DJ Moody

It’s a thin month for kicks basically as always in January.  My dude Aaron posed me the question if I was gonna cop the Jordan Spizike “Bordeaux”  when it drops next weekend and it was a flat no basically.  First off I’m not the most baller sneakerhead.  I get what I like regardless of hype or what others think.  Most of my Jordans are the ones I used to want as a kid but could never afford.  That being said, for $175 it’s an easy pass on this one.

Nothing too fancy this week, this Stefan Janoski Nike SB Zoom Mid “Sandalwood” is what caught my eye.  With a very winter feel (even though we haven’t yet seen that in Tulsa yet), these go with anything.  Simple, yet proper, and available now.  Til next time kids.

Picture above is the special edition Z-Trip  version of the new mixer from Rane.  This special edition is called the 62Z.  I’m speaking on the 62 again simply because I found a couple of ill videos from the NAMM show last weekend that I think heads will enjoy, all featuring the 62.

This first video features one of my favorite crews of all time the World Famous Beat Junkies.  If you don’t know the history on these cats here’s a little lesson for you.  Always been a top notch clique with what a lot of DJs are sadly lacking in this digital age…STYLE.  They’re celebrating 20 years as a collective so my hats off to that longetivity.  Here they are rocking on the 62 last weekend.  Shout out to 12 Inch Skinz who did the turntable covers and does all of my stuff, holler at Jared.

2nd video is with Z-Trip rocking his new signature model…what more needs to be said.  Really works out the new features of the mixer.

Lastly, a little session with recent DMC champ DJ Vajra.  World class cuts.

Just a little something for your day.  Leaning more and more towards needing one of these joints yesterday!

Here’s a little something from a couple of weeks back over at one my favorite spots to play, The Treehouse on 18th + Boston.  Crowd there really knows how to get down to all types of music.  The table was jumping due to the wild crowd.  Props to my man DJ Demko on the video.

I’ll be opening up for the one and only DJ Serafin with other friends Sunday night 1/22 over at Red Ultra-Lounge on 18th + Boston.  Serafin is an incredible remixer and producer with the world famous Crooklyn Clan.  Don’t miss it!

Just a reminder today is National DJ Day officially!  So make sure to show your appreciation to your favorite disc jockey, local or otherwise.  I honestly never knew there was a day for this, but it’s a great opportunity for dance enthusiasts to celebrate those that work hard to keep you moving!

Here’s a cool article:   http://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/disc-jockey-day/

Looks like the wait is over for fans of the Rane mixer.  After what many saw as a failed attempt at a midi friendly mixer with the Rane 68, this year’s NAMM show brings us the Sixty-One and Sixty-Two from Rane with Serato.  It seems that the 57SL mixer has gone by the wayside with no sign of it still on their website.  With a $2K price tag for this bad boy (62 pictured), will you be copping?  I’ve added some videos below.

They’ve also apparently improved the signal on their control vinyl and dropped a couple of new colors including glow in the dark with special Serato slipmats.

For those who know me, classic hip hop is a big part of my life.  Of course with that has always come an affinity for the original samples and breaks.  With my Vintage Monthly party coming up Saturday night and the untimely passing of one of the most sampled artists in hip hop, I’ve decided to showcase some of the originals and sampled works of the great Jimmy Castor.

While the most familiar of his works by far, it’s hard to deny the song “It’s Just Begun”.  A B-boy favorite, this one lives on forever.

Here’s a some of my favorite songs sampling the tune:

Bomb the Bass – Beat Dis (UK Extended Dis) – 1988 (break is stupid)

Jungle Brothers – On The Run – 1988

Ultramagnetic MCs – Make It Happen – 1992

Pharrell and the Yessirs – How Does It Feel – 2007

The #2 most familiar Castor tune was “Troglodyte (Cave Man)”, a funky number that was his most commercial success and familiar from the vocal sample ” What we’re gonna here is go back, way back, back into time”.  I’ve used it in several of my mixes over the years.  Here is that tune and a few greats that sampled it.

NWA – Gangsta Gangsta – 1988

DJ Shadow – Lesson 4 – 1991

Redman – Winicumuhround – 1994

We’ll be playing some of these sampled works Saturday night at Enso Bar for Vintage Monthly!

While I can’t pretend to be the most politically active person, there is one thing I do love and that is my freedom on the interwebz.  As of today thousands of websites have gone dark in a grass-roots protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect Intellectual Property Act, which both intend to crack down on foreign websites that traffic in pirated movies, music and counterfeit goods.  Many believe that said censorship could affect a vast many more things than just that, however.

Many pages on Wikipedia’s English language encyclopedia site have gone dark and the homepage features a note telling visitors to “Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge.  You can get on the site and easily type in your local zip code which in turn directs you to your local legislators’ information where you can say your peace on this potential censorship.

I’ve done my part today, and I urge you to do the same.  Here is the link to the Wikipedia site, where you can take action.

So I couldn’t wait to do the segment this week after I stumbled upon these beauties.  The Air Max 90 is an iconic sneaker that really needs no introduction (well plus Wikipedia is down today =/).  These are the “Lacrosse” edition and will apparently be featured at stores that carry the Nike Lacrosse line.  I know I’ll have my eye out.  Til next time!

We lost one of the greatest sample sources in hip hop yesterday.  A b-boy favorite, Castor’s music was sampled by everyone from Kanye West to the Beastie Boys, Ice Cube, Madonna and many more.

I’ll be making a post highlighting his music and the best uses of his samples later this week in conjunction with my Vintage Monthly.  Here is a great bio on the man for those who don’t know.  RIP to a legend.

Jimmy Castor…songwriter, singer, saxophonist, percussionist. Producer, arranger, humorist …alias The E-Man, has earned his well deserved reputation as “THE EVERYTHING MAN.”

Before even finishing junior high school, Jimmy Castor had written his first million seller for Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers called, “I Promise To Remember.” While furthering his education at New York City’s prestigious High School of Music & Art and later attending City College, Jimmy pursued his musical career by assembling a band of his own playing an assortment of major New York nightspots. He then wrote his second million seller, “Hey Leroy Your Mama’s Calling You,” on Mercury Records, through which a new flashy and spirited performer was introduced to the public – JIMMY CASTOR. Still early into his career, Castor befriended such music greats as Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, Tito Puente and King Curtis to name only a handful.

Moving on to RCA Records, “The Jimmy Castor Bunch” continued to show off Castor’s witty, pop/r&b writing ability through his amusing characterizations of “Troglodyte” and “Luther the Anthropoid,” hit singles from their first and second RCA albums, “It’s Just Begun” and “Phase Two” – the title cut from the “It’s Just Begun” album was featured in the movie “Flashdance.” On the third RCA LP, Jimmy further established his versatility as an artist/producer by expanding the group’s more serious instrumental abilities as first recognized through Castor’s haunting rendition of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “A Whiter Shade of Pale”.

By the time Jimmy Castor released his debut album for Atlantic Records, it was no wonder that his aptly descriptive nickname could no longer be kept a secret. “The Everything Man” LP was released, and through Jimmy’s obvious talent as a master of all trades, The E-Man and The Bunch justly enjoyed a victory in obtaining Record World’s “Top Instrumental Group” award for the year. And, yet another new pair of innovative singles, “Maggie” and “The Everything Man,” hit the charts.

The internationally famous, smash LP, “Butt of Course,” was Castor’s second Atlantic release. It featured two more pop/r&b hit singles, “The Bertha Butt Boogie” and “Potential”. From the same album, there was also the legendary worldwide disco hit “E-Man Boogie,” which rated number 10 in Billboards’ annual disco poll.

“Supersound,” the next Atlantic LP yielded two more prosperous singles for The Bunch – one being the widely publicized, international favorite “King Kong” which entered the Top 100 Pop Charts in the first week of its release and reached number 1 in Japan. “E-Man Groovin’,” Castor’s fourth Atlantic LP, brought forth still another successful tale – this time about the universal and immortal Transylvanian figure “Dracula.” Castors “Maximum Stimulation” and “The Jimmy Castor Bunch” LPs further displayed Jimmy’s brilliance as a writer and performer through his enchanting saxophone melodies and smooth vocal harmonies.

In addition to his success as a recording artist, producer, writer and arranger as “The Everything Man,” Jimmy’s natural ability to relate to people along with his skill, confidence and ease as a performer and speaker has captivated and motivated audiences throughout the world at various speaking engagements.

Castor has appeared on such television shows as Dinah!, American Bandstand, Soul Train, Positively Black and Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert. Jimmy and The Bunch have also enjoyed sold out performances at such venues as The Roxy in Los Angeles, The Felt Forum and Madison Square Garden in New York, RFK Stadium in the nation’s capitol and the Omni in Atlanta.

And to add to his credit, much of Jimmy Castor’s music (“It’s Just Begun,” “The Bertha Butt Boogie” and “King Kong,” to name a few) has been sampled innumerable times in movies and by a myriad of today’s most popular artists. His statement of “What we’re gonna do right here is go back,” is LEGENDARY