pieces (Think ASR10's not APC20's ha ha) since the mid-late 90's and is nothing short of a legend in the DJ game. His chopping of songs like Foxy Brown's "Get You Home" birthed classics like The Crooklyn Clan's "Ladyz" which can still be heard in clubs to this day. A remix of the track can be heard in Riz's section of the project along with an exclusive chop of the Fatman Scoop club anthem he co-produced with Sizzahandz; "Be Faithful."
No stranger to the scene, DJ Steve1der ( who has worked on mixtapes w/ the likes of Neil Armstrong & is the past resident at Jet Nightclub in Las Vegas ) didnt hesitate to jump on the mix after Diggz brought the idea to the table. Half a year later a full hour of these chops are made and you're reading this write up. 1der closes out the CD, bringing his own west coast / funky style to the table with such chops as Classix "I'll Get You" and YG's "Toot it & Boot it." All in all the the project is well put together and promises to be a fun listening experience for anyone who's a fan of hip-hop, dancehall, or club music in general. Don't sleep on this one!
Here's a new Remix I did. The wordplay made sense so I threw "I'm Really Hot" Acapella over "Hot N Fun" (Boys Noize Remix). Hope this works 4 u in the Clurb. -Steve
Summer is in full swing & every Tuesday night this month we have great guest Dj's @ The Dime. As always Evil-One & Myself holding it down 4 datazz. Here is our line up this month:
JULY 6TH: PLATURN (OAKLAND FADERS) JULY 13TH: ADAM 12 (AFEX) JULY 20TH: BEATNICK (SGM) JULY 27TH: QUIX-22 (TROOPERZ)
***PEEP THE FLYER***
I forgot where I heard this song, but its my perfect LA Summer Night Anthem:
So I've been doing this party w/ my boy Dj Evil One called Twin Tuesday. It takes place at The Dime on Fairfax & while Hip-Hop is what we lean towards playing, we can really get loose & play whatever we want.
That being said, this month we've lined up some great Guest Dj's who I suggest you all make your way through to hear/see spin. Peep the flyer for the Schedule.
Thursday night I had the experience of a lifetime when my good friend Dj Hem asked me to DJ with him @ Game 1 of the NBA Finals, at Hyde Lounge in Staples Center. This was my first time ever going to a Finals game, let alone Djing one, so I was beyond hyped to be there. This is of course Lakers vs Celtics, it gets no better.
I had to rep the Lakers w/ the Magic Johnson throwback & as we made our way to Hyde I had to stop & get a pic next to the epic Magic/Pat Riley painting:
We got to Hyde & needless to say it was packed. Hem is the resident Dj at Hyde & does all their events, from Lakers to Clippers to Kings to Grammys to Concerts, he is the man holding it down there. He told me this was one of the biggest events he'd ever Dj'd at Hyde & the energy was off the hook. Here is the view from Hyde:
Hem really held me down the whole night & made me feel like a VIP, which I am grateful for. He got on the decks at halftime, by which the Lakers had gained a solid lead, all laker fans were in good spirits. Hem has great taste in music & was playing dope songs by Classix, The Tweleves, & Sebastian Tellier. I may have been the only one to notice his song selection but it was great. Here's a pic of Hem "putting his hands up for LA":
In the second half, the Lakers proceeded to WHOOP THAT CELTIC ASS & dominate the game, easily winning game. Instantly as the buzzer sounds, Hyde turns into a night club, Flashing Lights On/Music Turnt Up! Hem held it down & let me spin for a while, we traded off a few songs each, drinking & having fun, celebrating the Lakers W. Here's a pic of empty Staples after the game:
One of the illest parts of the night was going down to the Court & taking a picture on it. Peep the Finals logo! Classic.
Huge Thx to DJ Hem. Also, cant 4get to give a big shout out to my boy Sonny, real deal Lakers fan.
Here is a mix I made featuring the work of some of my favorite electro/indie producers, The Tweleves. The first remix I heard of theirs was the Black Kids "Teach You How To Dance" remix & instantly their sound caught my attention. I dug into their remix catalog & made a mix of my favorite remixes, including "Be like You"(Alan Parsons Project) & "Rich Girls"(The Virgins). I also included two of their original compositions "works for me" & "when you talk", which are both great songs. I'm looking forward to more Tweleves projects in the future, cause all their work is worth of not only a listen but a spin out too.
I just got back from spinning @ Shrine inside the MGM @ Foxwoods in Connecticut. I had a great time & got to do an interview with the homies DJ JD & DJ Jay Spring of Remix Report. I first checked their site out a couple of weeks ago & became a fan instantly. In a world where everyone wants to Dj but they don't know how, these guys are breaking it down to a Science & helping those that have no clue. They not only have in-depth analysis of club remixes but they break down the who, what, & how of it all. They asked me about my Conga Shake remix, Video Dj'n, & my thoughts on DJ AM. Peep the interview & don't mind my stuttering & slurring, I was kinda tipsy. Peep the interview HERE or watch the video below.
Even the greatest entertainers need a promoter. Muhammad Ali, master showman, had Bundini Brown. For all of the stars the Lakers have had on the court, the man who eclipses them all is Chick Hearn.
His voice provided the narrative for Lakers highlights in five different decades, on everything from West's backcourt shot against the Knicks to the final seconds of the championship three-peat in 2002.
For Hearn's importance in Lakers history I defer to the great Los Angeles Times columnist Jim Murray, who described the days during which the Lakers drew fewer than 3,000 people for a playoff game, before a Hearn radio broadcast of the next game on the road brought 15,000 fans to the Sports Arena when the series returned to L.A. When the Lakers were still establishing themselves -- competing in the marketplace against the Dodgers at their most dominant and the UCLA basketball dynasty -- they used to have players drive through neighborhoods, making their pitch via loudspeaker to get people to buy tickets.
"The sound of Chick Hearn did more for the team," Murray wrote. "The Lakers prospered. And carried the pro game along with them."
You might have heard that famous voice doing Harlem Globetrotters games on "Gilligan's Island" or Goofy's soccer matches, but it served no greater purpose than to provide play-by-play for the Lakers (and hand out their championship rings). Multiple generations learned to love the Lakers through Chick Hearn.
Chick reworked the lexicon of the sport, giving birth to the phrases "slam dunk" and "dribble drive" and "air ball." He provided an education on the fly. It's because of him that generations of Southern Californians know the dimensions of the court are 94 feet by 50 feet and that the team that wins the opening tap will have the ball to begin the fourth quarter. (And thanks to Chick, who could forget the basketball seating capacity of the Forum was 17,505?)
The truest test of impact is after a person is gone. And when Chick Hearn passed away it wasn't just the legendary Lakers players who came to pay their respects; the governor of California and mayor of Los Angeles also attended his funeral Mass.
It's hard to imagine any other Laker meaning that much.
I made this mix back in 2007 after "The Book of Love. Vol.1". Its another concept mix, but this time I tried to capture an element not an emotion. The title comes from the classic Dramatics song which I start the mix off with & I tried to maintain a melancholy vibe throughout. Since its been raining all week in LA I figured now would be a perfect time to post this mix. Enjoy.
1. IN THE RAIN - THE DRAMATICS 2. IN THE RAIN - CHOSEN FEW 3. SOMEBODY CAN STAND THE RAIN - NEW EDITION/BIGGIE 4. THE RAIN/PAIN - BILLY PAUL/MURS 5. COME IN OUTTA THE RAIN - PARLIAMENT 6. I CAN'T STAND THE RAIN - LARRY GRAHAM 7. I CAN'T STAND THE RAIN - MISSY 8. MEMORIES LIVE - REFLECTION ETERNAL 9. RAIN OR SHINE - COUNT BASS-D 10. RAIN - FELICIANO/THE BELLS 11. RAINDROPS...- 12. ACID RAINDROPS - P.U.T.S. 13. RAIN IS GONE - FRANKENSTEIN 14. RAINZY DAYZ - RAEKWON 15. RAINY DAYS - PHAT KAT 16. RAIN - CHAMILLIONAIRE 17. RAIN - CUNNINGLYNGUISTS 18. AIN'T NO SUNSHINE - LYN COLLINS 19. AIN'T NO SUNSHINE - JIM LINDS 20. AIN'T NO SUNSHINE - MICHAEL JACKSON 21. AIN'T NO SUNSHINE - BILL WITHERS 22. AIN'T NO SUNSHINE - EDDY SENAY 23. AIN'T NO SUNSHINE - WILLIS JACKSON 24. IT NEVER RAINS IN SO. CAL - T.T.T. 25. RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY - BOB AZZAM 26. RAINMAKER - HARRY NILLSON 27. RAIN ON ME - ASHANTI 28. QUIET STORM - SMOKEY ROBINSON 29. U CAN'T STOP THE RAIN - SHAQ 30. STOP THE RAIN - A.W.B. 31. RAIN ON THURSDAY - BOBBY HUTCHERSON 32. RIDERS OF THE STORM - THE DOORS 33. RAINY DAY, DREAM AWAY - JIMI HENDRIX 34. GO AHEAD IN THE RAIN - A.T.C.Q. 35. STORMY - THE CLASSICS IV 36. PURPLE RAIN - PRINCE 37. WALKING IN THE RAIN - GRACE JONES 38. WALKING IN THE RAIN - LOVE UNLIMITED 39. WALKING IN THE RAIN - O.J. JONES 40. 17 DAYS - PRINCE
I MADE THIS MIX IN 2007, RIGHT WHEN I GOT SERATO & REALIZED ALL I HAD TO DO WAS TYPE A WORD IN & ANY SONG WITH THAT WORD WOULD BE GROUPED TOGETHER (MUCH EASIER THAN GOING THRU ALL MY RECORDS). THIS IS THE RESULT: THE BOOK OF LOVE VOL.1. AS YOU'D GUESS, THE THEME IS LOVE. THE MIX IS FILLED WITH HIP-HOP, SOUL, DISCO, R&B & REGGAE CLASSICS. I FINISHED VOL.2 (WHICH I WILL POST SOON) & AM CURRENTLY WORKING ON VOLUME 3. ENJOY!!!
Tonight I'll be spinning with 2 Icons of the Dj World, Dj Revolution (Wake-Up Show) & Dj Melo-D (Beat Junkies). The party is called "Freedom of Beats" for a better look into the party, peep this Video Promo.
I'm going to be spinning a Video set & will definitly take advantage of the freedom to play anything I want. RSVP HERE
I first met DJ AM during Magic of '05. I was Djing in the Bongo Jeans booth with my partner DJ Spider. (Let me backtrack & mention that at the time I was working a 9 to 5 editing DVDs & my only DJ work was on Saturday nights at an Indian restaurant in Silverlake, which I made $150 a night). So, we loaded up Spiders 4-Runner with about 8 crates, turntables, speakers, & made the drive from LA to Vegas. Little did we know this trip would change our lives forever.
I had been hearing about DJ AM for sometime, about how much he was making in Vegas & the high profile gigs he would do. I would go on his website & read his resume & just be amazed at how far ahead in the game he was. I just felt an aura about him & I hadn't even met him yet.
Through some weird fate my cousin Dari who does the marketing for Bongo had just hired Nicole Richie as their spokesperson. She asked me to come DJ & told me that AM agreed to spin a set in the booth. I can't tell you how excited I was to finally meet the man, the myth, the legend.
So Spider & I are spinning wax in the Bongo booth while random people are showing clothes to buyers & in walks AM with just a backpack. WTF? Where are his crates? How is he gonna spin? He proceeds to break out his Laptop & school us on this new program called Serato. He then tells me he has every Ultimate Beats & Break record ever made, right there on his computer. MIND IS OFFICIALLY BLOWN. He proceeded to do his set as Spider and I stood there and our jaws dropped in amazement. He finished his set & I handed him a couple of mix CD's I made, praying he will listen to him, but thinking he must be so busy how could he find the time.
Fast-Forward a couple months later. Another Bongo event, this time a meet & greet with AM & Nicole, at his brand new Hollywood club LAX. I went there hoping to see him again & say hello, hoping he would remember me. I saw him sitting at a table with Nicole, she's was noshing on mini-cheeseburgers and he was shaking hands with everyone who wanted to meet him. I approached him & told him who I am & he immediately remembered! Not only that but he says he liked my Mix CD & even called out a couple of transitions I did. Once again MIND BLOWN. So I'm on cloud 9 and proceed to walk 2 the DJ booth to introduce myself to whoever was djing. The DJ turned out to be Uncle Kev, aka Kevin Scott. I handed him my mix Cd's, he looked at them and says to me "Oh, you're AM's homie, he told me a lot of great things about you." I'm thinking to myself "AM's homie? I barely even know the guy."
To me, that sums up who DJ AM was. He made anyone who ever met him feel like they were his best friend. I am honored & privileged to have known him. Anytime I would show up to see him spin, like clockwork, 10 minutes later he would play one of my remixes, he never had to do that, he always showed so much love. For that, he will forever be in my heart. I will tell my children's children how special and great a man he was.
I often struggle with Djing. I'm always 1 bad set away from quitting. I know AM wouldn't have wanted me to quit. I'm going to try my best to represent Djing & Music through your inspiration and I want to say once again. THANK YOU.
I always loved AM's Attention Deficit Mixes on his Myspace page. Here is a tribute I made:
Last Sunday I had the honor of Djing, the best party in LA (imo), the Do-Over. I knew once I was booked I wanted to do a Video set to utilize all the video remixes me & my Sure/Shot partners, Dj Spider & Mr.Best, have been making. Here is a lil' cutdown I did of my set, I tried to use the best parts, both audio & visually. I had a great time & the crowd was with me from start to finish, billy joel to major lazer, peep the video & see for yourself.
I've been working on my first 'Video Mix'. I decided to visualize Jazzy Jeff's "My Faves" Remix Album ( if you havent heard it, you can download for free HERE). I made videos for as many songs as I could, while creating a video mix, which is just like a mixtape but with visuals. Here are 2 Videos that I Made....
