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December 30, 2009

J Rocc and Cokni O'Dire at Beatjunkies Radio

Got the opportunity yesterday to roll through with my man Cokni O'Dire who was doing a session with DJ J Rocc (Beatjunkies/Stones Throw) on Beatjunkies Radio. An internet radio show that streams live online. Me, Cokni, and J Rocc go way back as both DJ's who worked together at clubs in the early days of the L.A. hip hop music scene and as peers who have continuously dropped knowledge of reggae, rare groove, and soul breaks on each other. J had asked if I brought records to mix, but for the day I was just there to represent. Here's some photo's I took.

Getting started


Inspiration




Goin' live on Beatjunkie Radio


Also streaming on Beatminerz Radio


Music


Cokni O'Dire pon de mic


J Rocc'n the 7's








Also, if you didn't know, this is called the show


December 28, 2009

Umoja Soundsystem 12/27/09 - Photo's and Video

3:35 am 12/28/09
Just got back from vibing with the Umoja crew and some very good friends. Mad love to the L.A. foundation. Here's some photos and a video of the Umoja Quintet, a group of talented jazz cats that i've had the pleasure of working with for well over 15 years now. It was a good night, not a lot of people showed up but the love was definitely in the air. And the music was crushing fools as always.

Josh Koslow (trumpet)



Emile Poree (Guitar)





Sign on the wall at The Grand Star!



DJ Cokni O'Dire (never retire)



Move The Crowd



DJ Jun and friend



Me and Dave O from the Dub Club - photo (c) Adam 12. You can check out more of Adam's photo's here: http://afex-djadam12.blogspot.com/

December 21, 2009

Diggin' @ the L.A. Beat Swap Meet 12/20/09

Sold some records yesterday at the L.A. Beat Swap Meet. A quarter yearly gathering dedicated to the never dying music format, the vinyl record! Didn't do too well this time 'slanging wax' most likely due to the economy and it's close proximity to Christmas but the camaraderie between collectors, deejays, and music fanatics definitely made it worth my while. I managed to take a look around while my girlfriend manned the stall, and found some enjoyment in a vendor that had cassette tapes for sale. There was food, clothing, and a whole heap of vinyl for sale. Not that I need anymore records filling up my house, but I did buy a clean copy of Bob Marley & The Wailer's "Uprising" LP for $5 from a guy who looked like he's been collecting and selling vinyl since the late 70's. There were live performances and DJ's both upstairs and downstairs at the Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown.

Here's some photo's from the event.

The legendary MC Percee P performing Live:


DJ Stan of the Soul Children playing original breaks:


For sale:


Me diggin'

December 12, 2009

Podcasts I'm a fan of...

I try not to over promote myself without giving respect due to artists, dj's, and podcasters alike who's mixes I have stumbled across while doing my own mixes on podomatic.com, but some of these guys respectfully are putting together music that I feel is earnest, cultured, and true to their own ideas of why music inspires them. So with that being said, here are my 3 current favorites. I'll give a little prologue into why I like them and include the link too.

First off my main man DJ GREEDY G comin' straight out of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England spinnin' original rock steady and ska grooves, this geezer has been collecting vinyl from jump and doesn't give a f*ck what you think, he ain't playing no modern "bling bling" shite, just pure reggae niceness, including The Skatalites version of "Baby Elephant Walk" and nuff rockers and rock steady chune, DJ Greedy G is the working mans DJ and his music is pure (no chemicals). Check him out http://djgreedyg.podOmatic.com/ or on http://www.myspace.com/djgreedyg.

http://djgreedyg.podOmatic.com/


Next up is the Dope Joint Hip Hop Show. A "true school" hip hop mix show on CJUM 101.5 (University of Manitoba) comin' straight out of Winnipeg, Canada. Kinetik The Jointman and @Large play and reminisce about some of their favorite joints from Hip Hop's golden era, and they do a mighty fine job. I have to say that the attraction for me is their knowledge of hip hop and their overly Canadian voices. It's like Bob and Doug McKenzie from SCTV meets The World Famous Supreme Team Show, HOSER!... It's raw but calmly Canadian, and it's pure hip hop. Check it out: http://dopespot.podOmatic.com/

http://dopespot.podOmatic.com/


And last but mos' definitely not least is http://umojahifi.podomatic.com/ yeah that's right!, my crew. Ya done know... UMOJA SOUNDSYSTEM been doin' ting's big and if there was ever a crew of rag tag degenerates that inspired a whole heap of DJ's (some very famous one's, but we'll leave it at that) through their sound, it's this bunch. Umoja is the dj's deejay. Spinnin' sounds from soul and reggae, dancehall and D&B, rare groove and hip hop, and all things rhythmic and conscious. Just check out DJ Tomas' "I'm A Rootsman" reggae mix to get a feel for the history and knowledge of this crew. And we been challenging and inspiring each other for close to 20 years and you can hear it in the mixes. DJ's Tomas, Jun, Culture D, Cokni O'Dire, and Daz aka UMOJA sound, holdin' it down for the crown. Large Up! http://umojahifi.podomatic.com/

http://umojahifi.podomatic.com/

Nothing much goin' on so here's another video pick :)

Shuggie Otis "Sweet Thang". DOPE!

December 6, 2009

Umoja Soundsystem @ The Grand Star Dec. 27th





SUNDAY DEC 27 2009 IN LA!

A Night Called...

"Five The Hard Way!"


The Umoja Hi-Fi Posse Rides Again!


On Sunday December 27th, 2009
Umoja Hi-Fi Soundsystem (a.k.a. The Unity Sound)

will play a special session in Los Angeles!


DJs on the night include:
Daz (UK/LA
)
Tomas (SF)

Jun (LA)

Culture D (LA)

Cokni O' Dire (UK/NY/Dallas)


5 Outlaw Selectas Spinning

Reggae – Dancehall – Hip-Hop – Funk

Dubstep – House – D&B – Classics


Celebrate Kwanzaa with Umoja Hi-Fi’s
biggest session of 2009!


Featuring live jazz by:
The Umoja Quintet


Grand Star 943 N. Broadway Downtown LA
10 p.m. – 2 a.m. / 21 w/ID / $5 before 10:30 p.m.

December 2, 2009

dAz's weekly Diggin In The Crates album pick: #2

CYMANDE - "2nd TIME AROUND"

What can I say about this album except that most of Cymande's more famous/well known tracks were actually on their first "self titled" album with more familiar samples and funky grooves. But this album was always a little more deep to me, so I have a better appreciation for it.



With tracks like: Genevieve, Willy's Headache, Crawshay, & Fug. The simple rhythms, rolling bass lines, funky horns, piano riffs, hand claps, percussion, drums, and conscious lyrics of "Second Time Around" made for one of those albums that makes you want to roll up a joint, burn some incense, play from start to finish, and just be freeeeee. Its like a harder, deeper, funkier version of it's predecessor infusing funk and calypso rhythms due to the Jamaican, Guyanese, and British back grounds of the band and their influences of American funk and r&b. With lyrics like "It makes no difference what you think of me, once again I'm free" you can see that they were most likely influenced by the Marvin Gaye songs "What's Going On" and "Inner City Blues" due to the time period of the albums release.

I have to say that I'm surprised that Hip Hop producers during the "golden era" didn't loop up some of these breaks because they are mos' def' simplistically banging, and just primed for an ill mc to toast nice vibes over the top of these loops. Trust me, ya need this album in ya life, either on Vinyl, CD or MP3. I have an original press Lp. Sorry... now I'm just braggin'. hehe


Crawshay - Cymande

November 29, 2009

dAz's weekly Diggin In The Crates album pick:

In order to christen my new blog page and to begin a column with something that is both interesting to me, and I hope to you... I thought I'd start a weekly review of some music that has inspired me over my 20 year career of diggin' for records. Every week I will be diggin' into my vast 10,000+ collection of Lp's, 12" and 7" records to review some of my favorite music that has inspired me over the years, and what better to start with than an album that wouldn't necessarily be in my all time Top 10, but had an impact on me as powerful as some of the best hip hop being released in the late 80's... Boogie Down Productions "Criminal Minded"



Originally released in 1987 on B BOY Records... I can't tell you much about the history of the record label, but after reading about it's history on Wikipedia Criminal Minded on Wikipedia the usual scenario of the label not paying royalties forced BDP to settle out of court and move to a deal with Warner Bros that didn't work out, then onto Jive Records. On a side note, something that I was unaware of is that CED GEE of ULTRAMAGNETIC MC's fame co-produced a lot of the album.

I can tell you as a 15 year old kid living in the suburbs of England that when albums like BDP's "Criminal Minded", Big Daddy Kane's "The Wrath Of Kane" and Public Enemy's "Yo!, Bum Rush The Show" hit the record stores, radio, and clubs in The UK, it was like a whole new world opened up for me. Music that was revolutionary, poetic, contemporary, and clever. It felt more than just something to listen to... it was a movement. And either you were part of the movement or you were just a part time sucker.

With songs like "The Bridge Is Over", "Poetry", "The South Bronx", "Super Hoe" and the title track "Criminal Minded" the whole CRIMINAL MINDED lp is like a great piece of art where every song is a color making up the canvas of life in The Bronx, Toronto, and Manhattan, with KRS-One painting the vivid reality of street rhymes and the daily operation of what would become a psalm in the book of hip hop history.


The Bridge Is Over - Boogie Down Productions

November 27, 2009

Welcome...



20 years of experience as a dj/promoter/producer and all around horticulturalist on digging for beats and planting the musical seeds of rhythms and sounds in the Los Angeles music scene, dj dAz brings you the best in soul, reggae, hip hop, jazz, funk, deep house, and dance classic podcasts available for free download @ dazdillinja.podomatic.com