And... Go.

Here's the set from last Wednesday's gig... Another week, another fun throwdown at Pianos . This one was a bit mellower than previous weeks, and I was once again kinda pushing to see what I could get away with. Trying to mix my familiar tunes in different ways, incorporate different material, and only reaching for the standby songs/segues when I got myself into a jam and needed a second to breathe. The Rulers- Wrong 'Em Boyo Lafayette Afro-Rock Band- Hihache King Curtis- Sing A Simple Song Cymande- The Message Gang Starr- DJ Premier In Deep Concentration Marlena Shaw- California Soul Blackalicious- Deception CSC Funk Band- Bad Banana Bread The Meters- Chug-Chug-Chug-A-Lug The Soul Lifters- Hot, Funky And Sweaty Trinidad Tripoli Steel Band- Cissy Strut 6ix- I'm Just Like You Rudy Robinson & The Hungry Five- Get It Together (pts 1 & 2) Charles Wright- You Gotta Know Whatcha Doin' The Jackson 5- How Funky Is Your Chicken James Brown- Funky Drummer The Mighty...

Here's the rundown of my set at 151 from a couple weeks ago... Or at least the first couple hours thereof. It was a slow night, and I decided to kick things off with a lot of stomping-skanking-honking grooves. Stuck in that vein 'til midnight or so, then transitioned to a funk/soul blend; cueing tracks back and forth between a few compilations, trying to get familiar with some reissues I'd recently acquired (and I stopped keeping a record of what I was playing at that point). So. A set of ska/garage/r&b/soul titles for your perusal: The Wailers- Tall Cool One Baba Brooks & His Band- One Eyed Giant Prince Buster- 7 Wonders Of The World Shane Kai Ray- Jungle Talk Calvin Cool- El Telecote The Savoys- Slappin' Rods & Leaky Oil The Four Sounds- Mama Ubangi Bangi Baby Huey & The Babysitters- Monkey Man The Maytals- Monkey Man The Shardells- Black Crack The Tennors- Ride The Donkey Skip Cole- Do The Whip Prince Buster- Madness Clarence & Calvin- Rooster...

Here's my Wednesday evening set from two weeks ago, starting pretty heavy on the soul/bluebeat/ska/funk, and branching into more classic hip-hop and block party tunes as it goes... Been picking up lots more reissues lately, and trying to push myself a little harder to play less of my standby tracks / play familiar things in a different order. So, there's still plenty of faves, but not as I'd normally use 'em... Good to aim a bit out of the comfort zone once in a while. Rico- Sea Cruise King Curtis- Sing A Simple Song The Paragons- On The Beach Eric Morris- If I Didn't Love You Alton Ellis & The Flames- Girl, I've Got A Date Ike Turner & The Kings Of Rhythm- Getting Nasty Tim Armstrong- Hold On The Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band- Watts Happening The Harry J Allstars- UFO Eric Donaldson- Cherry Oh Baby The Selecter- s/t Don Covay- Sookie Sookie Roger & The Gypsies- Pass The Hatchet The Houseguests- What So Never The Dance (pts 1 & 2) Sly & The ...

It's been a while since I wrote anything here. The last few weeks have seen my life turned upside-down in fairly comprehensive fashion, and I expect the next few will continue the trend. The cafe has re-opened, and I'm back making coffee and working seven days / week (between two jobs). I've moved out of the apartment I was in for the past 4 years, put nearly everything I own into a Manhattan Mini-Storage space on the Westside Highway, and am staying on couches and floors of friends for the next few weeks. If all goes well, will have a new (bigger and better) place come August, living with my old pal Will in the Lower East Side. Gonna be DJing at NuBlu on the 20th of this month with a couple friends (which should be AWESOME). Have set August 3rd-13th as the dates for my next swing through California, staying in Santa Cruz with family, catching up with friends, and doing lots of wandering around. And in the midst of all this, I somehow end up dating an amazing girl. D...

The song of the summer will be Kanye West and Daft Punk's "Stronger". In-f***ing-credible. I've so far only heard it as a minute-long clip on a mixtape and as an mp3 taken from a radio broadcast in the UK (which has the DJ talking over large portions of it). It's not officially released for a little while. And it's already my new favorite thing. It tears Daft Punk's classic "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" apart, and then rebuilds it as an unstoppable juggernaut of synth-fueled hip-hop grandeur. A beat to slay the mightiest dancefloor, and the best lyrics of anything Kanye's done by far. "Let's get lost tonight. You could be my black Kate Moss tonight. Play secretary on the boss tonight..." This is the jam. This will be the tune to drop at every party. This will create sex on the dancefloor in a way nothing has in a few years. That is all. You heard it here first. -PAR