NO WAY BACK II

Da Hardy Boyz are back at it again this Friday so I thought I would take a page out of Michna's book and give you some interview. Here's a few words from this Friday's special guests.

LET'S HAVE A GOOD FREAKIN TIME!!!

THEE MIKE B

How did you first get involved in buying house/dance music?
Mars 103.1. A short lived LA dance music station in the early 90’s. the used to play like St. Etienne and Army Of Lovers and songs like Understand This Groove or Show Me Love. Then in the mid 90’s I got more into the Doc Martin side of things and then the Mongoloids era was really some of my favorite stuff. Like if all the late 80’s Chicago dudes are the Run-DMC of House Music then the Mongoloids Crew (Armand, Sneak, Junior, Basement Jaxx, Daft Punk, Roger S) are like Wu-Tang for me.

What is your favorite memory of Banana Split?
Almost to many to mention but I’ll try and do a top 5:
1. DJ AM, he killed it over and over and over til infinity.
2. Kid Capri… He had a room full of hipsters going nuts for Black Rob “U Don’t Know Me.” Never thought I’d see it.
3. DJ Falcon at the 2nd anniversary party.
4. Redfoo handing me the demo for “I’m in Miami Bitch” and me not understanding what was about to happen.
5. The nights you an I went back n forth all night and killed it like never before.

As Pase Rock would ask are the Electro wars over? Is Electro dead? If not what is still fresh about it?
I don’t even know man… I just always thought Ed Banger was a dope label. Still do. Had a hard time fucking with most of the other shit. I don’t even know what to say about it. It’s too confusing, but yeah, once all the bottle service dj’s turned electro and Power 106 started playing it during drivetime it was a wrap. So much garbage out there. Echhhh.

What's next for Thee Mike B?
I got this Do-Over edits 12” with James Pants that just dropped… more music from Camo UFOs and Graveleaf is about to drop and playing music all over de universe.

What's the most slept on but obvious dance track to get the party started?

Daft Punk – Burnin’ …. But the kids don’t know it cuz it wasn’t in their live show.

He sent us this mix to give us an idea of what we're in for on Friday...

The No Way Back One Take Mid Evening Mix by Thee Mike B

EMYND

How did you first get involved in buying house/dance music?
I was raised a hip-hop and rap nerd and didn't pay much attention to House and Dance music until I got really into Baltimore Club. Club music is a really interesting intersection of Hip-Hop elements and Chicago, NY, and UK House and dance music. As I got further into Bmore stuff, I started getting more and more into the Dance music that helped inform it.

What's the science on Crossfaded Bacon?
It's my record label that is just interested in putting out as much forward thinking and regional music as possible. I love everything from New Orleans Bounce to traditional Boom Bap NY Rap to Chicago House to douche-bag Euro House--I love so many different styles of music and my label is meant to be a voice that reflects that and supports forward thinking music of all genres that I believe in.

Where does the relationship btw Philly and Baltimore come from musically?
I'm not sure where exactly the similarities come from, but I'm sure it has something to do with the racial and economic similarities between the two cities. Also, in both cities, Club Music is most popular amongst the urban youth and isn't just some hipster dance music. The shit is extremely popular amongst high school kids. In fact, Scottie B routinely expresses to me that he feels like the Club scene in Philly is stronger than it is in Bmore these days. I don't spend enough time in Bmore to confirm this, but it's interesting.

Whats next for Emynd?
Keep putting out as much music as possible in as many different genres as my lil' ol' heart desires. I'm working on some Bounce stuff with artists from New Orleans, a bunch of rap shit with Philly kids, always a ton of Club music and House stuff as well. Just going to keep making music until it's no longer as fulfilling as I currently find it to be.

What's the most slept on but obvious dance track to get the party started?
DJ Class "Tear the Club Up." I've played it everywhere from Scandanavia to San Francisco and it always gets hands in the air.

So there you have it, hope to see you this Friday and if you see this Hardy Boy sTERRYo...

IT'S HIS BIRTHDAY!!!

btw Eli and I started a new weekly

Here’s the third and final installment of Stussy’s documentary on J Dilla’s life in Los Angeles, entitled “Donuts.”

Stussy - J Dilla Documentary Prt3 (of 3) from Stussy on Vimeo.

-NN

Tomorrow night Feb 26th I'll be DJing with Tittsworth and Justine D in Chinatown NYC
at this Year of the Tiger Lunar New Years Party. I'm pretty sure we got the gig cause we all look asian...
So I decided to do a Q&A with Justine D... here we go..

M: What are you currently listening to, and why?
J: In 2009 I reverted back to a sense of ultimate youth. I delved into bits of my collection which stirred up immense feelings of heartbreak, romance and an overall naive sense of happiness.
In short...lots of John Hughes soundtracks plus Kate Bush, The Cure, early U2 and so on.
Lately though, I've discovered Erik Satie which I've found is lovely to decompress and bake to.

M: Do you miss motherfucker? Could you see yourself bringing something like that back?
J: Motherfucker had it's time and we were bound to implode unfortunately. I miss working with the ingenious nightlife characters I was surrounded by for almost 10 years as that intense creative energy is close to extinct in New York. I miss MF terribly but it ran it's course like most things. A new project is in it's infancy stage so we shall see what becomes of it...onward and upward!

M: What are some of the really memorable shows you've seen at Le Poisson Rouge thus far?
J: Throbbing Gristle was by far the most exhilarating show for me. Of course, I had them sign EVERY piece of TG, Chris and Cosey and Psychic TV vinyl I own. They were impressed by my collection and said "my, it's like a trip down memory lane."
-Glass Candy finally selling out a large room. I've been working with them since 2004 so I was VERY happy to see over 800 people come out for them.

M: Last year it became public knowledge that you were single for the first time in years... did mad dudes start hollering at you?
J: Ummm...errr...I don't think I notice when guys "holler" at me but if you meant to ask "did a couple of friendly men take you out to dinner?"
Then the answer would be...a moderate amount.

M: What do you do with all the desserts you make?
J: I EAT ALL OF THEM. I'm a baked good junkie!
My colleagues at Le Poisson Rouge usually get to sample most of my creations as well as a few close friends and I have to say, I'm getting to be a real pro at producing quality confections.
M: Thanks for your time! See ya on the Lunar side!

On that Twitter now.

The rats too.

Follow only if you dig. No jive.

-Rainey

Check out my friends' band: JOTTO

Jotto Lost Man from Jotto on Vimeo.

check them out here:
jottomusic.org

Featuring funky drummer himself, K$!

moving sale part 2. help us lighten the load for the big move!

shop now

Lab Radio Update!

Nevermind the recession, 'cause we're still giving the good stuff away. From NYC to the world, that's internet power baby! Check out the dope new sounds from,

Al Kent
Andres
Debruit (Ph pick!)
Dub Poets
GB
Gil Scott Heron
Illum Sphere
In Flagranti
Linear Movement
Mark E
Pacific Horizons
Pantha Du Prince
Pilooski
Rick Poppa
Runaway
Stevie Wonder
Sun Ra
XXXhange

and many more...

And if you didn't check the show with Pink Stallone from New Jersey, check it now! They stopped by to debut their banging single, mix a set and get guest star Joey Washington on the mic. I found out that night that he actually wrote Jomanda's "Got A Love For You." Don't know how many times I've fist pumped to that jam!

this new music break was brought to you by,

Obama rocks Sennheisers

(shameless family business plug-in)

DC STAND UP!!

Another random Boy Genius find:
EU performing their smash "Da Butt" on local WTTG Fox 5!

Wizards win 3 of the last 4, then lose Josh Howard for the rest of the season. Curse o' les boulez!

Never saw this...really great stuff! Big up Mark the 45 King ALL day. Arguably the most underrated producer/DJ of all time...

And of course you gotta give it up to the greatest DJ of all time Kid Capri for playing that rare 45 King beat. Here's a recent original breaks mix the Kid did i've been listening to non-stop. Enjoy the music!

-NN

Boy Genius asks: What's crazier?

Ronny got his free kick mojo back, this time with this absolute stunner against Villareal from their unbelievable match from the weekend. I have seen about a million Ronny free kicks, but i dont think ive ever seen one where the ball is this still during its whole flight

This isnt another free kick, but my Persian friend put me on this and when I saw it for the first time, it completely fucked up my head. Supposedly, its apart of a "Heroes challenge."

I always knew about the 'persian club challenge' (made famous by the one and only Iron Sheik), but I had no idea it was also apart of this challenge thing. I must find out more...

If you've ever stepped foot on a skateboard, watch this...it will inspire you greatly!

Kitintale from Yann Gross on Vimeo.

SKATEBOARDING GONE INTERNATIONAL!!!

-NN

I just got back from 10 days in Canada. It was an odd tour because it was centered around Vancouver, with all these private parties and club nights going on for the Olympics, but I also made a couple of runs out of town to Calgary, Whistler and Saskatoon. Somewhere in between I watched hockey with a bunch of rowdy ass Canadians, hung out with my friend's new baby, caught Flying Lotus and Sixtoo live, partied to DJ Numark, U-Tern and Nina Mendoza at Shine, did a radio show with Neoteric & Dave Nada, saw a bunch of art, traded a bunch of music, and ate a ton of good foods.

There were a million DJs in town for the Olympics, and the clubs were all overbooked, so while a lot of the private parties were standing room only, there were other shows, like Biz Markie, which were woefully underattended. The Olympic planning committee told all the clubs to expect it to be like New Year's Eve every night, but it turns out everyone wanted to watch sports in the bars and beer tents, then run around wearing Canadian flags and jerseys, high fiving in the streets and yelling "Woooo!" Paul Devro opened for LMFAO (thankfully I missed that), and all week there were tourists wandering into clubs asking to hear "Shots" for the millionth time. So in that sense I guess it was like New Year's Eve. I took a whole bunch of random pictures, here are some of them:

Manga Ormolu version 2.0-j by Brendan Tang, at Mendel gallery

Double Big Bear by Chad Coombs. http://www.theunsceneart.com/gallery/

Part two coming in the next few days.

Inside The Album Art: Designer Brent Rollins Talks Freeway, Black Star, Spank Rock & More

-NN

Former Austinite, now NY lady and my homegirl Aubrey Edwards told me a year or so ago that she was going to spend sometime in New Orleans and shoot the Bounce scene down there. I was like 'word?' I kinda forgot about it, but being a big fan of the music, I am surprised that I didn't keep a close eye on what my friend was doing...

Anyway, it looks like she went all in and did it properly. NY, go see this. My Austin peeps, you're up next. Check it out or get left behind. Good stuff...

Where They At, an exhibition that portrays the founders, architects, and players in New Orleans hip-hop and the uniquely regional rap known as bounce music, a phenomenon that evolved from the communities based in the city’s housing projects. Photographs, oral histories, and video footage compiled by photographer Aubrey Edwards and journalist Alison Fensterstock document the passing of seminal beats from New Orleans music traditions to a new generation in the late 1980’s, and the creation of this new voice in Southern roots music. This multi-media archive draws a line to the present-day diaspora, as Hurricane Katrina has scattered a once tight-knit bounce and hip-hop community whose music only existed at home — a home that has been redefined physically and culturally.

New Orleans has midwifed every existing form of indigenous American music, from jazz to blues to funk, and Hip-Hop is the newest manifestation of that Southern tradition. Mardi Gras Indian chants, brass band beats and call-and-response routines equally inform Bounce music, which almost invariably samples the Showboys’ “Drag Rap” (a.k.a. “Triggerman”) and Derek B’s “Rock the Beat” or Cameron Paul’s “Brown Beats.” Featuring lyrical patterns that focus mainly on sex, parties and dancing, it invites – even demands – audience participation by calling out dance steps or prompting replies.

Take a look at things at http://www.wheretheyatnola.com/

looking through some old lab ads, i really miss designing for print.
truly a lost art... there's so many more variables to consider than designing for digital.

i designed a digital-only album cover recently and it was a totally shallow experience. it was the equivalent to designing an e-flyer. and there's so many ways to cheat in low resolution: googling graphics, sneaky photoshop tricks... (i admit, i cheated the f out that cover).

designing magazine ads was especially interesting, cause you had to think about the context of the binded page. is it a left hand or right hand page? there's the gutter to play with (a cool place to hide messages). worrying about how the printing press is going to cut your page (gotta leave ample room for f-ups). hunting down that thrift store book just for one random image, cause you HAVE to scan that shit at 300 dpi. printing out multiple mechanicals (remember those?) to check proportions and mistakes... and then the greatest moment of being a designer: seeing your shit in print.

these days, designing for web doesn't take the world around it into consideration. it's like i'm gonna build my JPEG fortress so it sticks out on webpage or email or digital thingamabob. i'm going make it bright and easy to read with the maybe something cool to catch the viewers eye (gotta have something "cool"). i'm gonna take out the small text cause that looks crappy on the screen... i might even do an animation, cause that shit looks crazzzzeeee.

this is a great short film for arsenal fans who've never been to a game.
(btw, if anyone has tickets, i'll trade you lab credits)

from the director:
"A Night At The Emirates is a unique and immerssive documentary. Shot with a single camera on the 10th February 2010 during the game against Liverpool, the film is about the Arsenal matchday experience from the perspective of the fans."

shout to Shipset's Korean Representative for the link

YANCY BOYS

THANKS DJ KING MOST!!! BAY AREA REPRESENTS THE REAL SHIT!!!

-NN

Fulgeance and running mate Debruit have been making moves on both Lab sites, moving units in both vinyl and MP3s. Their sound, which is throwback and utterly modern at the same time, is hitting the brain nerve of Lab heads. We got a chance to catch up with Parisian Fulgeance while he's touring Japan and working on his label Musique Large.

first off, what the hell is a "fulgeance"?

Ahh, I see that everybody is intrigued by this. So it's a real name. Old fashion french name. The mosy important one was Fulgeance Bienvenue, who created the Parisian Underground. So, Rekick, from Musique Large called me like this first like a bad nick name, because it's ugly name right!? and then I kept it as my nickname because all my homies used it...why Rekick choose this one, it's a too long and uninteresting story, I just can tell you that it comes from a huge after party, and we had a lot of laugh with it...

tell us about your early beatmaking years. how did you start? what kind of equipment did you use? how did you get the equipment?

I start as bass player, then dj, then I fell in Love with the MPC2000! Because it's such a intuitiveinstrument...like drums...after that you have to know it, and control it. But I started producing beats on MPC, and then on computer, because it's finally simpler, and I really wanted to produce more the sounds, use keyboards, grow up in melodies and harmonies.. All my equipement was and still oldschool, old mpc, old pc...I'm a nerd-geek, but not high tech one!

what kind of equipment do you use now?

I use MPC2000, old PC computer at home and laptop with MPD 32. As software I use Soundforge, Cubase, most of all Reason and sometimes I use Ableton Live.

It seems like a super-interesting time in France for underground music, especially new beats. can you describe the current scene?

Yeah, it's changing, I agree, but it took a long time you know. And rocky overcompressed electro shits, techno and 4/4 music was the only one club and dancing music. But now, funk, hip hop and music with a soul interests more the people. I know that Pedro Winter (Busy P) likes the Musique Large stuff, and more beats like Hudson Mo or Rustie... But it still underground, and thats what we want, danceable, open minded, but always in the creative way.

who are some other French artists that we should be looking out for?

In France: Débruit, Powell, Lilea Narrative, YoggyOne, Zo, all the Eklektik Records and forthcoming Musique Large productions like Baron Retif & Conception Perez (out soon on Musique Large) and in other styles, Gablé, Marvin, Wine, Komori, Seep, and many more.

I here some goth, industrial, darkwave tones in the Smartbanging EP. what inspired that recording?

I think, the samples. But with Alex Chase from One Handed Music, we decided to go into adifferent Fulgeance stuff. So I get more inspired about dark synths & percussions, but I think you still feel my way to work and do music, and by the way, today, I'm really inspired about 80ies music, analog soundtracks and libraries.

On the other hand, the recent Souleance release (Le Plaisir / Chemise) seems to be based on old records... what kind of records do you search out? how is the record scene over there?

Yes, SOuleance is me & SOulist, and it was first a re edit project, and then because me and Soulist had the same feelings in funk and soul music, we went forward into real boom bap-funky-break tracks, because we both come from black music, and it's my first inspiration. About crate digging, I was really into rare grooves, funk and afro black american music, but today, as I said, I serach more into 80ies libraries and analog music band like Zodiac, Argo or italian music soundtrack...I even learned with a friend from Russia, how to know what is the firt press of the record, to do not buy a bad quality one.

In France, and I think everywhere, records, as new release, are less and less important, but it still a good object, a good promoion tool, and it's a shame, even if I understand and use Serato, download mp3s, but we should tell to all music listenners and kids that vinyl is the best quality sound material ever ! But, yes, digial is easier in all the way. But I wanna thank all the "resisitance" and fanatic in real records djing, because we continue to press record with Musique Large, Eklektik & First Word, and that's for you. And I think vinyl will always exist.

What are some of your favorite unexpected record finds?

That "Argo - Discophonia", amazing band from Lithuania. It sounds so good, and it's a cheap one, not so famous, but not easy to find the good "first press" one. I found it in Moscow. And Zodiac too, crazy russian synth rock disco band (that Dabrye sampled in Two/Three). When you start to listen to this, you realize that there is many connections between musicians, and so you go thru another band from him, reading the sleeve, etc...That's what you can't do with digital, even if blogs, stores and release sheets give you informations, with the record, you know the story, you know who is behind, and I really appreciate that.

For those who have not seen you live, what kind of music do you play when you dj? What DJs have influenced the way you DJ?

About djs who influenced me, it's so big...but first names coming out are Larry Levan, Rob Swift, Dj Falcon, Jess & Crabbe, Herbert, Ark, Kon & Amir, the Mondayjazz guys called Justas Fresh & Tadas Quazar, Dee Nasty, Manu Boubli...and more, sorry but it's too huge question...eheh! But when I dj, I always try to fit the crowd, so I'm quite open minded but always try to mix into something I want to play for me and for them. So, t's all about funk, gooves, black music, and electronic musics combined to make dance or chill depending of the place. I always try to include new beats, exclusive music I got from new producers, and it works, and people like that. But my experience as dj is not so big, so I just make it my way, for them and for me. In live show or dj set, the most important is that you feel something, you give something and you "play" with it, you enjoy it and you really offer your music to people.That's the shieeet*

What were you like in high school?
Music lover, so finally, a bit nerd & geek, but who love a little fashion and style...so not so easy to describe. But a foolish guy, definitely. I love humour and sarcastic second degree.

Your 5 favorite DJ records

Dabrye - Hyped Up Plus Trax
Romanthony - Bring U Up
Herbie Hancock - Chameleon
Thomas Bangalter - Club Soda
Robot Koch feat CV - Vortex Cookies (FLAKO Instrumental Remix)

Your 5 favorite non-DJ records

Roy Ayers - Everybody Loves The Sunshine
Vosotros presents the Years
Tortoise - Gigantes
Gablé - First Lady
Horace Silver - Song for My Father

Your 5 favorite spots to eat

I'm a big food lover, that's crazy
KOROMOYA - Kanazawa - Japan
CHEZ PAUL - Paris - France
LA COURTINE - Caen - France
LE TIRE BOUCHON - Athens - Greece
LA MAISON - Trouville - France

Things you like to do, non-musical

COOKING
VIDEO GAMES, especially Zombie one !
SHOPPING
SWIMMING
HUGGIN MY CAT

Word on the street is that you like asian girls, true?

???WTF ?? Heheheh, I think everybody likes asian girls, so I will say yes; as I'm in Japan right now answering to that crazy question. They are beautiful in the simple way. But I prefer my girlfriend*

CHECK OUT FULGEANCE's DIGITAL CHART

CHECK OUT MUSIQUE LARGE RELEASES

My President Is Black....

Do you guys realize that this is Our President? This is what Our President does in his precious free time. Look at that gooseneck!

I only wish he didnt wear those ridiculous track pants. Nobody rocks swishy-pants while playing hoops, shits mad uncomfortable and not cool. He should be rockin baggy Wizards shorts and custom Nikes with the Presidential Seal and "44" on the side. Maybe in his second term when he's got nothin to lose?

Part 2 ya'll...

-NN

New jackets and long sleeves from Analog

Free Gold Watch started when the whole streetwear thing was at it's peak, hustlin' silkscreens from LA to the rest of the world. Don't mention the slump of the hype beast, cause they're still going strong as ever. Kudos! Peep the new batch as well as the return of some favs here.

Aziz Ansari Intimate Moments For A Sensual Evening LP (w/FREE MP3 Download) - SIGNED

Signed copies of Aziz's album for $8.80? My burrito I just ate cost more than $8.80. It lasted about 5 min and will probably give me gas later, so you can't say this isn't a steal. Plus, I believe Jamal's copy has some funny stuff written on it like,

"Having a copy of this record is going to get you so much pussy"
-Aziz

Priceless.

Odyssey laptop stands in CMY! OK!

Stanton M.207 Mixer

DJ Fame is our Stanton rep and came by the shop to demo their new mixer. Dude is a sales beast and comes equipped catalogs and all the equipment in his trunk, ready to set up in minutes. I don't even think I've seen the Numark dude ever! Basically this new model, combines basic effects and sampling power in a mixer for less than $400. The fader is mad smooth and sharp(my only complaint is that it sounds maybe too clean, if that's possible) and can sample shit on the fly as well give you the usual echo/ delay effect. Basically, great for electro dance/ hip hop/ dancehall DJ's who'd rather press a button(or the touch sensitive slider) on their mixer rather than on their laptop.

And last but not least, did you say wireless bass? FUCK YEAH!

Audioengine S8 Premium Powered Subwoofer - Black (AS8B)

keep comfy,

Randy mixtape coming soon. Limited edition signed Aziz Ansari vinyl now available online and at the store...

-NN

it's better to be pissed off than pissed on.....

and since we're on the topic of beef what's up with that assassination of a Hamas commander in a jiggy Dubai hotel? shit sounds crazy, gotta be a movie in there somewhere. maybe Munich 2 Electric Boogajew.

he's leaking....

doing some pre-packing before i move back to the district and noticed the date on this old book

remember when yogafrog was supposed to unveil a new scratch?

this kind of sale doesn't come around often at the lab.
...help us lighten the weight.
shop now

Oh shit Black History month is almost half way finished and I haven't done shit to celebrate! What was I thinking?

BLACK HIZTORY WITH BLU JEMZ

Jacques Fred Petrus

Yeah that's right the man mainly responsible for bringing Disco to Italy and navigating Disco from its funk roots to its flashy Italo demise was A BLACK MAN! From his early days importing Disco Records into Italy, to his days at the helm of the Goody Music/Little Macho production companies, to his club and studio legacy, to his albums from CHANGE & BB&Q and even his "discovery" of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Petrus had a giant influence on the music we all salivate over. Like most record industry moguls Petrus' legacy gets a bit dodgy when it comes to who deserves credit for what, careers getting smashed against the rocks and mafia like business tactics. But whatever...

Check out this site http://www.jacquespetrus.com for excellent bio, discography and interviews.

AND DON'T BE A SUCKA, KNOW YOUR HIZTORY...

Also make sure you support the Black2DaFuture movement right here:

http://theunemployedlloyd.com/
http://theunemployedlloyd.com/
http://theunemployedlloyd.com/
http://theunemployedlloyd.com/
http://theunemployedlloyd.com/

Old time friend and fellow TTlab store employee DJ Jamal Ali has a schmoove new
mix over at Stretch Armstrong's Plant Music website so def check it!!! You won't be dissapointed!!! Neil Nice cosign of approval! Thanks Jamal...

-NN

back in "05 when the Woodman and I worked at the ttl store on 7th street, I did this to him. He actually had the same reaction as Cusak

Hey look, aren't those TTlab stickers on Fashen's pink Serato joints? And if you look close enough i think you can see the cast of Jersey Shore (or at least a couple thousand people that want to look just like them!)

-NN

The things some of us bottom of the barrel DJs have to deal with these days...Via craigslist...

------------------------------------------------------------

RE: DJ for kids B-day Party wanted (Battery Park)

So you won't pay for set up or clean up time. You want up-to-date music. AND you want the DJ to supply all the equipment including lights. MORE importantly, you want him to be able to "socialize" well with a room of little snot-nosed brats that will probably be bothering him constantly while he's trying to do his job. And you want all of that for $100. Get a clue.

That wouldn't even cover the cost of transporting all the gear to-and-fro from the event. You want something cheap, go buy a used iPod. Any DJ worth their salt wouldn't even give you the time of day. Next time you want to plan a party with a DJ, you better take a goood look at what it really costs to hire one before you make any unreasonable demands of them. WE state the costs, not you; keep that in mind.

Any DJ that responds to this ad and only plays for what they're demanding is dishrag and deserves the hell he's going to find on the other end

---------------------------------------------------------

He said "dishrag" LOL!

-NN

This guy.... "I was never a really good DJ..." Don't worry, "Confusion" definitely made up for it mate...

Scion Magazine 15: Arthur Baker from Scion A/V on Vimeo.

-NN

If you live in NYC and you know what's really good for you, you will be here tonight...

FLOATING POINTS!!!!!

-NN

can we celebrate this shred face???

speaking of facemelts, i'm in chicago for the weekend for this. although the lab has sold out of the release in both formats, you'll be able to pick up a new promo cd from them tonight at the show [sorry but there will be no comps for sale tonight - no stock]. early arrival is highly recommended tonight.

playlist:
roy ayers - chicago
frankie cutlass - puerto rico

i know i posted this already,
but i was just thinking about it the other day.
The Korean Drummer steals the show!

if you could tattoo youtube videos on your body, i'd get this one...

and in the beauty of youtube, someone posted more footage of the Korean Drummer

there's also a version where he actually sings! even more INTENSE

from the youtube poster:
"I know you guys have been anticipating to see another cool video from this legendary drummer, kwon Soon Keun. He was the member of ADD-4, the legendary rock band led by Shin Joong Hyun. This partic..."

we've done it again...
for all the doods shopping for their last minute valentine's day gift
we've hooked you up once again for a 25% discount at Azaleas in the East Village.
they sell lingerie, jewelry, clothing, and other stuff that ladies love.

just mention TURNTABLE LAB DISCOUNT and get 25% off your purchase.

here's the Azaleas Yelp Page

ps. they're also giving out Momofuku cookies with each purchase.

Los Angeles,
Free In-Store Tommorrow!

It's been a minute and since it's that Valentines time of year, I'm breaking you off another volume of THE MOTEL MIX. This time around, the focus is on the ladies and female R&B groups. R Kells is in there, but what's a sexy mix without my dude? Also, I threw Whitney at the end for good measure...

Here's the track listing.

Somethin' for the People - My Love Is the Shhh!
SWV - Weak - Remix
R Kelly Ft. Aaliyah - Your Body's Callin' - Remix
TLC - Red Light Special - Remix
Aaliyah - At Your Best
Aaliyah - At Your Best - Remix
Mary J Blige - Sweet Thing - Remix
Xscape - Just Kickin' - Extended Mix
SWV - Downtown - Remix
Total Ft. Notorious BIG - Can't You See
TLC - Baby, Baby, Baby - Remix
Adina Howard - Freak Like Me
Bonus Track: Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You

It's just shy of an hour, but long enough to get your grind on.

Enjoy.

DJ Mel aka Mel Cavaricci - The Motel Mix 2

On Saturday Febuary 13th, 2010 to celebrate the life of brilliant hip hop producer and rapper James "J Dilla" Yancey, Stussy is releasing a limited edition tee shirt produced in conjunction with Stones Throw and the Dilla Estate. Turntablelab will have the shirts online very soon, so please keep checking back as they will likely sell out immediately.

And for good measure, Dilla's last official video for his song "Won't Do." One of them truly gets better with every listen Dilla joints. Should be played at high volume.

-NN

OG 80s skateboard magazine PowerEdge is making a comeback with a new documentary about the current state of skateboarding...

-NN

pete, thanks for sharing that blue note link - tons of stuff to geek on and take inspiration from. here are some other records that are highly esteemed in the world of modern design

LEGENDS NEVER DIE

Friday February 12th

MOBRODER
& Da Hardy Boyz

SONAR BALTIMORE MD

*P.S. Ladies it's DJ Hoff (AKA Baby Ronson's) Birthday Party too...

Win tickets here...

Sunny Southern California
(Fuck a snow storm)
Stuck in the snow, you east-coast bitches?
You aint goin anywhere, so watch this awesome '69 JB medley (James Brown videos and NBA dunks are my two biggest youtube traps): (the last 2-3 minutes are the best: GO 'HEAD SAMMY!! I can't do the Mashed Potatoes with my Nike Air Max 2009's, but I can sure do the Camel Walk!)

Rest in Peace Godfather

DRE DAY AUSTIN

DRE DAY PHILLY

DRE DAY NYC

And the one that started it all, DRE DAY MINNEAPOLIS

buy your dre day stickers here for only 6 dollar.

According to the publicist over at Death Row Records, Dre Day Chicago, Tampa, Portland, and Saskatoon have also been confirmmed. Details at 5...

damn, still snowing...
celebrities caught staring, they're human too.

Tonight 8 Bits and I are playing alongside DJ Stardom at a benefit for HelpforHaitiNow.org

100% of the door proceeds go to the organization, as well 20% of the bar revenue.

There's a sponsored open bar until we run out, and after that its happy hour prices
for the rest of the night.

$10 cover.

2941 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA
8 to 2 AM

i wrote a couple weeks back about how I think old dub covers were cooler than blue notes or something like that... i take it back. thanks for shota the database for reminding how cool early blue notes are, and showing me this great japanese website that documents them all.

bk snow day

so i've got a new tool in my sales reporting that allows me further back in the past,
here are some interesting random stats,
just giving up a few out of the 40K plus items we've had (can't give up all the lab secrets)...

since may 2005, not including NY or LA store sales:

2678
free graph pads given out

1140
Buddha Machine (original version)

1159
N447 styluses (prob more than double that if you include the stores)

712
Tittsworth Here He Comes (Serato Control Vinyl) 12"

673
El Michels Affair C.R.E.A.M. (Wu-Tang Covers) 7"

575
DJ Blaqstarr Supastarr EP

563
Tittsworth & Ayres T&A Breaks LP

546
Babu Super Duck Breaks LP

539
Krink Mop - Black

538
J. Dilla Donuts 2LP

531
We Are Happy To Serve You Mugs

525
M.I.A. Paper Planes Remixes 12"

396
Kano I'm Ready 12"

369
Manifest Cream Shirts (original colorway)

334
Cybotron Clear 12"

321
Mayer Hawthorne & The County Just Ain't Gonna Work Out 10"

365
Justice Cross 2LP (not bad for a 25.00 import)

328
A-Trak: Sunglasses Is A Must DVD

288
Pro X Fade Crossfader

283
Vice Guide To Travel DVD

277
Punk vs. Disco by Earland Lyn Shirt

274
DJ Assault The Nigga Music (Ass N Titties) EP

250
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble War / Mercury 10"

245
Cajmere Percolator 12"

210
The Cure Fire In Cairo (Digitalism Remix) 12"

200
Dre Day Stickers 2003

I'm throwing another 80's dance party. If you're in the 512 area code. Stop by.

The ticket on the flyer is really mine. It was an amazing show...

Been a while since we've had an in-store. This one is gonna be good:

Check the whole West Coast tour schedule here.

today we catch up with friend of the Lab, xxxchange, for a revealing look into the life of Musical Cleaner.

I think you told me once that you studied drums in college. What was that like?

I'm the only one, out of everybody I know who actually does music for a living, that went to music school. it's pretty much the un-coolest thing I could have done. In fact I'm surprised I'm actually able to have a career. if you're a kid and want to be in a band or whatever, go to art school.

I first met you at Spank Rock's first shows in NYC, which was an exciting time for the new music scene and artist / producers like yourself. what were those "early years" like?

at the time when we came up, hollertronix had just started getting famous outside of philly and lots of people were emulating them. lots of djs were starting to play cross genre. I liked that style, so I tried to incorporate lots of different genres and references and stuff like that into the records we were making. it definitely wasn't a calculated decision or anything, that's just the music that came out naturally. it was fun, I had just gotten into dance music and everything a few years before so as a producer I was just running on instinct. I didn't really know what I was doing, or what I was supposed to be doing like I literally had no sense of history at all. I think that kind of freed me up to try some of the weirder ideas.

Do you use samples? Where else do you get your sounds?

If I use a sample I usually just make it really obvious and make the whole song around the fact that it has that sample in it. Using samples can be really fun because, you can add this whole other layer of meaning / weirdness to the music. I love being surprised by funny combinations and stuff like "oh wow he put that with this?!?!" unfortunately, with sample clearance fees etc..., it's difficult to get a record out through legitimate channels with more than one sample in it. I'm lucky that I can write music and I don't need to use samples all the time.

Working with bands seems like a hard thing for producer. What is the producer's role in the process besides making a beat?

when working with a band, usually they have their music already so you don't have to worry about coming up with a beat. the producer's role in that situation, at least in my experience, is worrying about things like vocal production, layering guitars or other sounds, is the song too fast? too slow? and arrangement stuff. all those things basically tie in together. you also need to be selfless enough to not want to put you mark on everything all the time. sometimes a song won't need anything... that's the hard part, is realizing when you don't need to add anything.

You have several "additional production" credits to your name? What does that entail? I imagine you like "The Cleaner" who comes in, takes the tracks, and makes them better.

haha yeah that's a funny credit because it can mean basically anything! it's always helpful as a producer, especially if you're doing a record start to finish, to get another set of ears involved. whether that means giving the project to another person to mix or just playing it for someone else to see what they think. i've done additional production stuff where the job was a simple as coming in, listening to the song and saying, you know, "oh that needs a synth there" or "take that sound out." sometimes it can be as complicated as coming up with a whole part for a chorus or doing vocal production for the whole song.

Any interesting studio stories?

I've got tons of studio stories although I'm not sure how many people they're actually interesting to! in my experience studios and recording sessions  in general are about 80% boring. most artists hate being in the studio and usually everyone is super stressed out except the engineers who dont give a fuck because they're usually getting a day rate.

Fill in the blank, if i won mega-millions lotto tomm, i'd go:

japan

What were you like in high school?

really stooooooned

Your 5 favorite DJ records

pomomofo "back at the club" boy 8-bit remix
dj sega "let me clear my throat"
style of eye "ona"
crookers ft soulwax and mixhell "we love animals"
fake blood "i think i like it"

Your 5 favorite non-DJ records

of the moment...
tame impala - skeleton tiger
animal collective "graze"
cyndi lauper "goonies r good enough"
alicia keys "try sleepng w a broken heart"
the death set "clap clap snap" demo

Your 5 favorite spots to eat

grand szechwan (the one on 24th and 9th not either of the ones downtown)
tacos Matamoros (sunset park)
locanda vini y oli (fort greene)
sahara (way the fuck down by coney island)
choice market (fort greene)

Things you like to do, non-musical

gardening
videogames (no big surprise there)
cooking foods

CHECK OUT XXXCHANGE's NEW DIGITAL RELEASE

CHECK OUT XXXCHANGE's DIGITAL CHART

The Original Shiny-Suit Man!!

"Special dedication to all the baby-mother, and Frogman (aka Scallopballs)."

Wow. Marked a favorite on YouTube instantly (like a Ronaldo free-kick goal). Barringon Levy performing on some kind of UK Telethon in '85. Make sure to watch the whole thing, and dont miss the 2:25 mark – he stops singing and breaks into a Puffy / Bobby Brown dance breakdown, which he does off the stage a la James Brown (the funky guitar plucks at 2:48 are the jawn!!). Im gonna do that high-step strut-dance out the door when I leave work today....

Easily one of Boy Genius' favorite tracks of all time, SEEEEEEN!

wow, that video mike posted had my mind spinning.
no offense to artist, but I was trying to figure out if that was some kind of Warp video or something. but after a bit of googling, the dj / artist turns out to be Leon Botha who suffers from a rare aging disease.

check his site here

ps. if leon happens to read this blog, hit us up!

Will most likely never get any cooler for white dude's in rap than these guy's right?

Btw-that's a Bad Brains "Big Takeover" sample for all you beat diggers out there...

-NN

my favorite video clip of 2010 so far.
dood is like a funny puppy.

SKATEBOARDING IN JAMAICA!!! LAAAAAWADAMERCY YA'LL!!! BIG UP TO LARGEUP.COM !!!

BTW-ROBERT "NESTA" MARLEY 65th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION THIS SATURDAY IN THE LES!!!

-NN

New Bad Brains Documentary coming soon...

-NN

today we catch up with friend of the Lab, Aziz Ansari, for this revealing interview about life, hustlin, death, and R. Kelly.

what could of been... lucky for Aziz

I think I remember you telling me that you worked at a DJ equipment store in Fulton Mall, BK back in the day...

No, but I do think we should let the readers know the long, over a decade long Aziz-Lab history. In late '99, I was on a quest to find a hobby that would make sure girls didn't talk to me, so I got real into turntablism and started buying mad stuff from the Lab, which conveniently had just started up. I even tried to intern with you guys when I moved to NY to go to NYU, but y'all were fully staffed. 

My favorite break records from those days: Toasted Marshmellow Breaks, Gag Ball Breaks, Super Seal Breaks, Super Duck Breaks. I guess those were kind of everyone's favorites, but whatever.

Favorite turntablism records:
Cut Chemist and Shortkut - Live at Future Primitive Volume 1
Z-Trip and Radar - Live at Future Primitive 2
Return of the DJ 1 and 2
DJ Q-Bert - Wave Twisters
DJ Q-Bert - Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Muzak
Mix Master Mike - Anti-Theft Device.

I even still have that first edition Lab t-shirt somewhere! I wore that shit in South Carolina like it was the coolest shit ever, which let's be honest, it was.

I met DJ Craze in Miami a few months back and he bugged the fuck out when I mentioned super skratch nerd shit like the Allies crew, double click flares, etc. 

What was it like growing up in the South. Did that influence your comedy? Bet there were some haters?

Sure, occasionally there were racist things that happened to me, but 85% of the time I may as well have been a really tanned white kid. It wasn't too bad. I didn't really start comedy until I was in NY going to college, so I can't say its a huge influence. 

When I first heard of your comedy, it was that boombox video. From there, things just started to blow up. At what point did you realize, damn this might get big?

I don't know if there was any particular moment. Its kind of a long haul thing, you know? You just kind of keep trucking away and hope you build on what you've done and work on bigger and better projects. 

Any career tips for HUSTLERS?

Never stop hustlin'. When you feel like quitting the hustle, start hustling harder. When you've hustled harder and you're like, "Ok, I can take a break from hustling." Then..  YOU HUSTLE EVEN HARDER. 

Indulge the blog readers for a sec: along the similar lines: You've made it. Any specific times/occurances where  you thought: damn, I'm famous.

When Diddy and I were riding jetski's side by side in tuxedo's and jumped into a hot tub full of Ciroc, champagne, and Asian women.

There was also that time I beat 50 Cent at an arm wrestling competition at Fabolous' house. 

Also, I feel famous every time I walk into a Planet Hollywood and am seated IMMEDIATELY, line or no line. When you can get seated quickly at Planet Hollywood, then you are famous son.

You love Kells. I love Kells. Tell the rest of world, why he's one of the greatest of all time.

The man is unstoppable. You go to one of his shows and its an experience. I detail this in my act so I'd feel like a fraud repeating it, but this video should give you a taste:

Who do you draw influence from for your character on Parks & Rec? 

For some reason, Jamie Foxx is a go to. He's Tom's hero in my head - Oscar winning actor, R&B superstar, probably a club owner, and all around smooth cat. Another thing I keep in mind is Tom's interest in fashion and being a baller. We did an episode where Tom has to dress up for a club opening and I thought, what would Tom do? I knew it. He'd go on WireImage and see what Diddy wore to like a party for a cellphone or whatever. 

Who's the funniest person to work with on the show?

I could never pick a funniest person on our show, because they all make me laugh. The whole team is tight, it's like the late 90's Bulls. 

Mike Schur and Greg Daniels - Phil Jackson. Our executive producers that are in charge of the show and lead us. 

Amy and Rashida - MJ and Pippen. 

Ron Swanson - Rodman. The wild man. You don't know what Swanson has up his sleeve (probably some cured pork products and maybe some deviled eggs.)

Andy Dwyer - Toni Kucoc. The sixth man who would run shit on any other team and we are insanely lucky to have as a sixth man.

April - Steve Kerr. When they put April in, its like Kerr sinking 3's - money every time.

Jerry and Donna - Wennington and Buechler . Ready to come in from the bench and kill it any time.

Me - Luc Longley. Fuck, I didn't think this analogy through. I don't wanna be Luc Longley. Shit, no offense to Luc if he's reading.

In your TV talk show appearances, you always seem to grab the moment by the ballz. Is that conscious thing, like I'm going show these people in Iowa what is really funny?

When I do talk shows, I go in with the attitude of I just want to murder this shit. If you're a comic doing the couch on a late night show, you usually tell some stories from your act and since my act has a lot of story telling element to it; its a big advantage. I hope I can one day become one of those guests like Norm MacDonald that people get excited to see as a guest cause they know they're gonna bring it. 

Top 5 Records You Love To Hear in the Club (all-time)

Fuck this is tough! Off the top of my head, with no disrespect to any classics I left off...
Flashing Lights/Can't Tell Me Nothing (TIE!) - Kanye West
Don't You Want Me Baby - Human League
Age of Consent - New Order
Bigmouth Strikes Again - The Smiths
Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
Rock Your Body - Justin Timberlake

Top 5 Listening Albums

Here's my current go to album listens:
James Murphy and Pat Mahoney - FabricLive.36 
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Raekwon - Built for Cuban Linx 2
Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Optimo - How to Kill the DJ Pt. 2

5 Favorite Places to Eat

BI-COASTAL ANSWERS COMING YOUR WAY!!!!

Shake Shack (NY)
Momofuku Ssam (NY)
Kogi BBQ Tacos (LA)
Jitlada (LA)
Osteria Mozza (LA)

Things you like to do when you're not working.
Eat food. Music. 

Word on the street is that you like asian girls, true?
Look Pete, when you're famous, you only date waitresses from Planet Hollywood. Sometimes they are Asian, sometimes they not. Either way, its all good. 

GET HIS NEW RECORD AT THE LAB

GET HIS NEW DVD AT THE LAB

CATCH AZIZ IN NYC AT COMIX

Just got back from tour with Rusko, Blu Jemz, and 12th Planet...
Here's some pics from Czar Bar in Tampa courtesy of partyfoulz.com:

Usually me and Jemz would start off the night. Luckily, people were showing up EARLY, as the venues were intimate on purpose..

Every night I would roll up and invite a few girls from the back of the line to walk in with me..
-had a few dudes follow me in and I just turned around and said "sorry guys!"

gettin ready to cut the line..

meanwhile inside we were already at capacity..

Blu Jemz connecting with new fans

florida OG Pauly Crush helped mayor the scene...

I really liked this crowd. Totally open to downtempo, wonko, techno, electro, uk funky, smart-step, luvstep, and anything classy with quality bass characteristics. did i mention the soundsystem was a huge 12 foot wall?

me n 12th Planet prepping the silky switchover..

Planet lets looose

Crowd lets looser

Rusko predicts that at least 6 of the new MIA cuts will win a grammy...

are we at an MxPx concert? NO? ITS... ITS.... ITS....

RUSKO!! My man was born with the Bass Face!!

blipsters surfin usa

Probably playing "Da Cali Anthem"

madness...
Thanks to Scion for taking chances and getting electronic music into the creeks and cracks of the US and A. (Yes, when a tour is done right this is how I honestly feel .. ) I'll try to find some behind the scenes pics soon..

Mux Mool - Viking Funeral EP

Released yesterday on Ghostly as a free download...
Get it here.
(Mux Mool's full length drops March 23, 2010)

On the strength of the last post...

Working record stores in Texas since I was a kid, this was one album that flew out of the store. I always thought the cover was awesome...

check out this super on-point post about
the 20 worst hip-hop covers
you could really spend an hour, analyzing these...

via k and bg

This Friday I'm back at Cielo, and we are going BIG:

Hit me up at djsabo@solselectas.com for $10 reduced list all night long. And in case you missed it, DOWNLOAD HERE my final hour closing set from last month's party at Cielo.

Frank over at voodoo funk just got back from another month long digging trip in nigeria, lagos, ghana, etc and is blessing the masses with another mix of solid afro 45s that he found

*** LISTEN/DOWNLOAD "DANGER" ***

Man Law: Always give dap on the line.

Chloe is always watchin you...

there's a new generation of TTL trollers these days that, as of right now, are in school trying to show their friends those yabbos Eggfoo posted while simultaneously trying to hide them from Mr Schmidke.

a mear 10 years ago on a layout long gone from most peoples' imagination before the one you browse today, i was doing the same thing in his graphics class. Pete, please educate the youth and post that up for ol' time sake.

"ain't nothin changed but the numbers on the range"

miami says hello..

OHHH SHOTS THROWN AT THE NICENESS...I LOVE YOU AYRES: LIL WEEZY'S AND "DADDY'
S" #1 FAN...

-NN

Dear Reggae Monkey, it's been a long time...

-Keyboard King

was going through some photos today and found this one from last summer with barcelona's manager and celebrity dj, Pep G

"puedo obtener aplaudo de soul?"

Little known fact: Neil Nice actually invented the 1990s, all the way back in 2006.

In other news, Flashing Lights finally has a proper website. We've been putting up tons of photos and mixes plus MP3s from ripped from my record collection every Monday. Check us out!