More Melodic than CliffsNotes .:May 06 09:.
Last Friday my boss asked me last minute to deliver something
Downtown. I had a few minutes to spare before heading back to the
office and ran into the homie DJ Style AKA Question.
I've looked up to this brotha and his skills since the 90s. Dude used
to kill it at Blow Pop in OB back in the day with the A# Drop Squad.
He also murdered it a few times at our Crossroads gigs, down at the
Juke Joint and Hollywood Star (remember those venues?!)
Mark did
alot for the Hip Hop Community then, and he is still contributing, but
on a worldwide level now. Check out his latest project with Freddie Joachim:
STUDY GUIDE a dope collection of jazzy beats
Study
Guide is available now on iTunes, and the CD will be officially
released in the U.S. on July 1st. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL DJ/PRODUCERS!
oh yeah, i am currently bumpin' one of his mixes SOUL SCHEME which you can find, along with other sick mixes on Myspace.
Big up and Congrats, Mark!
- Bojo
Ethics for Crate Digging .:May 05 09:.
I was doing some crate digging research on Sunday in the neighborhood
and it dawned on me that there is an unspoken code of how to dig
records...I was looking through a 'fresh' crate that had just been
brought out for the public and was looking through it with some female
friends when an older lady came up and started looking through the pile
that I had been setting aside for evaluation. I told her that this was
a pile I was previewing and she got a bit huffy and then pushed into
the crate I was looking at. Now we all know that sharing is a value
instilled in all of us since early youth but when it comes to sharing a
crate with a stranger it can be awkward and probably considered rude to
make that your imperative. Now my situation was that I was 2/3 of the
way done looking through the crate and this older lady starts digging
in rather intensely. I blew it off as whatever because my drive to find
records is not as intense as it was in my past, but I could tell my
female friends were ready to pounce on her. In the end we all scored
well and we left happy.
But it got me thinking about crate digging interaction and I noticed a bunch of things that the older lady did wrong.
1. Being perceptive Survey
the situation: Is the crate up for grabs? Is there anyone looking at
the crate? Do the records seem accessible or should you wait until
people are done looking?(Sometimes there are so many crates or records
that physically there is space for a lot of people).
2. Courtesy We
all know that crate digging is likened to a race or a battle from time
to time but is it worth possibly being rude by undermining others in
your pursuit? Do you really need to get so close to another person to
find what you are looking for? Once again in the past I may have pushed
my way into finding things regardless but it seems a bit over-the-top
nowadays.
3. Mentality Rethink
why finding music is so important. In this day and age of Serato music
is much more accessible on analog and digitally; the information is out
there with a little research. Unless your JOB is to resell vinyl
records(I only know a handful of people who only do this for a living)
the intensity to find good music should be tempered. I will admit it
can be a huge adrenaline rush and very satisfying to find selections
but realize that there are vast amounts of other people trying to do
the same thing and alienation is a short sided goal.
Well anyway peace from a good weekend of crate digging, don't stop looking for those gems...
- Existence 76
