tomodachi burger

Sitting here watching this Will.I.Am mini documentary and thinking about where I stand in life and how I feel about where I am.

First off, The Black Eyed Peas are definitely not who they once were musically speaking. This we know. However, after watching Will talk about things and hearing his PMA, it made me miss the homie Roofeeo and it made me say who the fuck cares about what they sound like now? Why can’t he do what he wants to do? I hear inside stories about dude all the time, but I think his reactions are genuine. Sure I don’t like Fergie, but I also don’t like the Black Eyed Peas anymore. If they were still doing what they were doing back then. now. would you still be into them? I highly doubt it. Tastes change, pop music is pop music, and if you don’t like it that is fine with me. What I am trying to say is, we shouldn’t be so negative to things we don’t find likeable.I can almost guarantee if they were still rapping and breaking on stage someone would be saying, “They are still doing that?” It’s a never ending cycle of negativity.

Second, I am stoked I live in New York City. October will be 1 year since I left Texas and though it has been up and down in my life and I can definitely say I am still on a steep climb, I have made it this far. I quit DJing earlier in the year and I still don’t know how I feel about jumping back into that area, but I have always felt bigger and better things coming for me. This still stands true. Though my best friends are on tour and some might be more considerate than others, I adapt to the situation and continue on the quest. It seems to be what I have always done and will continue to do so.

I miss Japan everyday and I plan on living there at some point in my life, but as of right now I live in one of the greatest cities in the world and I am doing it. I am making ends meet. I am surviving in one of the lowest economic times in our lives in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

Now that I think about it, if I were to DJ out and I got a Black Eyed Peas request I would more than likely get reminded of why I quit in the first place. Sorry brah.

Recommended Listening / DJ Mixtape

As I said yesterday, the Fall is near and I couldn’t be happier. Luckily it is still warm in other places and we are seeing a lot of end of Summer mixtapes hitting the waves.

The latest from the Slow Mo / Boogie crop comes from one of my personal faves, Matthew Kyle. Start slow and inch faster and faster until you are just above slow seems to be the trick here and one that I can back for sure. Slow and sexy more like it.

For fans of slow mo house (not my choice of genre name), boogie, disco, and slight Balearic leanings. Good for joggers, light aerobics, and sex.

::DOWNLOAD + LISTEN::

Recommended Listening / Dj Mixtape

Now that hurricane Irene has come and gone with a lot less damage as expected thankfully, we can enjoy our beautiful city of New York once again. Monday had to have been one of the most beautiful days in recent memory and I hope this weather sticks.

Though I am anxiously awaiting the return of Fall, I know my Texas familia is definitely still scorching hot with just ridiculous temps for the better part of the year.

Hopefully this cools you down, or at least takes your mind off things.

Martin Perna, founder of Antibalas and most recently Ocote Soul Sounds, graces us with a lovely mix of Summertime cool breezes. My man knows his stuff and just in case you didn’t know the other half of Ocote recently won a Grammy. Take that gringos.

::DOWNLOAD + LISTEN::

Recipes / Vegetarian / Southeast Asian

My recently married buds over @CoolJerky are coming correct today with their vegetarian option in their Recipe Of The Week.

To see what their cooking and get the recipe, you must learn.

A New Jersey school recently saw it fit to release two books from their required reading list cited over homosexual activities played out in the novels.

I am not surprised or shocked at what happened, but more amazed that this STILL happens.

To read more, you must learn

Here is something interesting. Another turn in the now sprawling sub genres of Moombahton, a sort of sub-genre itself.

My man @JonKwest has given us his take on the Latin influenced sound and has offered us the first look into Moombahjazz. Though I find the name or title hard to swallow, the music is definitely of great taste and I cannot be more excited about vol 2 that I would think is in the works.

What I meant above was, I don’t think more sub-genres need to exist as of yet in such a new and volatile sound. Though I welcome new sounds into Moombahton, I still call it Moombahton. -Core, -Soul, and now -Jazz have now all been added to the spectrum, but what does that mean? Will someone be playing an all Moombahjazz set soon and saying “they don’t fuck with that Moombahcore shit”?

Believe me, I respect the work and time put into this new sound that we all love. I just want it to be something that can live on it’s own. Something that doesn’t need to be coined so immediately. Something that stands the test of time as well as push limits.

::DOWNLOAD + LISTEN::

Recommended Listening / DJ Mixes

Some of you might not know who The Wiseguys are, which is both a good and a bad thing. Though I was a huge fan, the 90’s lumped The Wiseguys with the Big Beat takeover that saw Fatboy Slim and MTV’s AMP make electronic music a household name. I am sure there are quite a few of you that know the name Fake Blood. What you may not know is Fake Blood was one half of said group. So what came with the Big Beat era was a grip of sample heavy chunes that ruled the waves much like the early 90’s Hip Hop style, but a lot happier in sound and mood.

Samples, the backbone for Hip Hop music. Though the theme has been done to death, there are a grip of tunes in this ongoing mix series that I was very surprised to hear… like backpacker samples. So needless to say, dude goes deep and drops nothing but the originals to what we have heard in the clubs and headphones countless times.

Fake Blood’s USED mix series is a great break from face melters and definitely gives us a look into his roots and what makes Fake Blood a little more real. The fourth part in the series was just recently posted on soundcloud, but let’s start you at Volume One and you can take it from there.

To keep up with more Fake Blood freebies + new previews, you must learn

::DOWNLOAD + LISTEN::

Recommended Reading / Texas Music History

My friends in San Antonio should give this a read.

Margaret Moser recently did a write up on the importance San Antonio once had in the Texas music scene for the Austin Chronicle. Though I feel it was a little too abbreviated a piece to really show exactly how important it really was, I was glad to see a little bit of shine on the shadow city and it’s history.

The reason I wanted to show you this is due to the fact that growing up in San Antonio and hearing the constant comparison between Austin and San Antonio can wear on some. If you ask most 20 somethings in San Antonio right now what they think about the two, you will more than likely hear a slight disdain for their hometown and a championing of the capital city. Something similar would come from an Austinite, the only difference being their answer would be lost in hearsay and very little fact. Let’s face it, the cities are two completely different places with different souls. However, I cannot stress enough the importance it is for me to say that I am from San Antonio and I wear that flag with pride. I believe if I were born in Austin, things would have been completely different… for better or worse no one can say. San Antonio comes from a genuine place in the heart, a real roots-y kind of town, that has more machismo in one city block than you could ever see in Austin.

I am not trying to down Austin at all. I loved living there and I miss it very much. I AM trying to show the 20 somethings in San Antonio that you have a home, a great one. Your home has amazing history and you should not let the internet dictate what you are into. Sure, influences are influences and that is what makes the person. However, don’t think for one second where you pull those influences from is better than where you live.

To read Moser’s article on San Antonio Psychedelic Rock history, you must learn.

Recommended Watching / Korean Drama

I mentioned this over the weekend, and I somehow accidentally watched the entire season over said weekend as well. Heartstrings recently aired in Korea earlier this year starring Jung Yong Hwa and my current crush Park Shin Hye. Without getting into too much detail, the show revolves around music, love, and of course the drama that comes with all of these things.

To watch Heartstrings in full, you must learn.