AmericanPupusa

"Let's Welcome the Mayan Zombies" AmericanPupusa 2011 End of Year Party Mix!

2011-12-30T18:30:00.005-05:00

--> Download your mix of mixes here! <--

There was just TOO much good stuff this year... bumpy, bassy, classy, and sassy. The mix is what I'd imagine my favorite party to be. But, I'll let the music speak for itself! Happy New Year and all that!

Let's Welcome the Mayan Zombies - AmericanPupusa 2011 End of Year Party Mix by Illselection on Mixcloud

TRACKLISTING:
6 Foot 7 Foot – Lil Wayne(J-Trick Moombahton Edit)
Ella es el Animal – Cardopusher
Puta Que Paria – DousterFeat MC Dandão
Panty Wanty – Los Rakas
Beatch Brasil – DJ SanyPitbull
Bang – Rye Rye (DJ Sega’sPhilly Club Remix)
Otis – Kanye West and Jay Z(DJ Rockid’s Frantic Bootleg)
Murda Sound – Munchi
El Botellon - Grupo Naidy (Uproot Andy refix)
Let it all out 2012 – DJMikeQ feat Jay Karan
Getting me Down – Blawan
Here 4 U – Deadboy
Let Me Know (Tasting) –Brenmar
White Horse – Laid Back
Here Come Da – A1 Bassline
Inna Dat – Tomb Crew (RicoTubbs & Will Power Remix)
Who’s Afraid of Rio? –Daniel Haaksman feat MC Jennifer
Tribalismo – Batida
The Phantom – RenegadeSoundwave
Energy Flash – Joey Beltram
Pushing Little Daisies –Mimosa
Gbye – Machinedrum
Renegade Berberse – Venus X
True Romance – D Bridge

Slate Magazine: Dubstep's Breakout Year in One Info Graphic

2011-12-30T09:49:00.003-05:00

In Tumblr fashion, Slate Magazine shares some links and jumps about Dubstep's takeover of 2011 based on MTVs infographic of how the genre did this year. It's informative and provides enough coffee table fodder for conversations amongst hipsters and sophistos.

I still am wondering how the transition took place from the old guarde of DMZ, Chef, and all them crew, to the post-Dubstep crew to the Brostep/Mainstream/Skrillex crew... I can only trace it to Dub Police's mid-range sound, then Rusko jumping ship to the Diplo camp, and Skream and Benga's natural trajectory towards mainstream formats. But it still seems that Skrillex has no ties to all this... hmmmm...

Anyway, as much as I didn't enjoy Dubstep this year, I'd rather have had that selling me cereal and diapers than anything else... then again, there wasn't anything else besides Dubstep this year.

Critic’s Notebook Social-Minded Hip-Hop Is Making a Comeback - NY Times

2011-12-24T02:11:00.004-05:00

Good article that brings up the generational gap in Hip Hop - particularly calling of a rise in socially conscious Hip Hop in the mainstream. I like how the article distinguishes the generational gaps taking place, noting how this isn't the same as before... and the failure of the older socially conscious rap to entertain. I don't know if one rapper signifies a monumental shift, as thug and party rappers have always thrown in a socially conscious rap once in a blue moon. I do agree that the distance the mainstream version of the genre has made with these types of lyrics is to note.

The question is if this trend is a function of marketing and media interest? Or is there a true surge taking place? I imagine that the first go round of socially conscious Hip Hop was a by-product of the Civil Rights/Black Power Movements, as many early rappers were a part, or direct descendents of these movements. With Post-9/11 kids taking up the mic, they are surrounded by a type of social fabric that can rival the disparity of poverty and class of the time before the Civil Rights era.

I pray that old-fart Hip Hop people aren't going to start saying "finally, the REAL Hip Hop is back"... there are two reasons why this is a dumb statement. 1. The social consciousness current rappers are bringing up is HIGHLY different from your rap music from 1993. In certain respects, I give Kanye and Blu the title of socially conscious rap as they are aware of their surroundings and reflect on it. Plus, they are interesting to listen to... truth is, Immortal Technique, Killer Mike, Mr. Lif, Dead Prez are all nice but shoving cultural analysis is not that interesting to me. 2. Hip Hop was party music first... a lack of "social consciousness" in a rap song does not make it less authentic. Remember old-farts, we were dancing to Biz Markie rapping about picking boogers... so lay off the mightier than thou.

Hip Hop is a medium, an artform, that can be filled with whatever you want. I am a very socially conscious person, and I enjoy rap where people are aware and comment on their surroundings... but when you are not entertaining, I'd rather you just write an article for me to read.

My Favorite Music, Styles, and Things of 2011

2011-12-15T06:59:00.000-05:00

There was just way too much good stuff going on this year. I enjoyed a lot of Hip Hop again, I found a wonderful wonderful sense of home and place with the rise of all this glorious bass music coming from a Latinidad context, more importantly a non-western one. I'm pretty much off the Dubstep bandwagon after the Skrillex takeover, but have enjoyed some great stuff from Nasty FM (my new favorite UK Bass station) as well as a lot of Future Garage and post-Dubstep stuff. Its been a good year as I got a fulltime job and am back at making my own beats. Big things to come and Bass music is in good hands right now as there are not particular genres overshadowing, lots of experimentaiton, cross-pollination, and plenty of ass shaking to do.

So, what I've done this year is comment on the biggest trends and styles I dug this year. Within these, I rate specific artists, producers, or DjS who are murking and repping the style. Take a look and see what grabs ya.

Happy Holidays, New Year, and all that...

Biggest happening for AmericanPupusa 2011!!! - GLOBAL BASS/TROPICAL

Favorites: Nguzunguzu, DJ Javier Estrada, Munchi, Uproot Andy Honorable Mentions: Sabbo, Chanca Via Circuito, Daniel Haaksman

I had a lot of fun discovering music this year, particularly the wonderful Global Bass/Bass Music coming from Latinoamerica (which also includes the U.S.). This area has caught my attention for several reasons: it strongly connects my sense of Latinidad as hybrid music, its bass and soundsystem culture, but more importantly, it moved my thoughts on sampling, and in this case the use of "ethnic" sounds, to the transnational - a more congruent, non-exploitative, place.

This music adopts the cumbia basslines, dembow riddims, guiros, polyrythms, etc of our cultures, but doesn't lay them on top of traditional beats coming from the westernized traditions of Hip Hop, House, Dance, Trance, Acid, etc. Non-gringo beat patterns are used, traditional horn sections are replaced with bright synths, and drums are filtered and dirtied for soundsystem capacity. Its this ownership of who we are bleeding into production, arrangement, and samples, alongside a sense of free experimentation that makes Global Bass/Latino Bass so refreshing. What I also dig is that the Latino U.S. is included in this conversation, placing it closer on the transnational vibe.

It's hard to pick which producers or tracks stood out the most. Any given producer or DJ in this world will play and spin just about anything and everything. To pinpoint is to go against what I enjoy most about Latino Bass tracks. But if there was a producer(s) who epitomized that approach the most, it would be NGUZUNGUZU. Looking at their work, its straight bass music, it can flex in more traditional places, yet they are pushing boundaries and bringing elements together in an almost subversive fashion. I must add that I was completely impressed with Javier Estrada's work... even more experimental than NGUZUNGUZU, I am amazed at the amount of experimentation and fucked-upness he brought in to, what I see, is a a quite rigid genre of Norteño dance music.

Favorite - BEATS/INSTRUMENTALS

Favorites: Prison Guarde, Clams Casino, Lukid, Balam Acab

There were a few directions instrumentals went in my world. The first was to love your synth sounds and work them out on some electro funk boogie. The other was to dip your productions in some pads, ambient sounds, and atmospherics that took you to up to celestial levels. I'm quite surprised that Prison Guarde's Système Hermès has not received so much attention. I figure with soundcloud, band camp, and cheap technology - everyone is a producer and a lot can get thrown down the cracks, but this is almost offensive. It's playful, grand, funky, and fun. There are thoughts in the arrangements and you get swag along with electronic bits, which brings the best of all worlds together. Top tunes to check are "What you Need" their remix of the Weeknd's vocal tune, and "New Love/Old Girl"

Sometimes, what everyone else thinks is cool is alright by me. Clam's Casino must be the producer of the year for so many folks, and that is A O K. While more mainstream folks would consider Lex Luger holding that title, I think they both have a lot in common with those fluttering chopped hi hats and chopped and screwed legacy in there. Yet, Clams takes it on some high above the ground places, sounding like God's iPod and shit. With down and dirty folks like ASAP Rocky bringing that gutter, it makes it a great line to connect Hip Hop to its next-world/level capabilities that have been lost for many years.

As a producer, Lukid is dextrous. He flexes around the Hardcore Continnuum but provides a good dose of cerebral enjoyment through the medium of dance music. Its dope atmospherics are part of the "dark" legacy that Jungle and Drum and Bass brought, but postmodern with its range of BPM and riddim choices. He is Burial but on his own place and ideas... and its worth checking all his work. Finally, Balam Acab maybe coming and going, but I think he left an impression on me, showing that Burial can be a start towards a new direction, while being a legacy to our Jungle and DnB past.

Hip Hop 2011

Favorites: Calez, Danny Brown, ASAP Rocky

I took a better listen at Hip Hop in 2011. There was the same usual crap, there were the usual indies, and there were the usual internet/blog tunes that have just enough energy to catch my attention, but not enough juice to last the entire track. This year did bring some significant and full-hearted love for Hip Hop with Calez, Danny Brown and ASAP Rocky. Calez's "Middle Finger" has enough old school to touch on its legacy, but these elements are disregarded enough with simplistic production to make sure you understand that the rapper is young, fresh, and open. His mixtape has not 100 fantastic, but there are some gems. What I appreciate is that he has good use of his voice, word choice, and robust flow that makes him a solid solid rapper.

On a WAY different level - Danny Brown brings back a different tradition to Hip Hop, of the classic toaster. Danny's delivery, words, subject matter, and beat selection all funnel towards that crazy, fuckec up, hardended, but cracked up ethos... all these wild elements are forced down into this basic center - feeling like a collision of elements to create energy of nuclear levels. He sounds rude and crude, and his beats match perfect... is that synthesis and unique delivery that makes the dude nice.

And what more can I say about ASAP Rocky that everybody hasn't said.. I agree with most review and stories of this guy. ASAP carries the legacy now set with ODWGKTA, but rejects it as well - 'Fuck Swag' could just as much be a arm separating him from Tyler as much as the Swagger Like Us era of Jay-Z and Kanye. And, I hope he doesn't end like Wiz Khalifa.

UK BASS - Dubstep, Post-Dubstep, Future Garage, Grime

Faves - Machinedrum - Room(s) LP, Burial - Street Halo EP, King Midas Sound - "Goodbye Girl (Kuedo Rework)", Blawan - "Getting Me Down"

I don't think I was listening to much Dubstep this year. I have transitioned away from being a follower of the traditional "Hardcore Conntinuum" folks (Hip Hop/House to Rave to Jungle to UK Garage to Grime/Dubstep thing), moving to a Global Bass kinda guy, inclusive of the HC and U.S. dance genres. Even so, the UK are doing big things as always with Future Garage and Post-Dubstep exploits taking place. My hat is tipped to producer Jamie XX for killing it hard this year; being indie/dance with a Bass mindset, dropping some seriously unique music and mixes. He is as close as you can get to a white guy breaking out of the traditional modes of beat structures. Not too far behind is the bliss and clean beauty of Machinedrum, who ties all styles of UK Bass through filters and individuality to make some sweet sweet cuts of Footwork, Jungle, and other dirty-end dance.

For my honorable mentions, I was a bit worried about my hero Burial slacking and fading out, being that there is this post-Burial stuff from Alam Acab and others, but I can rock "Street Halo" all day, its fucking urban as shit and has that garagey/Goldie vibes that I dig.

R&B

The Weeknd - "Thursday", Frank Ocean - "We All Try"

Oh my oh my... I'm super impressed with The Weeknd and Frank Ocean! While the rest of the R&B kept on with its bright synths, BET/MTV sensibilities, and waste of time subject matter... The Weeknd's Thursday seemed to add dub-style productions to counter the clean productions from the mainstream, used voice as instrument that bled with productions, and took the notion of 'the playa' to dirty dirty dirty depths. He tells you exactly how painful his torture is going to be, swooning you with dead flowers and poisonous chocolates... bringing out a bravado and confidence that he'll get you which pales everyone else. Absolutely amazing!

While "Novacane" caught everyone's attention, Frank Ocean impressed me with "We all Try." Ocean's songs have the same scripts as most, but you get a sense that he has a bigger thought in there, a social consciousness along with it. He was able to speak about things everyone else feels, but had no one to speak on them. My favorite line "I don't believe marriage is between a man and woman/but between love and love" also shows a bold independence that anyone else doesn't have the balls to get close to in mainstream/indie R&B.

ODDS AND ENDS

"Jess and Crabble Present Bazzerk," Traxman, Ballroom/Vogue

I could've told you that Kuduro was my number 1 genre of last year. I haven't slacked on it, but with all this stuff coming from the Latino Bass scene, it had to take a spot in the back burner. Even so, Ballzerk is an essential compilation. Going through each track, you see a how a genre transitioned from the "I'm just brand new, so we can do whatever we want" freedom to "We are mature now, but we got the tools and skills to keep pushing forward." Its a few steps away from formula and complacency, but for now, the choice of snares, arrangements, and fucked up samples make it so juicy and ass shaking!

Otherwise, I still dig the sounds from the Footwork/Juke Chicago school of thought. Since Footwork broke into all these other dance scenes (Danny Brown, Addison Groove, Machinedrum, etc etc etc) I took a look back and found some of the true school gems, in particular Taxman, that sound fresh and raw, which reinterpretations and upgrades to mainstream status cannot touch still. Juxtapose this with the Vogue/Ballroom stuff that is happening now in NYC, where Diplo has put his mitts on, and its a wait and see of where this genre will go. For now, we have some glimpses inside, and it looks quite appealing with its gay-black-urban swag, industrial sounds, and don't give a fuck approach to production and arrangements.

Presentando Maracuyeah! Bringing you the mixtape style, throwback vibes, and Latino soundsytem culture for a just Washington D.C.

2011-12-09T00:10:00.001-05:00

Dj rAt and Dj Mafe

Maracuyeah! is a collective of transnational,global, local, DIY activists, artists, DJs, and music promoterspresenting the “now” in upfront soundsystem/DJ culture in Washington D.C. Theyspin underground DJ music from Latin America – Cumbia Electronica, Tribal,Dembow, Tropical Bass, with dashes of old school Latino pop. Officiallystarting in March of 2011, Maracuyeah! also put on shows of local andinternational musicians such as Chancha Via Circuito, Permnet, ZuzukaPoderosa, and El Freaky, who bring innovative takes of contemporary Tropicalmusic. Their sets and showsare mixed and jumbled together in a classic (cassette) mixtape style. And, thevenues they play out in are purposeful and grounded in social consciousness.

Agreat example of this vision was a recent party at D.C.’s Velvet Lounge, wherethey dropped underground DJ music, classic Latino pop, with an intermission ofa live mariachi in honor of Dia De Los Muertos. This mindful pairing of thecutting edge with old school classics brings familiarity, people, and sonicexperiments together in ways that are both nostalgic and new.

DJs rAt and Mafe sat with Sara Acevedo andmyself at Restaurant Judy, one of their local favorites, and the venue for theirnext party on December 15, located a couple blocks north of U and 14th street. Our conversation focusedon how Maracuyeah fills in the gap of Latino music in Washington D.C., how themix of modern and old school creates a sense of freedom during their parties,the creative process behind their sets and shows, and building community. Tohelp gain a better understanding of their mezcla style, rAt and Mafe were kindto provide a playlist mix to listen while you read this!

Maracuyeah! creating space from the new and old

I want to know about your work in DC, find out about yourcreative process, and talk about other journalists' fascination with you and “la mezcla.”How Maracuyeah mashes up things is what resonates strongly with people themost. Do you think that is what you are about, or is it something else you areabout?

DJ rAt: I was justat someone’s house who we met through Marcuyeah. She saw a flyer on the streetand came to one of our parties, and we met on the dancefloor. And she wassaying something similar to what I hear from people often which is that whichshe says “I like these parties cause oftentimes I go and it’s couple dancingand people kinda doing their own thing, and I like that at your parties you canmeet other people, and people are kinda more open”. And that fact that I mether [there] and we’re friends now, and it came out of this flyer off the streetis really exciting to me. And she was like “yeah, you guys do this awesomething with Maracuyeah” and I was like “its not really us, its everybody whocomes and builds this movement together.

Both of us [rAt and Mafe] are coming from a background ofcommunity organizing. To us it’s a natural extension of that. But it’s alsowhat we see and what we do is really community based. It wouldn’t be anythingif the two of us, or the five of us who DJ, just came together and played musicin the room that we thought was cool, it’s literally built up by the people.And what I was noticing in our last party, the Day of the Dead Party that weplayed a lot of different music, especially in the first few hours, people werekinda warming up, and getting comfortable, and it was a one-room dancehall kindof affair. And it was really neat that you can tell the people who weresuper into your classic Cumbia, and they would come with their bottle andsomething to tap on it… but then we would play the 80s synth stuff, those samepeople… stuck around and went with it. And seeing people vice-versa whowere into that 80s stuff or new electronic stuff were open enough to get intoother types of music.

Restaurant Judy in U street

So for me that’s an inspiration for people like that whocome to our parties because I’ve been looking for people like that in D.C.since I moved here. And this has lead me to more people. And that is what DJingis about, it’s meeting of the minds, opening up community, and building ofpower and community, its actually very political for me, and I think for bothof us, and its such an inspiration to meet such amazing folks through ourparties. And I give a lot of credit to people for building what we’re doing,it’s not only the two of us.

So you call it a movement, and you have a politicalgrounding to it. How would you describe this movement? Movement is a big word.

DJ rAt: It is a bigword… for me, I say movement because dancefloors are depoliticized and they aresome of the most powerful spaces that we have, so more than Maracuyeah. Ibelong to another DJ collective called “Anthology of Booty” and like Mafe said,we work on radio together, and we have a project called “DJ Geek Out” all ofthat is being like ‘culture is political, our bodies are political, ouridentities are political, and social spaces. I think often, social spaces aredepoliticized in a way that… they really deserve a lot more credit for bringingpeople together and crossing lines and building power.

So you think a rave with all these glowstick bodies aredepoliticized?

DJ rAt: I think itis. I think you are in charge of your own body on dancefloors. I think, as wewere talking before the interview, music movements come out of poverty, socialdynamics, they come out of necessity, and I think people have to carve thatout, it’s not easy… having the right to assemble and move and join together,yeah, it’s a struggle and its something that people had to work hard for, webuilt on that also. It’s not the only thing… politicizing dancefloors is notour mission [laughs], our only mission. But I say that because I think that’swhy I DJ.

DJ Mafe: I wanted tospeak to the mixing and remixing – that’s our generation, all the friends Igrew up with, we all came [to the U.S.] around the age of fifteen, our lives isa mix between what we heard in Colombia what our parents listened to, what weheard here, getting into the punk scene, and now trying to bring all thesethings together, right? It’s like, we love the Rock en Español, pero tambiennos gusta a bailar, por que no hemos cansado de la Salsa, so how are we are allputting together a party that we like, and that is what we play right?

I wanted to go back to what you are talking about, youare making a forceful action to designing an environment to be the way you wantit to be even if its for three or four hours.

DJ Mafe: But the waythat I want it to be, the way that… I think, yunno, coming here to the UnitedStates is like a shock culture with the American culture. As a recent immigrantit’s figuring out how you fit in the American culture, or Latina culture, orColombian… I think the mixing up of all this is what I feel like my life ishere.

I feel like there is power in what you do. I feel thatyou have a sense of responsibility, social responsibility that you aredictating to a certain level of what is going in the room, do you see it thatway?

DJ Mafe: I think Ido, its what’s [DJ rAt] is mentioning, a political dancefloor right? Like we’renot just trying to keep people happy but introduce to new sounds, to oldsounds that they have maybe before have seen us, like I dunno “pueblo” orwhatever, or “curcio” who listen to that!? And then seeing all the connections.

Music selection anddissecting the mashup

Can you tell me how you choose songs? When you do a bigparty, do you think “these are ten songs I really want to play tonight” or howdo you go about the DJ set.

DJ Mafe: I think Ihave kind of a set idea of what I want to play. Some Cumbia Electronica, some Ireally like things that remind me of my childhood, so like Calo or Miguel Boséjust things that my friends post in youtube that are like “damn! That’s old,let me play it cause yunno it reminds you of like a time, like back home whereyou are.” And I feel that’s nice, when you are in a party right, “yeah Ihaven’t listened to this in so long!” And then just trying to bring new artiststoo, I tried to bring like Jepe, new artits, or Pedro Piedra, people that arekinda of doing that, mixing the old with the new.

When you make those choices, especially with the artiststhat you bring in to perform, who are you thinking about, who is your imaginaryaudience?

DJ rAt: I think whatMafe is saying has resonated with a lot of people. It’s like people who likeall of these genres that are happening, but are maybe not as excited to makinga 4 hour commitment to one genre for a night. To me that shouldn’t be soalternative, yunno? like mad respect! I have spent like, and we laugh aboutthis because one of us likes Bachata more than the other [laughs]… I mean Ihave spent whole nights dancing… super feliz to Bachata. There are some amazingjoints here in DC that are beautiful beautiful culture. But I think also, inthose places I’ve met people who are down to run across town and dance tosomething completely different. So I think providing that in one night doesresonate with people.

When you bookend something from 1986, and you rememberseeing it in MTV en Español next to some underground new school Cumbia track…I’m forced to think ‘why did they do that?’ ‘why did they go from that song tothat song?’ that’s the question I have in my head… “why?!”

DJ rAt: It’s reallycool because what I feel that all of what we do is draw connections betweenstuff that a lot of times… like we DJ with a lot of awesome people, and somehowI’d like to give a shout out to all of them individually in this interview.People focus on us, but we are not actually the only people in Maracuyeah. Wedo the booking, a lot of logistics and organizing. But beyond the folks thatcome to our parties and everything. DJ Bent is somebody who really is involvedand collaborated in many projects of our lives, she has DJed in almost everyMaracuyeah party and helps with a lot of the day-of logistics and publicity,promoting and stuff.

testing the dancefloor

So who is Maracuyeah, are they just two DJs?

No, that’s kind of one thing with short interviews, it kindof collapses everything too much. Maracuyeah really grows out of ourrelationship to lots of DJs and musicians in the DC area. Because we haven’tbeen around that long, we don’t even have the language to talk structure,because it is so collaborative. And the way we work with people is almostlike family. But DJ bent is somebody who’s been involved, and one of our otherfriends Michael, volunteers to do the door every time. The event couldn’t happenif he didn’t come and do that, and he is the cornerstone of Maracuyeah, helpedus out on our website. We do a lot of the booking, but we DJ together as abigger family, and then there even a bigger family of people who sweat and comeand break up their day and inconvenience themselves, and put a lot of heart.

That’s very refreshing, especially with this kind ofmusic, sometimes I think its very deceptive to certain people, with Hip Hop inparticular, you talk to a DJ who is supposedly socially conscious, but they endup being star jaded jerks. It’s like your selling social consciousness versusbeing social conscious.

DJ rAt: It’sdisappointing, when you feel like something has a lot of heart and then therepresentative doesn’t have a lot of heart. One thing that I can say about ourevent is that I think they are really personal, they are very sincere, they arevery personalized, and its because we are working with people we really love.We are setting up, and breaking down together, its lo-fi to the max.

Making moves in WashingtonD.C.

So tell me about the first time you put somethingtogether, I was reading your city paper piece and you started in March 2011…but you’ve already brought in names like Chancha Vio Circuito all the bigpeople… so how did you go from zero to 100 so quickly?

DJ rAt: well one ofit is that we already collaborated with an amazing community of people, and wehad the infrastructure in terms of people power, at least to some extent. Weknow who to borrow equipment from and make a basic flyer. And now again, wehave collaborations with friends on that too like DJ Yeko and DJ Underdog areboth artists and DJs who understand what we are trying to do and are reallydown with it and have helped us, and collaborated with us with flyers. But alsoI think it speaks to the huge gap there was in this area, why isn’t Chancha ViaCircuito already booked?

DJ Mafe: or like?Que Bajo? Folks who have been doing their party for like three years.

DJ rAt: Yeah, likemore in New York. Uproot Andy had his debut two months ago, here in D.C. andGeko [Jones] I think it’s his debut, he’s coming next month. But yeah, I thinkthat does speak to the fact it just wasn’t happening. There are a couple ofreally awesome Latin booking folks, and we have them to thank for BombaEsterio, Grupo Pelados,

You booked Bomba Esterio?

DJ rAt: No, wedidn’t. But we have them to thank for bringing them to town, but there was justa few people and not the capacity to booking all the amazing acts that arecoming to the United States. And it is a shame, we live on the east coast,every city is 45 minutes away from each other… DC, Baltimore, Philly, New York,Boston… We should really be leveraging that geographical closeness to beable to build a circuit. Not just people who are booking acts, butpeople who are into building spaces and building community, scenes. And wehave, in our short time, already found people who are doing that in Philly andin Boston and New York, and we are excited to meet more people. So, it’s a longanswer to your question, but it speaks to the fact that it wasn’t being done,there wasn’t really the capacity to cover everything that had happened.

… I was into ZZK records because I started DJing in Peru,actually when I was living there. Those were my first DJ gigs. And I was inPeru, and Mafe, we had talked about [Maracuyeah] going to New York to see LasRakas… All the way there…

DJ Mafe: We drovethe night, and came by in the morning

DJ rAt: …but we werelike, how can this be? We were driving a rental care [laughs]. We were like“this is absurd!” This rental car, and us, can’t be our lives experiencing theartists that we love. After that, the opportunity came up. I think we saw onTwitter that Chancha was going on tour with El Jé. And she was like “it’s thismuch” and were like “let’s take the risk”, lets see what we can do.

Were you confident that this organizing was going towork?

DJ rAt: it was justa stab, we gotta try. We don’t believe that people should only be able toorganize this stuff if they have a million dollars. The most we could lose is acouple hundred bucks and to us that is worth the risk. And it’s like what yousaid, people always make those kinds of statements of DC people, that DC hasno art scene, that’s not true, that DC has no Latin underground. It’s alsothat we’ve met so many people that we never knew about, it’s been a learningexperience for us to. Learning how to do like booking, which we hadn’t reallydone before, but its also really meeting all these other people! We are just solucky.

DJ Mafe: One of thefirst steps we took that was really beneficial was; for the Chancha show, wewent out two weeks in a row to every party that we knew or people who could beinterested in the music, we just gave flyers inside the party and tried to talkto folks. In my experience aflyer is just a reminder of a conversation you have. You have to conversationswith people for them to know what the event is about and trying to get to allthese things. For the Chancha show, we partied a lot! We partied a lottrying to get people out. And it worked out right? We met Patrick, who now collaboratewith for Peligro Brothers.

I really appreciate what you do, because I would go to aHip Hop party and be the only albino Latino guy there. Or go to a Rock andEspañol party and stand out there too…

Dj rAt: And I thinkwhat we are trying to do is create a safe space for folks to be really dorkyand take risks. Just for us, it’s kind of like a risk. And hey, we are justgoing to try this. It’s also hopefully something that’s the space is infusedwith, because you don’t have to be an expert to dance at our parties, trying toexperience new music, trying to start projects, start collaboration.

In a weird way this reminds me of D.C. Go-go. It has itsindustry and it occasionally shows up on rap songs… outsiders of Go-godownlplay it, but it’s thriving and it’s big. Same thing with DC hardcore, fora while that was king, there was a scene here for a while, Ian MacKayw with 5dollar shows – Go-go and DC Hardcore punk are two scenes that resonate stronglywith me as a DC/DMV and to see it being applied to a Latino kind of aesthetic…

DJ rAt: andsometimes places are accessible, our space, I think every space can be moreaccessible. And I think that’s something we think about a lot. We switch venuesa lot because we need to accommodate the artists we bring. Even if we had stuffwhere places had drinks for $7, $8, $9. We do think about it, and that issomething that weights into our process. I think we would never do something ina place where you can’t wear sneakers to get in, but also we try and think ofit like “we do a 12 dollar door, or figure a way to make a $7 or $8 door, andmake it way more accessible to people. And we can do a place that has $4 beersor $10 beers, what does that mean as places? And that’s what we think aboutwhen we go out.

Maracuyeah in the future…

Is there are a market, area, group, or thought you wantto bring into Maracuyeah kind of vibe yet that you are hunting for, or hasn’tshown up yet? Are you matching where you want to go?

DJ rAt: I think wewere talking about a lot of collaborations, trying to figure out, trying tocarve out a little more of what we want to do. But also staying true to thatopenness, is to not get into this niche that becomes static. I think itssomething that we want to be opening ourselves up. A lot of what we do isresearch, like we are really nerdy, we really like researching musicians, notlike “aw, this track is hot, onto the next one” but kind of like “whoa, whereare these peoples’ friends, how did they make that video on the roof?” Reallygetting in the flow. Part of that is just a huge learning experience, it’s likea music education project for ourselves and that’s what we like to share withother people.

Is there anything you wanted toadd or say, any point you had ever wanted to make, like “I never really had achance for people to hear this, so let me just say it now”.

DJ Mafe: Theaspect being very specific of the places that we choose, just because of thechanging demographics of the city. I think that comes into my politicalbackground, seeing how the city is changing, who is getting money, who is notgetting money, how people are getting by now, or displaced, being veryconscious about what you support, supporting family joints like this [referringto Restaurant Judy] like we were talking right now. Like you see two newbusinesses that are specific for a demographic... so how do we continue to supporting...

DJ rAt: yeah, I think it’s a vital part of what we do, just as wewere meeting here through like awesome community of folks that we have… I think also that we talked about doingin the future is joining forces with a lot of the awesome groups who areworking specifically on specific issues in the city; community organizinggroups, folks who are working on immigration, practices like secure communities- who are resisting that, or tackling that in lots of different ways. I thinkwe have done that in a certain way, in two weeks we are DJing for CISPES, andit’s an honor to be asked by some of the community organizations to join inwith them. I think something we want to think about is how to intentionallywork with folks to take initiative in that process to. That is something we areinterested in, its not as explicit, because of a depoliticized dancefloor, andits not as explicit or concrete as you might think but I think there are someinteresting ways we can be doing that all the time. I think street art is alsosomething that I’m really interested in as part of our project. So we metsomebody who will just make it worth going out in the middle of the night andlike take me out [laugshs]. Street art is really policed as a form of cultureand I think that is a rather really important part of our project evidently,because that is how we made a lot of connections.

DJ Mafe: and supporting local artists in general… the differentbands that we have met through the website.

Kibosé by María y José

Final tune of the night…

I have a silly question, because AmericanPupusa isnamed after food and you named yourselves after food, why did you name yourselfafter food?

DJ rAt: thatwas in the car, in the rental car! [laughs]

DJ Mafe: Wethought, ‘we want to start booking, what can be a party name’. At least we haveattraction to names, like fruit, things that can relate to other folks from ourcountries

DJ rAt:things you can only get from our countries

DJ Mafe:Maracuyeah, it’s a saying. In Colombia you say “yeah, maracuyeah!” its a littlebit old school but a lot of people say it. “maracuya!!” like “fresa” - and wewanted to be it somewhat in Spanish too, so Maracuyeah can be a mix betweenEnglish and Spanish, but it has a really Colombian meaning.

DJ rAt: yeah,and I was telling her it took me two years to come up with a email name thatwas bilingual, easy to pronounce in English and Spanish. So I think that...and its literaly a remix of a word.

Maracuyeah D.C. Shoutouts:

Maracuyeah dj fam: dj bent, dj g-flux, dj yeko, dj bj, alexdb, k la rock, brian senyo, wanako, Michael

Community support and collaboration with: Peligro Bros, Anthology of Booty, SheRex, Fort Knox Five fam, Dj Underdog, KestaDc, DJ Rainier, Judys Restaurant,Velvet Lounge & Radio CPR fam along with a bunch of amazing local communitybased organizations, and local acts like Goldin Girl Tribe, DC Mambo, ACME,Noon:30, KickoMan, our friends and all the amazing people in DC all over who wehave met through this project!

Dj Mafe, me, and DJ rAt

[Check out Maracuyeah in action at theirnext event December 15^th at Restaurant Judy, where they will bringNY based DJ Geko Jones. You can find the Maracuyeah! Fan Page on Facebook, checktheir website maracuyeah.com. A special thank you to Sara Acevedo for making this happenand for the support!]

New illselection track - "radiowaves (notitle)"

2011-11-27T11:01:00.001-05:00

Radiowaves (notitle) by ill.selection A yummy atmosphereic beat that blends dub, Hip Hop, and DJ instrumental music... loaded up on synths and a very plastic bass sound. enjoy and ITS a FREE DOWNLOAD

Introducing the new "New Thing" - Vogue, Ballroom, etc...

2011-11-25T14:45:00.001-05:00

Another manifestation of the soundsystem culture. We got the usual elements; strong speaker based sounds, danceability, chatters/toasters/rappers screaming on top, and dancing. And again, its coming from the marginal, intersectional, and hybrid identity. Rooted in the ambiguous, Black, gay, trans, inter, whatveryoucallit, this is not new, its coming from the same social space where House and Disco began. There it's southern complement, Sissy Bounce. It's also reinterpreting the "Vogue" era of the 90s with a stronger, industrial sound. Chatters scream on top of clangy-metallic beats, in the same way as Fatman Scoop or DJ Kool for instance. The dancing is elegant, with a nasty smear of skanking and BBoying... elegant sex dance. There is some element of the cypher/circle as you saw in old-school Bboying, watching this vid reminds me of seeing D.C. Beat your Feet or Chicago

Brief moment of inspiration - cliche for critical thinking

2011-11-21T12:48:00.001-05:00

Repost from HipsterRunoff - "James Blake is a Dubstep Classist: The Problems with Modern Indiecentrism"

2011-11-09T21:41:00.003-05:00

Kinda reads my mind exactly.... and I don't consider myself a Hipster...

"Dubstep: before and now" - So true!!!

2011-11-09T20:09:00.001-05:00

So true!! hahaha

RIP Heavy D - how his party rap shaped today's Hip Hop

2011-11-08T22:21:00.000-05:00

Heavy D was the undisputed king of "Party Rap". His work and role in Hip Hop is one of the most underrated in the genre. It was Heavy who gave us the strong use of the Hip Hop hook. His presentation, taken directly from 60s Soul groups like The Temptations, gave Diddy the template to present Biggie Smalls and the Jiggy era of 2000s Hip Hop... and if you haven't found the connection between the naming of "Heavy D" and "Biggie Smalls"... then you must stop reading, and start looking up some youtube clips.

Heavy D's presence, and the crew of Party Hip Hop - which included EPMD, Beastie Boys, Salt N' Pepa, and Kid n Play - served as the counter balance to the Hardcore, Social Conscious, and Gangsta rap that was moving in to take over. His reappropriation of being "big" and "heavy" was a key element in Hip Hop's stake as liberation music. The genre was about reappropriating the ghetto, urban, and poor aesthetic of street life... Heavy D took it upon himself to not subdue his size, but relish in it, he was the "overweight lover". This was another balance, where lyrical and party rocking skills would be the tools to equalize Slick Rick (blind in one eye), Chubb Rock, Big Pun (obsese) Biggie, Humpty Hump (ugly), and so many others, alongside brute strength and attractive looks such as LL Cool J or Big Daddy Kane. Heavy D proved that anyone can be swag. (yes, Gucci... you owe Heavy)

Musically, it was Party Rap that served as the bridge for Diddy and Suge Knight to usher in the mainstream success of Hip Hop in the 2000s. Groups such as Naughty by Nature, NWA, Cypress Hill, Onyx, and Wu Tang could not touch the commercial success of a Biggie or Tupac without the thump thump party tracks they rapped their hardcore lyrics over. It was Party Rap that helped us dance to someone like Eminem, 50 Cent, or even Clipse. The irony was that it was the overrepresented presence of these "Hip Hop Gangsta Rap" that made the genre mainstream. It was during the Party Rap era where folks were unsure Hip Hop as safe music.

And, no mainstream rapper cannot survive without Heavy D's use of the Hip Hop hook. As much as we love Heavy, it was singing "NOW THAT WE FOUND LOVE" at the club that made us rock. The tip towards 60s soul styles, and the hook, would draw the connection to the past, and bring in the new of "New Jack Swing" and "Hip Hop Soul" with Tone Tony Toni, Mary J Blige, Faith Evans, Missy Elliot, and Alicia Keys.

We owe this man big... rest in peace Mr. D.

Video of "El Freaky" and my thoughts on nu-skool sampling.

2011-11-07T23:31:00.001-05:00

A great glimpse of the beautiful now that is taking place in Latin American DJ/Dance/Bass culture. El Freaky's take on the past and the present and future is of an overlap and constant "now" that you can see with all the wonderful sounds from Columbia, Argentina, and the U.S. (which IS a Latin American nation). Old and new are less distant, and feed into each other in a new space.

This varies quite a lot to the old school "excavation" style of 80s and 80s Hip Hop, House, Rave culture. In that era, samples were taken and placed on newer noise, riddim, and space... creating pastiche and mosaics of sound sewn together by big pieces of yarn. But now, this new vibe from Cumbia Electronica and Tropical Bass, the old is embedded into the riddim tracks, drum patterns... the mid-range synths mimic horns, and horns are manipulated (through software) to bleed into the new synths... this morphing removes the distance of the traditional sample being "on top" of a track. This next level sampling probably began, in my opinion, with Public Enemy... DJ Shadow... maybe move it onto Girl Talk or some of the nu-skool productions like Pattern (but then I'm almost feeling like I'm reaching) but its on some other thing now. Quite refreshing.Here is El Freaky bringing Latino from Oakland Hip Hop group "Los Rakas" and blending it up... Transnational Latinidad.

Zuzuka Poderosa - "Ai Voce Gosta" music video

2011-11-07T22:57:00.002-05:00

Wow! This on BANGZ!!

American Pupusa Music Playlist - Nov 7, 2011

2011-11-07T12:23:00.002-05:00

I've been going down memory lane this week, as my birthday came and went, and I am now in a new demographic bracket! So, I've been looking to the past for musical inspiration, as well as reworks and forward thinking from the now...

I am highly impressed with Ghe2o Goth1k and the chop up sloppiness of Venus X.. They bring a fresh intersection of goth, bass, hip hop, and punk that makes me imagine what Mudd Club and other hallowed spaces could've been like. The remix album from King Midas Sound does a good job in bringing the Indie producers such as Hype Williams and Nite Jewel alongside tru-school bass heads without sounding out of place or choppy.. showing how the lines are blurred all along. I'm particularly impressed with the Kuedo remix of Goodbye Girl, as I wasn't too impressed with his solo (too spacey for me), so he redeemed himself. In Hip Hop, I'm REALLY feeling that spacial, airy, open-air production vibes from Aarabmuzik, Baths, Clams Casino, et. all.. ASAP Rocky's Peso totally flexes in that direction! And, for the first time, I'm promoting a soundcloud track by somebody named Fista Cuffs, the track is on that mid-range bassey thing that just about EVERYONE is one, but its fresh as it brings on that chunky 3ball Mexican Ranchero stomp that i'm kinda vibing with lately. Finally, I was on a David Bowie/Krautrock and 80s Post-Punky/New Wave tip... enjoy!

Surrender (Original Mix) by Fista Cuffs

NY Tmes - Lex Luger Can Write a Hit Rap Song in the Time It Takes to Read This

2011-11-07T10:18:00.002-05:00

A nice read on the newest template of Hip Hop production. Again, it seems like minimal is the way of Hip Hop... but taking these spacial elements to new directions, and cutting into the tastes of Hip Hop audience is still a magical mystery that occurs every few years. I have the Juicy J and Lex tape, and while I'm not a big fan of Trap music, its bangz...

Happy Birthday to You - ill.selection track "Slem Bow (Buscalo Riddim)" FREE DOWNLOAD

2011-11-03T01:33:00.002-04:00

Picture by Hiddenmoves

Slem Bow (Buscalo Riddim) by ill.selection

Today is my birthday, and I'm feeling good... You can download this track right here... its a ravey-agro-agipop-dembow riddim for your bumping pleasure. I'm highly influenced with the nu-skool forward thinking side of the Moombahton thing, along with global bass, and Ghe2o Goth1k sets of late... Its like a mix of Dillinja, Altered Natives, and Munchi...

Enjoy and share!!

I'm turning 34 tomorrow - what do I think of that?

2011-11-02T21:55:00.000-04:00

as taken by my FB page...

Repost from The Stranger, Seatle WA - "I Was There When Acid House Hit London and This Is How It Felt"

2011-10-24T00:02:00.000-04:00

A piece about one person's journey into Acid House - bumping along and making connections across House, Hip Hop, Electro, and all things during the 80s. Its quite cool as it speaks of a journey across genres, at a time where jumping ship and moving along was considered being a "sellout" from your tribe. A precedent set for all of us in Post-modern times...

AmericanPupusa - Music Playlist for October 19th

2011-10-19T23:22:00.002-04:00

I'm rounding up some tunes, check what's grabbing my fancy (among other things)

Gotan Project - Triptico (Frikstailers remix) BBC Stream by FRIKSTAILERS

"Bounce Beat (Campana Mix)" by ill.selection

2011-10-10T02:51:00.001-04:00

bounce beat (campana mix) by ill.selection

Yessir... my disdain for polished music continues with "Bounce Beat"... keep it rough, rugged, and Def Jammy... I think this one has a cross between Marimba, "Rock the Bells" and DC Gogo... its all gravy so enjoy!

"Drop Disorientation on Em" by ill.selection

2011-10-10T02:47:00.003-04:00

drop disorientation on em ($50 beats for rappers) by ill.selection

So yes, as you can tell... I'm REALLY trying to get stuff out there... I want to put out these rough drafts to get my ears open and to work my self towards a proper all deep and thinking piece.. .each of the tracks has some idea I can probably use sometime... plus, it gets me to not worry too much about leads and synths, which is not my strong suit...

enjuy and keep bouncing!

"Electric Peel" Original ill.selection track!

2011-10-06T08:04:00.001-04:00

Electric Peel (Rough Mix) by ill.selectionOriginal new music by yours truly! I got a new Akai sampler pad jonx, and this is my first flex with it! I hope you likes. It's going to be something bigger for sure, but I was too excited to hold this back... have fun! And feel free to send your thoughts my way.

"Bass Without Borders" has moved here...

2011-10-05T23:51:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the trouble folks, but I ran out of space on my Soundcloud and had to make moves to send my whopping latest mix "Bass Without Borders" to another site... sooo... if you're into some global bass yum yum... download the link here... and if you want to know the specifcs of the mix, check the post below!

Download "Bass Without Borders"

La Verdolaga - Dj Javier Estrada
Que Que - Diplo & Dillon Francis (Alvaro RMX)
Mis Armas - Sazon Booya
Bambata - Dembowsky (Di Di Di DJ Edit)
Pachamama - Chancha Vía Circuito feat. Poeta Inka
Rolling Stone - The Weeknd (Heartbreak RMX)

You - Creep Intl feat. Nina Sky (Star Eyes & Jubilee RMX)
Shawty - Teeth
Club Stranger- Jhene Aiko (Nguzunguzu RMX)
Shottas - Munchi feat. Mr. Lexx (Nguzunguzu RMX)
Me Batem - DJ Znobia
Skrilla - Sam Walton
Lola - Mix 6.2 - Maluca
Nigeria What? - Debruit
Mamajuana - Munchi

Through the shadows - STLKRFXXX

illselection presents "Bass Without Borders Mix" (fixed)

2011-10-03T02:05:00.004-04:00

"Summer 2011 Soundsystem Essentials," was well liked because it provided a populist/popular approach to soundsysem musics from around the world. I appreciate the love it got...

As a result, my nonconformity told me this mix is a bit more, hmmm, avant garde...

"Bass Without Borders" is a showcase of soundsystem genres and the connections between. More so, the mix features tracks that push the line of experimentation, progression, and future where it becomes danceable art. Producers run the fine line between creating music that speaks to the ass and to the brain. A lot of the mix is suuuper danceable... but a lot of it draws from sources and ideas that are extremely progressive and avant. It's the "alt" to dancefloor ready soundsystem music... you're warned.

To download, click the down arrow button on the right side of the soundcloud player.

Beats without borders (fixed) by ill.selection

Tracklisting

Through the shadows - STLKRFXXX

Latest ill.selection original - "Clockwork" by yours truly

2011-09-18T23:51:00.000-04:00

"Clockwork" by SilverGinko - http://silverginkgo.deviantart.com/

Clockwork by ill.selection

Soooo... here is a fun and bumpy piece of work I produced. I imagine it to be Reggaeton in disguise as Hip Hop. My latest motivation is to create a bunch of riddim tracks that are quickly put together, (see my Soundcloud "Geekbeet" and "Recharge Riddim") but have enough force and thought put in there to show creative strength (I guess I'm taking my cue from Hipster Chillwave or something, sounding passive but with some substance behind the cotton candy).

I hope you emjoy.

$50 Beats for Rappers - Recharged Riddim v1.2l

2011-09-08T00:10:00.000-04:00

Recharged riddim v1.2 by ill.selectionSo did some fixing up, in particular with the snare... I wanted to make it less tinny, and have some bite to it... let me know what you think. And if you want to rock this at your next party, please do! And, I can give this as an MP3 free upon request... Happy creating and supporting!Juice

$50 Beats for Rappers - "Recharged Riddim" by illselection aka me

2011-08-31T00:19:00.001-04:00

$50 Loops for Rappers - Recharged riddim (320) by ill.selection

So, here is a bright approach to what I would consider to be a Hip Hop instrumental of sorts. I've been dazzled by the beauty of music at the moment. And, my new job with youth has influenced me to return to Hip Hop as a source. I am both excited and scared of creating Hip Hop as its pretty much been done for the last 40 years, and there are so many great producers, known and unknown, that my self-esteem as a producer is tested.

The intent of the track was to produce some bright airy sounds swishing around while the drums keep a steady pulse along the way. I would say my mixdowns need work as I push bass volumes to levels that drown out other sounds... I need to work on that. But, I can also just say its Hip Hop Chillwave and see how that flies. Anywho, I like it this way, rough in the mixdown and using snares that are not normally used in the lexicon of Hip Hop drum kits. I consider this my practice beat as my goal this year is to not linger too long on music, but just produce produce produce... in hopes my production muscle is worked out and I can have a sense of accomplishment, risking repetitiveness and time to explore production tools.

But alas, its always gonna be a journey, might as well try to find shortcuts along the way.

A post about Huff Post Latino - its racist and stereotypical approaches will bore you, but my critique won't!!

2011-08-21T17:41:00.003-04:00

I found this in my inbox the other day, someone who posted one of my pieces announced a great step forward for him...

I get a few reactions when projects/initiatives like this pop up. First, I tense up, 2. I get all pessimist that such a voice will poorly reflect my sense of identity as a Latino 3. I question such moves by mainstream venues to be a form of "cultural gentrification," and 4. I seriously doubt this will work. Why you ask? Its quite simple... I feel that my Latinidad is characterized by contradictions, synergies, and hybridities across dichotomous, bi-cultural, multicultural, and hybrid cultures. Yet, time and time again... we are inundated with an essentialist method of what is Latino, reminiscent of old-school race signifiers: catchphrases, topics, color schemes, cultural products, and issues, presumed as common issues across Latino populations. Whats more fun is we enjoy adapting this simplification of ourselves with no question.

Self-deceived racists of color gladly jump into the boxes media and cultural products present to us without a genuine investigation of the cultural, social, and experiential congruence of these products have to themselves, and the lives of others in their community. Immigration, family, language, and "the sleeping giant of the Hispanic vote" are all you read because all mainstream media outlets focus on these issues and nothing else. And of course, any Latino to gain the slightest of mainstream prominence is to be celebrated with t-shirts and all. Token Spanish words are sprinkled over English dominant writing.... and let me see... I figure an article on George Lopez, Shakira, Eva Longoria, Cesar Chavez, and Celia Cruz will be in order. Yet, the U.S. Census has reported that half of Latinos in this country are born here, the other half immigrated. Studies have shown the immigrant populations adapt to this country in a variety of ways that look nothing like assimilation. We are spread across very divergent geographical areas; we are made up of White, Black, Mestizo, Asian, and Native American populations; and the number of nations that comprise "U.S. Latinos" is extremely diverse with their own histories, ethnic groups, and cultural norms. These complexities of demographic variables should immediately come to mind to any editorial board, focus group, or board meeting. I begin to wonder if editors only know these miniscule topics, or there really is a swell of interest by the Latino mainstream. Unfortunately, Huff Post Latino fails to provide anything new to the conversation. Here is a brief survey of the mundane and repetitive topics you find anywhere everywhere else...

1. Immigration:
Looking at the headlines HuffPost Latino has to offer... I am inundated with articles related to immigration, immigration reform, and deportation. Its an overrepresentation of an issue, and a strong indicator of what editors think is important to us. It smells of assumption, and partitions national issues to particular constituents, and not others. I am reminded of countless class conversations where it was only women who spoke up during topics about gender, or African Americans speaking on racism. I have a hunch that there may be Latinos with a voice at LatHuffPo. The needs and experiences of such a diverse range of Latinidades is not tied together with immigration. There are issues related to healthy, sexuality, education, social justice, that continue to be overlooked everyday. Again, immigration is an issue... but when approximately 2/3rds of a news' headlines are about one subject, would you buy the paper?

2. Can't get enough of that lame Latin Explosion from 1999...
Another annoying piece are the rest of the articles... they fall into what I consider the "mainstream culture" category. If I were to ask you what the other articles would be about, you would be correct that they talk about "familia", "J-Lo", and food... then behold! Here they are!! You would hope for Rita Indiana or a Junot Diaz in there... but nah, its throwbacks...

3. Cultural Products:
Cause an entire hemisphere does the same thing right?

Crime of course:

Despite these stereotypical headlines, I found something of interest. Alicia Morga's "Should there be a Huff Post Latino?", draws up similar questions and concerns as I do, and Miguel Ferrer's "Piedra, Papel, y Tijera" , a reaction where he defends the merits of Huff Post Latino. Mr. Ferrer's first argument is that Latinos are undergoing a retro-acculturation process where we enjoy superficial cultural products, dance to old music, and learn a language that many of us do not speak...

Such an approach is absolutely insulting... Anyone can acquire these products, gringo, Latino, or otherwise... so how is this embracing culture? Plus, the way culture moves through this paradigm follows the old school linearity of 'assimilated - acculturated - native" stages of culture, which many writers have broken up. To be quite honest, people evolve and there are cultural products and expression in art, social media, literature, and research that have looked forward and taken these old-school cutlural signifiers to new levels. We have transnationalism teaching us intertextuality between ideas and geographies, youth who continually serve as the trendsetters and tastemakers of what Latinidad and identity can be today, and a plethora of Nu-Media social activists and writers talking to each other across the country. And whats funny is that forward thinking reframing of our culture and society was identified years ago. The biggest and strongest argument against such linear and basic ways of understanding our Latinidad continues to be "The Borderlands" by Gloria Anzaldua, which was published, back in like when??? 1987 or so??? Mr. Ferrer continues this line of thought by claiming English-dominant "Hispanics" don't rely/need their Latinidad as much as those, who I assume, are Spanish-dominant...

If this was the case, we wouldn't be struggling finding voice to begin with... and if you feel that a language barrier is the only door between us and mainstream accessibility, then you are poorly mistaken. Question is, how do you know what we need? How do you know that it is found in mainstream outlets? I don't dance when I read the paper, I don't drink Inca Cola, and I code-switch between English, Spanish, Spanglish, and Caliche... but he goes on...

Huff Post Latino claims to be different because its in English, dedicated to Latinos who do not know Spanish, and non-Latinos who do not speak Spanish. Surveying the topics presented in this publicaiton, I can find conversations on immigration in Univision, my local paper "El Tiempo Latino" and this thing. In that line of thought, then you are true to claim you are an equal partner, as your partners and contemporaries are just as stereotypical and tunnel-visioned as Huff Post Latino. And, its absolutely offensive that acquiring English is the means of "empowering" ourselves, as if we are unequal beforehand.

What this says to me is that I won't be staying long on this site, as it continues to present the stereotypes I find everywhere else.

"Punk R&B" and the silencing of Freedom- Reaction to AfroPop's "Midwest Electric: The Story of Chicago House and Detroit Techno"

2011-07-16T17:04:00.000-04:00

Detroit Techno group - Underground Resistance

Midwest Electric: The Story of Chicago House and Detroit Techno by Afropop Worldwide

With genres like Kuduro and South African House, and the turn towards House templates for UK Funky and Future Garage in the UK, and pretty much every mainstream Black artist in the U.S. doing House music (listened to Chris Brown lately)... House and Techno is the music of inspiration right now. Afropop Worldwide does a beautiful piece on Detroit Techno and Chicago House. They draw the connections between these 80s born, 70s influenced, genres and today's Juke and Footwork movements. They tackle the notion of race and electronic dance music... bridging the two and showing these supposedly "colorblind" musics as extensions of the Afro-Music diaspora. Plus, the show connects these genres to Europe and South Africa, showing a cultural imperialism, or transnationalism, taking place.

Techno and House = Open-minded Black music

What I enjoyed most was the comments from Underground Resistance of the denial of Black roots of Techno and House, in order to accommodate the colorblind, mainstream, and white masses; juxtaposed with House's mantra of family vibes, the groove, and moving your body. I agree with UR's statement as its of utmost importance to recognize the Afro roots of the genres. I do argue that it is highly possible (and has been done) that you can create a genre that speaks to various identity groups, and still maintain an identity-specific origin, which House represents.

House/Techno vs. Hip Hop: Racism all over again

I also enjoyed how Hip Hop took on an adversarial role as radio stations were eaten up by national syndicates and heralded as the "new voice of Black/urban culture". Such as stance is interesting to me as we can easily compare the "future," "otherworldly," "outerspace" and "everybody come together" of Techno and House, and compare to the "represent', "my hood", "where I'm from," street journalism in Hip Hop. I would even argue that the negligence of House and Techno as legitimate members of the disaspora, and the embrace of Hip Hop, is an act of racism in which elements of the ills of society can only be spoken of by African Americans and Latinos, whereas poor people trying to escape, leave, and find a new world through otherworldly sounds are muted and ignored. We can't have poor black folks making Juan Atkins's "UFO's" because it would be a recognition of the capacity of the poor to rise, and the labor force needed to fill those jobs middle and upper class do not want to sweat for. A wonderful quote was "Techno and House are R&B gone Punk, DIY (do it yourself)... having a community to build by its own means is just a scary thought... Instead, lets celebrate the music where the artists only speak of plights and not solutions...

U.S. ignorance of its own

The last piece that caught my eye is the observation that the U.S. still does not want to embrace or acknowledge House and Techno, history and all, as part of its musical cannon. It's an irony that genres of such creativity and simple pounding groove can be highly misunderstood by its own citizens. This brings to mind the need for contradiction and complexity to eradicate stereotypes. DC Go-go, Baltimore Club, Chicago Footwork, Bay Area Hyphy, etc. are vital components to the American electronic/dance/black/urban aesthetic as they keep Hip Hop in check and complicate the functions and subject matter of people of color in direct combat against racist attempts to box in our notion of what is American. Many young folk do not know much about these genres, referring them as just Dance music made for white people. I encourage you all to take a listen and see for yourself that 4/4 beats and acid sounds, which spawned Rave and Electronic movements, are just as much ours as Hip Hop, Jazz, and Blues... its Punk R&B.

Poem - "Celebrating my Independence Day"

2011-07-04T13:12:00.000-04:00

Today, I’m celebrating my Independence Day…

By remembering an argument I had with this guy sophomore year
He told me people of color could not be racists
He’s an idiot

By remembering the look on my girl’s face when I played her my track
She told me “it is nice”
She didn’t like it

By remembering getting high with my buddy and making beats using a stolen sample CD
We made five tracks
We thought it was dope

By remembering unemployed debaucheries on late Tuesday nights
I said yes to a lot of things
I got in trouble

By thinking of those who do, who write, who paint, who speak
By thinking of the moments of nirvana during the most carnal of events
By thinking of the critics, the thinkers, and students who teach me independence

"Clean Fat Laces" my newest track in 2 years - ill.selection

2011-06-23T01:19:00.000-04:00

Clean Fat Laces (120) by ill.selection

My first original tune in 2 years. I kept it simple and light so I can refamiliarize myself with producing... I would classify this as Dancey Bass music... very 4/4 but on some shuffle and poly-drum sounds... influenced by UK Funky and Future Garage! Please give feedback and enjoy, it should be on a mix somewhere.

If you want 320s, then get atcha boy!

ill.selection Summer 2011 Soundsystem Essentials Mix!!!

2011-06-02T01:31:00.000-04:00

Boom boom soundsystem culture about to blast your area!!!!

Summer 2011 Soundsystem Essentials by ill.selection

The theme of the season is slow and low, slung and hung. So check out the chunky grooves as they build and build to a hectic pitch. I wanted to present a wide range of geographies with classics and upfront tracks inside the mix to connect the dots of the transnational vibes that are taking place across dance music. Of course all of it is bass and soundsystem friendly, so be sure to put this on your next barbaque or car ride through the summer roads. Less "electronicy" and more on the thump. We got Digital Cumbia and Moombahton setting things off, then we move in with the big Dancehall riddims, followed by plenty of surprises towards the end. So download, stream, burn, and share with friends and fam... its summer vibes here!

Download the mix as an Mp3 here

Stream it on the ill.selection mixcloud

Or, click pon dis for the Soundcloud

Tracklisting:

Pa la Escuela Nene (Geko Jones vs Frikstailers) - Maria Mulata

Told Ya (DJ Melo Moombahton Edit) - Sandro Silva feat. Isa GT

Sandungueo - Munchi

Get ur freak on (Alvaro & Punish Moombahton Bootleg) - Missy Elliot

Pepe - Doble T Y El Crok

Dem A Pre - Mr. Lexx

Signal - Degree

Make it Funky (DJ Punish Remix) - Alvaro

Pull Up - The Party Squad

Oh My Gosh (Gutter Athem) Mr. Vegas

Magalena (Paul devro edit) Sergio Mendes

African Air Horn Dance - Jusa Dementor

Zeze E Toto (Remix) - Luky Gomes

Call The Police - John Wayne

Young Lover - Cocoa Tea

Nufeko Disole - Batida

When I Dip - Bingo Players

Eu Fumo featuring Deize Tigrona - Greymatter

Cumbia Lolita - Joyce Muniz & Shanti Roots

Me & U (Brenmar Remix) - Cassie

Electric Boogaloo (Find a Way) (Hudson Mo Re-fix) - Wiley

Timber (Seiji Remix) - Coldcut, Hexstatic

Fatherless - Breach

Raver (Breakage Remix) - Shy FX ft. Donae’o

Perculator Remixes out soon! Teaser Video with cute kids dancing their ass off!

2011-05-24T20:16:00.000-04:00

Little kids being cute

Hip Hop Dancing

The Perculator

I couldn't resist!

From the details section on the Youtube:

http://www.facebook.com/cajualrecords feat. FUTURE FUNK, FOOTWORKINGZ, KID SISTER. Percolator Remix album out Aug. 30th.

Video shot & produced by Sombionx & Tiger Deluxe @ Q Studios Chicago

Remixes include Major Lazer, DJ Chuckie, Claude Vonstroke, Riva Starr, Mixin Marc, Bad Boy Bill, DJ Gantman

Special Thanks to: Future Funk, Footwork Kingz, Kid Sister, Dj Gantman,Sombionx & Tiger Deluxe @ Q Studios

Percolator is on the new "It's Time" album.

Album Tracklist: 1. Brighter Days (feat. Dajae-Underground Goodie Mix '93) 2. Percolator (Reworked '10) 3. U Got Me Up (feat. Dajae-Underground Goodie Mix '93) 4. Horny '94 5. Re Ah Do Da Da Da '94 6. Brighter Days (feat. Dajae '92) 7. Say U Will (feat. Dajae '05) 8. Feelin' Kinda High (feat. Terence FM '94) 9. Midnight (feat. Walter Phillips '04) 10. I Need U (feat. Dajae '04) 11. God Sent (feat. Jamie Principle '10)[Bonus Track] 12. Brighter Days (feat. Dajae-Underground Trance Mix '92) 13. Let Me Be '92 14. Feelin' Kinda High (feat. Terence FM-Dub '94) 15. Get Up Off Me (feat. Dajae-Dub '95) 16. Stay Around (feat. Terence FM-Dub '95) 17. Dancin' '97 18. Freaks & Stars (feat. Walter Phillips '02) 19. Stay Around (feat. Terence FM '95) 20. I Need U (feat. Dajae-Mark Grant Remix '05) 21. Just For (feat. Walter Phillips '10)[Bonus Track] 22. Sometimes I Do (feat. Walter Phillips '02)

Available for purchase at iTunes, Amazon, Beatport.com, Stompy.com,

Beyonce, Drake, and Diplo... oh my! (feat. Indie Rock, Dubstep, and TVOTR)

2011-05-23T21:54:00.003-04:00

oh my oh my... after all eyes are on Beyoncé, her Billboard Music Awards performance last night, and that Diplo Pon de Floor sampling shit song Run The World running the video-waves right about now. It seems that this lady run tings... One of my favorite music magazines Fader posted up "Till the End of Time" apparently produced, purposefully this time, by Diplo. The post by Fader connects this piece with Drake's "Money Dreams Can Buy", and Indie/Post-Dubstep producer Jai Paul, through a sample from Paul's song "BTSU"

What I'm digging is the connections across Dubstep, Indie Rock, Pop Soul, and Dance in this weird trajectory and mashup of individuals from so many different scenes... transnationalism all over the place. As you know, one of my favorite things to do on this blog is to draw connections across genres, nations, and identities in this new-school crossover mashup cut/n/paste 2.0 thing... It may not matter to you, but border-crossing is something of an interest to me.

So, here are the songs below to show you the connects.. One final plot twist is how much "Till the End of Time" sounds like TV On the Radio's (another Indie band) which I threw at the bottom.... happy connecting ya'll...

Level 1: The Indie Post-Dubstep original...

Level 2: Taking the sample to a Rap audience via Drake

http://defpenradio.com/beyonce-till-the-end-of-time/

Level 3: Diplo takes the same sample, speeds it up and throws up some marching drums and horns to the mix... I'd post a vid, but apparently there are some copyright things gwan... but check the Fader post above for the mp3, or the defpenradio link.

AND plot twist... putting the Indie spin on all this...

phew!!! I'm done!!

AmericanPupusa Fan Page up!

2011-05-17T17:04:00.000-04:00

I finally got round to setting up a link from here to the AmericanPupusa Soundystem Facebook Fan Page. So, link it, like it, love it.. its there where you'll see the Songs of the Day, random posts from other sites, and the real-time feeds through the day. But keep this blog, as this is where the Playlists, Features, Commentaries, and News will remain!

easy Rudebwoy and Rudegyal, and Rudeothergenda!

Oh and I need a better picture of Turbo doing his infamous broom dance... I'm thinking it will become the official logo of my Housekeeping tag!

Post-Race Hip Hop... Mac Miller and Frat Rap!?

2011-05-08T22:41:00.003-04:00

I was just about to start on some paid work when this chick decided to follow me on my Twitter... One thing lead to another, and I'm looking up "Frat Rap"...

I surf along some more and find the Frat Rap Tumbler that pretty much serves as my source for this post. It includes the man of the hour Mac Miller...

Or this dude, Chris Webby, who shows up alot on the page too...

And its not just white dudes...

Or Dean's List...

I'm still trying to wrap my head around it... but these are the things that stick out at the moment...

Flows remind me of college parties, circa 2000, where those "cool" rappers started freestyling at the back of the room to the amazement of all...
The Black dudes tend towards dance music beats, House and trancey synths. The white guys tend towards 2000 era backpacker stuff, rapping like its a battle all the time..
The videos from white rappers have the token Black dude, and the videos from Black dudes have the token white guy...
Weed, college, clean productions, and backwards baseball caps... again, circa 2002
Did I mention it all looks and acts like 2002????

What I also find interesting is this subgenre is coming through where it is, along current Rick Ross/Weezy/Gucci Mane mainstream post-Thug rap; during the current Odd Future takeover; among the fading freshmen class of J Cole, Drake, Lupe Fiasco, and other mainstream light-pop rappers. Its also coming after the bust of nu-skool rap like Kidz in the Hall, Cool Kids, Ninjasonik, et all... They certainly do not take on the dirty angst of their elders such as House of Pain, Eminem, or even 3rd Bass... but remind me more of the mimicry you'd find from Vanilla Ice.

[Aside - and since we are mapping Hip Hop at the moment, has anyone heard anything from those lame "conscious" rappers inna while??? me neither]

I think that since so much of it is cut from Hip Hop of years past, its rise is a signal, a hiccup, of a bunch of young kids who had older cousins telling them of the good ol' days of the Golden Era, and trying to rekindle that spark. What is intriguing is not what it is, but what it isn't and the time of arrival in among the current interests of mainstream Hip Hop. Compare this to DJ Khaled and tell me what you see...

I wish I had more analysis for you... Its some weird place that leaves me intrigued. I'll be paying attention to find out where this thing goes...

PS, of the songs I found on the Tumbler, this one was my favorite...

Mother's Day Special - Hip Hop songs of, and about, mommas

2011-05-06T09:38:00.007-04:00

Rappers show many textures about their relationship with their mothers. And, there are some highly notable Hip Hop and R&B moms to rep for our generation... so here are a few tunes that might help show the happy and torn ties with ma dukes...

Happy Mother's Day!

and my favorite....

Then there are mommas themselves doing the thing...

Boomboxes...

2011-05-02T14:16:00.001-04:00

A little doc on boomboxes and boombox book coming out soon... alludes to soundsystem culture as mobile communal space... thanks Jay Z!

AmericanPupusa updated tags...

2011-04-27T09:31:00.000-04:00

During my 4am insomnia, I decided to go through my posts and update their tags... so we now have "Features" "Commentary" and "Playlists" to better organize your reading pleasure. Check them out to get a collection of my bigger pieces, random rants, and those videos I post where I connect the dots among soundsystem music... enjoy!

Junot Diaz explains Oscar Wao, and shows how to write fiction in a postmodern Latinidad

2011-04-25T09:49:00.005-04:00

Junot Diaz presented the opening address for “Writing Dangerously in Immigrant America” at Georgetown University 5 April 2011.

*yeah, its late, I know….

Diaz, author of Drown and Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, the 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction, was the opening speaker Tuesday evening for Georgetown University’s two-day Lannon Spring Literary Symposium and Festival. After an opening statement and introduction by two Georgetown Professor-types, Junot stepped to the podium of the very Catholic-looking Gaston Hall to give a ten-minute reading and an hour of Q&A. The theme, “Writing Dangerously in Immigrant America,” also brought Cristina Garcia, Edwidge Danticat, and D.C. playwright Quique Aviles for performances and readings.

Gaston Hall was filled with over 200 students, faculty, students, and more students, reflecting Junot’s appeal to the current youth culture, or strong teaching methods. The interest in Diaz may be due to the scarcity of extraordinary U.S. Latino writers. But, there is also a cultural and literary innovation presented in Oscar Wao's treatment of culture and identity that antiquates the work of early 90s Latino Literature boom authors; Cristina Garcia, Sandra Cisneros, Oscar Hijuelos, etc. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is about an overweight Dominican nerd trying to lose his virginity. That premise allows Diaz to weave a story that swerves along an vast range of cultures and subcultures that connect the history of the Dominican Republic; a multigenerational family story; and a cast of characters influenced by MTV, New Jersey, science fiction, and Hip Hop. Latino Lit Boom authors spoke of the back and forth among countries. But, Diaz presents this range of cultural signposts, attributions to disparate historical references, and street-wise aesthetics in a “cut n’ paste” and de-romanticized abandon that feels as if it can stand on its own feet, without a need to be grouped among previous U.S. Latino books. This sovereignty exemplifies the AmericanPupusa aesthetic, where one can be of and down with the culture, not bound by it. The book’s appeal was made clear when a female student in the audience said “somehow” she relates to him more than Julia Alvarez.

POSTMODERN LATINIDAD

Junot wears glasses, is bald, and sports a goatee. The timbre of his voice and his face make him seem pretty young (based on responses during the Q&A, I infer he is in his 40s). His demeanor and voice is also low-key, with a monotone cadence 100 decibels below a shout. Yet the New Jersey accent is there. And, using words like “motherfucker” and “shit” in an academic setting shows some street is there too. As you listen, you can easily see how close Oscar Wao reflects his personality, and a postmodern kind of Latinidad (oxymoron maybe). Throughout the evening, the author name drops British authors of the literary canon, throws down five “F bombs” to explain how hard it is to write, and talks about how his work relates to race and culture in one breath. His cultural place becomes almost allusive, yet we can see his Latiniad and cultural affiliations. He does not code-switch language, but cultures. He does not represent one hood, but a bunch of places. And, he does not come from one social space, but resides in many.

Presenting such a multiplicity of social constructs can even silence a room. Junot began with a reading from chapter two, where Oscar’s sister Lola talks about the life changing moment when her mother Belicia asks Lola to feel a lump in her breast. It is a powerful as we see strong development between two female characters, and shows a jarringly intimate scene in a narrative of constant movement. After he read, I imagined a few questions would arise from the audience about the role of women in his work, an anecdote about troubled mother and daughter relationships perhaps, or a question about his reading choice for the symposium. I personally found it interesting that a male writer chose this piece to set the tone of the event billed to feature “dangerous” writing on the immigrant experience. The choice also brought up a question of positionality, where a male writes through a female character. Unfortunately, none of these issues were raised for the entire evening. The reading was left hanging as conversations moved towards New Jersey, using the ‘N word’, and comic books.

“UNLOCKING” CULTURE

What did come up was Diaz’s choice of non-traditional cultural references such as science fiction, role playing games, and New Jersey as the vehicles to unleash the narrative. Diaz explained it as dealing with an absence of history and reconstructing memory. He also cited Foucault’s idea of “truth effect,” where truth is not an idealistic absolute but the process in which to create statements. These assumptions allow him to “unlock” culture in different ways, freeing him from old white American archetypes, and the need for “approval,” which he says differs him from the early 90s Latino literature boom. This absence of history applies to the D.R. side as well, where the erasing, reinterpreting, and propagation of Dominican, and larger Latino history, makes any reliance on it meaningless. In other words, the history of the U.S. and D.R. are both fictional, so the need to use them as handrails for writers to transmit truth to the audience is just another act of subjection. Diaz cites Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” to show how to embrace the subjective mode of the comic book to reveal a truth more powerful than a history book, “realism doesn’t unlock” explains Diaz, “comics unlock Trujillo.”

(TRANS)NATIONAL BRDIGES…

Later, Diaz shared two historical precedents related to nationalism that explained his ability to move the narrative of Oscar Wao back and forth between nations, times, and people. Diaz first cited how Jose Marti, a white Cuban, used nationalism to connect causes, races, and nations of varying interests and backgrounds to promote solidarity and Cuban independence. Diaz called Marti’s approach “Nationalism as a door opener, not a door closer” in opposition to today’s use to dehumanize foreign individuals and create an antagonistic “other.” He also shared how his own immigrant identity was interestingly affirmed when learning that the Cherry Blossoms of Washington D.C. were used to replenish lost groves in Japan after World War II, noting a sense of losing one’s origin, but an ability to return and enrich it with foreign influences intertwined. These examples illustrates a unique juxtaposition; Jose Marti’s nationalism was formulated by his travels and transgressions across social and cultural nation-states, and a hybrid Cherry Blossom from the U.S. was used to reinvigorate the national iconography of its place of origin.

RACE AND THE “N” WORD IN A POSTMODERN KINDA WAY

Diaz also applied race in a cut n’ paste postmodern. A student asked what he thought of the recent coverage surrounding the removal of the ‘N word’ from an upcoming edition of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. Diaz responded that, as an artist, his use of the ‘N word’ is determined when the work calls for it. Plus his use “does not mean a political stance or support of the word.” He then criticized that U.S. society can find it easy to remove the words of arts and literature, but no one would dare change the language of a corporation’s mission statement or official literature. In this instant, he finds politic in the artistic implications of the ‘N word’, but distances himself from a direct sociopolitical relationship when used in the context of racism. This allusiveness removes his obligation to connect and deal with the matter as a Dominican. And placing issues of race in the artist setting seems to give him the ability to shift, change, and rearrange these racial social constructs to meet a narrative’s ends. Feels almost like a freedom many of us seek in our own dealings with identity.

PROCESSING THIS OUT FOR MYSELF AND THE AMERICANPUPUSA VIBE

Junot Diaz’s talk brought me to think about my own journey and place in space. I recall being the Army brat middle-class child, turned latch-key kid living with a single mother and no money; the culture shifts between El Salvador, Guatemala, and United States in my house and school; and my choice of studying the African Diaspora, and immersion as a Hip Hop head, to unlock my own sense of Latindad and Albinism. I never felt my wide-range of cultures was ever reflected in U.S. Latino literature until The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I find it difficult to say how these examples should be applied to the AmericanPupusa aesthetic. But the tricks Junot Diaz shared brought a sense of peace in my identity, and opened my eyes to new ways of interpreting my surroundings and cultural movements, and express myself in ways where I am both aware and oblivious to social constructs. Junot Diaz showed that these constructs we often hold so dear, to the point it becomes part of our DNA, are not to define us, but serve as markers to create on our own terms.

Woo hoo! AmericanPupusa shows up on Racialicious!!!

2011-04-07T12:22:00.002-04:00

Oy oy!!! My piece "Elements of Diversity" is featured on Racialicious, introducing me as a guest contributor! Shouts to Latoya Peterson and the rest of her crew as they bring in very cool intersections related to the discourse of social issues and race that you don't normally see. Drawing pop culture, comic books, and sci-fi will be covered inna bit when I write my next piece on Junot Diaz's visit to Georgetown earlier this week.

boh!!!

Tyler the Creator (OFWGKTA) on Race, Art, Subjective Success....

2011-04-06T16:24:00.001-04:00

Tyler opens up about his family, lyrics about rape, hypocrisy in celebrating Quentin Tarantino's violence towards women in movies and haitng on similar imagery in his music.. and many other points that will leave culturlaists, Hip Hop heads, and other conscious folks taking for a minute. I applaud him and agree with his stances on the constraints of expression and identity, even from within your own community.

My main homie Quique along side some heavy hitters...

2011-04-05T15:46:00.003-04:00

A great ally and friend of mine, Quique Aviles, is a Salvadoran DC playwright, performer, and activist. I had the honor of working with him for "Los Treinta: Celebrating 30 Years of Salvadorans in D.C." for the Gala Hispanic Theatre. He will be among many this week at Georgetown University for "Writing Dangerously in Immigrant America: Violence, Politics, Diasporic Histories and Poetics of Survival" symposium."

Here you go Quique....

Check the Similarity 3 - The Roots, Outkast, Missy, Rhianna and Soundsystem Musics

2011-04-05T10:21:00.002-04:00

Diddy with UK Rapper Skepta - the international exchange... 

The exchange between U.S. artists and producers with Soundsystem music from everywhere else is a hidden little gem. Below, you'll see how Hip Hop artists draw production styles from UK Garage, Kuduro, Drum and Bass, Jungle, and Dubstep with little mention of their origins. On the other side of the table, we see a lot of U.S. artists appear on tracks from other soundsystem music when they go international. I can't help but think of cultural imperialism and U.S. xenophobia aspect taking a role in this. Why is there no attribution to the influence of other soundsystem music on U.S. music? Is this a means of maintaining cultural superiority? Are we playing into the xenophobic and isolated ignorance of Americans in an international context?

Historically, U.S. genres have been exported to other nations, where UK, France, Germany, Japan, and many nations in Africa will absorb and use U.S. genres with their own language and re-release as reinterpretations. Producers outside the U.S. openly acknowledge their roots in Blues, Hip Hop, or House, acknowledging a cultural imperialism of sorts, but also an open understanding of an international exchange taking place. Whereas the gringos don't talk of international, yet draw from it in a sneaky way.

In the 60s-70s, UK genres like Northern Soul or Lover's Rock, and African Funk took hold in reshaping their sounds to meet their contexts. But it hasn't been until the late 90s with Jungle, Baile Funk, Kurduro, etc. where nations rid themselves of U.S. exported templates and reframed beat patterns, sounds, and motifs for the creation of brand new genres. Obviously this is a matter of interpretation that the line is drawn so cleanly here... but I make the claim as Northern Soul (for example) could possibly be reinserted into Motown (minus the accents), or the Clash was easily embraced by American audiences, but putting a Jungle tune next to N.W.A. would be a bit shocking. But to put it in context, this is not the only way music gets exchanged, as today we see artists speaking to each other without the influence of U.S. cultural infrastructures, thanks to the web, mobile phones, and social media.

But then again, this could all just be Africa right here. So, here is a showcase of some of this exchange... Hopefully you can check the similarity of music, enjoy some tracks, and see ourselves in a more transnational light.

Round 1: The Roots "You got Me" (in particular ?uestlove's drumming at 3:30) vs Hidden Agenda "The Flute Tune" with the use of jungle shuffle drums - Circa late 90s early 2000s

Round 2: Outkast's "Bombs over Bagdad" vs. Shy FX and T-Power's "Shake Ur Body" in the use of Drum and Bass, specifically the pounding 2-step jump up riddm.

Round 3: Aalyiah's "One in a Million" (produced by Timerbland of course) v. Mo Fire Crew's "Oi" on the UK Garage 2 step beat pattern exchange.

Round 4: Rhianna's "G4L" and " on the Dubstep beat... In this case, Rhianna used an actually UK beat by producers Chase and Status

And on the other side of the soundclash, a showcase of U.S. artists who appeared on other soundsystem music... these are not acapellas, but original productions...

KRS-1 rides a Drum and Bass riddm with UK's Goldie

Method Man v. Roni Size - Drum and Bass

UK Giggs and U.S. BoB - Hip Hop

UK Dizzie Rascal v UGK - Grime

Diddy v Skepta - Grime

Robert Owens with Photek - House (Yes, I know that House vocalists in UK House is kinda a duh moment, but the exchange is there)

Housekeeping: Thank you! and remember AmericanPupusa on Facebook...

2011-04-05T08:54:00.002-04:00

Hey party people... First, thank you all for vising my page... page visits are heading toward a nice and consistent 400 or so. It makes me happy! Second, make sure to find AmericanPupusa Soundystem on Facebook! I've moved my "Song's of the Day" there, as well as add article posts and other do-dads. But make sure to keep this in your google reader as my orignial music, articles, and mixes are featured here. I'm working on getting new riddms together, making my own beats, and writing articles... so keep it locked!

Much love
Hugo El Pupusero

Check the Similarity - The "Huit Octobre" Affect...

2011-04-03T15:24:00.002-04:00

Muy bueno

Check the Similarity: Doo Wop-1960, Hip Hop-1980

2011-04-01T10:17:00.003-04:00

So, I was listening to some 60s Soul and then this song came on my iTunes

I had the HEY!! Moment and then this came to mind...

See what I mean?

Elements of Diversity – How change agents, activists, advocates, and other do-gooders seem to not get it after 40 years of trying.

2011-03-28T00:39:00.114-04:00

("Unfinished Painting" by Keith Haring)

I am disappointed in the still inconsistent and unfinished definition of the “D” word applied by mainstream spaces and do-gooder change agents. The word is a bad choice to describe the ideal we seek, and the most incomplete to describe the cure my social anger. “Diversity” has been tainted before I got a chance to play for the team, it’s the jersey we wear on the court, and few in the team know this.

This problem came to light when I attended “New Models in Media and Activism” sponsored by Campus Progress. The event was a panel discussion with Amanda Terkel - Senior politics reporter for The Huffington Post, Amy Austin – Publisher for Washington City Paper, Latoya Peterson – Editor of Racialicious.com, and Melinda Wittstock - Founder, CEO, and Bureau Chief of Capitol News Connection about the intersection of women, activism, and social media. The 80+ attendees comprised of about 90% 20-something white females, a sprinkle of Black females, drips of white males, and one Latino Albino (guess). The panel provided good insight, suggestions, and anecdotes on their experiences and contexts, showing a spectrum of voices from Print, Web 1.0, 1.5 to 2.0 media. The event also provided examples of the ineptitude of many change agents to grasp what diversity means in real-world situations. One panelist painfully tried to keep up with the others by saying things like “Well, that’s why women are better at getting along because we communicate better than men, which is why diversity is important” and other lovely words ~~of wisdom~~. Throughout the event, audience members and moderators mostly framed issues of diversity in simple terms like getting more African Americans and women in the media. A white male student from American University correlated diversity troubles at his school with what was happening in the media, as Black candidates who run for student government president never win, asking “how can we combat that so we can be more diverse?”

Such comments assume that diversity is measured only by the number of Blacks, women, and Latinos in the room, without considering the structural reframing, process, and competencies that can make the term usable. “Diversity” as shorthand for a tally of physical bodies and archetypes is one of the major issues this term faces for validity and understanding. This incomplete definition makes whites feel apart and not responsible, targeted groups into tokens who feel responsible for carrying the burden in get-togethers, and ultimately diminishing collective knowledge. And for those who accompany the word with action, process, and competency, it annoys us when others in the choir don’t sing with the entire range of notes true diversity asks for.

Another saddening consequence is the neglect of the knowledge, processes, outcomes, and techniques diversity can offer for not just the eradication of inequity, but the addition of new tools of success and growth for organizations, people, and social institutions. There is an untapped resource here where folks can learn and utilize these beautiful gems of cognitive, psychological, leadership, and interpersonal skills. Latinidad, code-switching, double-consciousness, appropriation, Queer theory, communalism, liberation education, etc. can be used for science, math, engineering, business, politics, and health as tools to understand and navigate our society. You should’ve seen the look on people’s faces when I walked into dean’s offices, department meetings, and faculty task forces as they couldn’t figure out why I was sitting there next them… clueless Ph.D. holders.

The worst crime of limiting diversity to stockpiling identities is that it leaves black, white, whomever, oblivious and shackled from taking any social action. I have participated in too many dialogue sessions, hate crime debriefings, class discussions, and lunchroom chit chat where targeted groups have vent sessions, whites stay quiet, and everyone feels good for being in conversation, yet empty that nothing has been done. Everything returns to the status quo of disproportionate favoritism, neglect, anger, and struggle. Why is it that these feelings and situations do not convert well into action? Why do we like the notion of diversity so much, yet we still struggle in using it in the classroom? Why does a room full of positive change agents ask the question “What can I do?” The reason is because action steps, knowledge, competencies, and processes have been severed, or never included, in “diversity.”

In tribute to Strunk and White, I present some dimensions of diversity that should be in everyone’s composition. I would go so far as to say that “Diversity” is completely ineffective without these concepts, which are connected to action. They are abstract in nature because these are three sections that are to be designed differently for each situation.

1. Diversity is content knowledge and text: as stated earlier, there is a wealth of information, lessons, techniques, and vocabulary that diversity has unearthed and exposed for all people to draw from. Much of my own Latinidad was informed by W.E.B. DuBois’s introduction of double-consciousness to American culture. Gloria Anzaldua’s notion of borders can help higher education look at how they frame “global” “intercultural” and “internationals” as it has informed me with understanding the intra-group dynamics between Latinos who come to school as International Students, and those who are U.S. domestic.

2. Diversity provides a set of tools: When I first designed a Latino Leadership course for the University of Maryland, I introduced leadership halfway through the semester, not until we laid out a vocabulary of what Latinidad is in relation to social consciousness, followed by a survey of social issues affecting Latinos. Reappropriaton, code-switching, critical thinking, inclusion, dealing with difference, combating oppression, dialogue, and the third-eye feeds directly into Leadership as a tool for social change, a hybrid, not an addendum to be added afterward. Resulting models would inherently have these components within their DNA. Early Hip Hop is another example of a set of tools designed by a certain few, carrying on the ability to be held and utilized by many outside.

3. Diversity a continuous process with an outcome to be seen and felt: building blocks and masonry must result in the creation of a building. But what does it look like? Take into account which voices were present, what conflicts arose and how were they addressed, what processes and structures were reframed for inclusion, what knowledge was unearthed, what issues of power and privilege eradicated in the process. In addition, the process of diversity means constant revaluations of the questions, which are answered and used again as a new equation to be recalculated again.

Some may ask, "...isn’t this Social Justice?” No, they are not the same. One of the toughest admissions to make is that there are a large number of people of color, folks with disabilities, and other oppressed populations who feel Social Justice omits them from the picture. I am a big fan of Social Justice, it has provided some wonderful tools that I think are great for many situations. But I also lose out on my Latinidad as an asset, my culture is left at the door for “common good,” which can mean a group-think mentality. Social Justice tools and techniques can work alongside the tools of “diversity,” they are schools of thought to seen as cooperative and not competitive.

I may be off here. But, I hope future events can take into account the entire scope and range of the “D” word. It hurts when people walk with you, but still don’t get you. Again, I’m not a fan of the word. I use it alongside “equity,” “inclusion” “multiculturalism” interchangeably. I’m not championing the word, but advocating for a more comprehensive terminology that does not leave me as a checkbox, but a complete change agent and contributor to the new.

Supplement: A corny exhibition of "Diversity" as the curse word... highlighting my beef with its assumed definition.

Hip Hop Lives in Venezuela

2011-03-20T20:05:00.000-04:00

Reported from this dope dope dope news source "Upside Down World," this teaser talks about the sponsorship and development of Hip Hop in Venezuela... interesting...

Hip-Hop La Vega. Caracas, Venezuela from Caracazo Media on Vimeo.

AmericanPupusa on Facebook and Twitter - Housecleaning ensues...

2011-03-17T01:52:00.003-04:00

If you are on the Facebooks... make sure you head over there after reading this, and "Like" the AmericanPupusa Soundsystem Fan Page. This helps alot for many reasons...

You are on Facebook more anyway
You'll get "Songs of the Day" and articles tossed up there via my stream-of-consciousness
The blog (what you are reading now) will still be active as the host of original writings, beats, and mixes Its all convergence-y and what not...

You can also follow a brother up in the twitters with @juicenajera

RIP Nate Dogg - The tradition of the "Rapper and the Crooner"...

2011-03-16T09:58:00.007-04:00

An unfortunate loss in Hip Hop as Nate Dogg passes away today at 41. He and Warren G cooled down the aggro of Onyx, Public Enemy, and NWA to a slow burn that set the stage for Southern Hip Hop and today's cotton-mouthed crew of slow slow slow rappers. Warren G and Nate Dogg are part of a large tradition of the "Rapper and the Crooner" whose roots are found most notably in Reggae music. That vibe is also part of a larger family of duality as you also see in Hip Hop, R&B, and Pop song structures such as "The DJ and the Rapper" and "Female v. Male." As tribute, here are some choice cuts of the "Rapper & Crooner". RIP

and Hip Hop... even Odd Future gets a crooner in there...

"Aliens, Immigrants, and other Evildoers" by Jose Torrés-Tama in DC this weekend

2011-03-03T16:16:00.005-05:00

Photo from Washington CityPaper

At the Gala Hispanic Theatre in Colombia Heights DC. The Washington CityPaper says, "The piece, titled “Aliens, Immigrants, & Other Evildoers” is billed as a “sci-fi Latino noir, multimedia solo" I plan on attending this weekend, looks to be a cool forward-thinking piece that takes the immigrant issues for Latinidad and uses different motifs to convey the tragedy and issues affecting us here. While I'm a bit bored of the limited range of topics we are allowed to transmit to the other in large venues, where its seems that any national discourse of Latinos is absurdly relegated to only immigration issues... it has some potential, maybe a transition phase towards the AmericanPupusa? Check his blog and site which definitely looks super AmericanPupusa!
The piece appears at 8 p.m. March 4 and 5 at GALA Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th St., NW. (202) 234-7174. The piece is bi-lingual

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All on Funny or Die

2011-03-01T14:22:00.002-05:00

Odd Future Gets Signed from Odd Future

some funny lines here

Kumbia Queers - in all their glory!!!

2011-03-01T10:07:00.004-05:00

Holy shit! this stuff is good!!! Well done, queer cumbieras doin the thing with killer tracks and the BEST cover songs!!

ill.selection presents "$50loops4Rappers" series #1

2011-02-28T15:36:00.002-05:00

So, let me introduce to you my first beat for 2011 titled "$50DollarLoops4Rappers #1" made by ill.selection. The title says what is is, more of a clearninghouse with empty yet catchy beats for rappers to go off on. I wouldn't call it the artsy nu-skool stuff, but hey its definitely a start after a LONG time of not producing. My resolution for 2011 was to produce "products" and here is the start of it, please comment and check for updates laterz. Peace

Illselection's $50 Dollar Loops for Rappers - #1 by ill.selection

Cebrating 15 years of independent Hip Hop and the trigger happy genius- Duck Down Records

2011-02-25T09:14:00.007-05:00

Very nice vid celebrating the trigger-happy genius that is Duck Down Records... word up son!

My favorite type of Hip Hop was of the ghetto/urban/yard bred social consciousness variety you usually find from the "Golden Era" of the mid to late 90s. It was that fine line of trying to figure out whether these cats saw the light, were talking guntalk, or were just being conspiracy theorists. That confusion of multiple intelligence really grabbed me as a child of immigrants: being the first in school and feeling quite out of place and dumb, seeing social and cultural phenomena of discrimination that put me in a position of outsider power, and feeling quite misunderstood when I tried to relay these observations to friends, teachers, or parents. Listening to Buckshot, Smiff and Wesun, and Boot Camp Clk, you weren't sure where they were gonna go with their rhymes; to rise and raise up some dope all social issue that you hadn't thought of, or pull a gun and blow your head off. I think that is where Hip Hop was its most dangerous. Maybe that is where my struggle with Hip Hop is at the moment... you have these super-smart college-conscious types, or the super-ignorant idiot massive, and nothing in between. Where's the rasta with a trigger finger at nowadays?

Festivals 2011 - Sonar and SXSW

2011-02-23T00:13:00.004-05:00

Makes a brother wanna drool... click images for jumps

Araab Muzik on MoneyHungry Radio

2011-02-22T09:07:00.002-05:00

Its cool, I mean MF DOOM did this, RZA did this, and pretty much everyone else who's made a beat has done this, but I'm growing into Dipset selections as of late (yes, 5 years late but oh well, this guy has talent). What I find funny are the comments below giving way too much hype about touching buttons on the MPC... and please don't call your mom's spare room "The Lab" or "The Studio"... stop clowning yourself... LOL

NPR's Alt Latino and Mudd Up

2011-02-18T10:14:00.006-05:00

and!!!!

If you haven't checked it alt.latino, please do... I also would advise checking DJ Rupture's Mudd Up show... probably the two podcasts I check for alternative Latino, Digital Cumbia, and forward thinking music of the transnational nature...

OFWGKTA - Jimmy Fallon, NYC, DC...

2011-02-17T10:07:00.004-05:00

They're hheeeeeerrrreee!!

DC Performance

Why Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All is the only thing that matters in Rap to a 33 year old

2011-02-15T11:51:00.011-05:00

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All are the only thing of any importance in Hip Hop right now.

I don't say this to attract visitors, to piss my alpha Hipster stench of being trendy on you, or come at you as some die-hard Hip Hop purist. I say this because it strikes me that these ten guys are the only folks that bring the energy and cutting edge who-knows-what the rest of Hip Hop lost for some time now. I say this after listening to Curren$y, Wiz Khalifa, Gucci Mane, Lil Boosie, Pills, Slaughterhouse, Immortal Technique, Joe Budden, Kanye West, and the current crop of "cool" rap music that you see on HipHopDX, AllHipHop.com, and any other blogs of "underground" rap.

Maybe I'm comparing apples to oranges. There is enough room in Hip Hop for everyone, and I do like my share of closer-to-the-radar rap music. Fact is, OFWGKTA is on some other trajectory, as I saw last night at U Street Music Hall. Standing on line were leather jacket sophisto Howard students, baggy jeans bald heads, the skinny jean skater massive, and organic eating-big rimmed glasses-Hipster mosquitoes. A very different crowd from the 90s-2000s trajectory of the Jiggy, Thug, and Backpackers of before. This other trajectory OF is on really hit me when I heard that 2dopeboyz refused to give them any bit of love, not that they have to. It has become common knowledge that some level of beef arose out of this.

And I realized, there is a generational gap at play here...

The irony is that OF bring out that nervousness of cutting edge that I, and the rest of the 90s-2000s trajectory, thrived on in our heyday. That rebelliousness of the "Golden Era" was due to the fact not a lot of folks understood the genre. Unfortunately that rebelliousness was branded and is now available for download at iTunes for suburbanites, boonies, pop kids, and other mainstream channels. OFWGKTA bring a different rebelliousness that blogosphere-independent Hip Hop folks don't get (I did a few searches on Nah Right's search tool for any OF, and nothing). If I were to guess what rebelliousness is, I would say is that they represent the same threat to the mainstream as citizen journalism, as the DIY of punks of yesteryear, that they really DON'T give a fuck... making their own videos, make their own beats, rap with a disregard and obliviousness that creates their own world. We don't feel invited, yet we kinda are, and we must conform to where they are at to be included in that party

(reminds you of early Hip Hop, no?)

Fact is, OFWGKTA piss people off, they are rude and offensive, not all their beats are dope, and not all their flows are dope. Yet, a lot of their music is absolutely stellar, many of their verses are labyrinths of wordplay and their artwork is beautiful in all its ugly glory. You could of made the same critique of inconsistency in many a tune from the hallowed "Golden Era". But that's the point, you can have ProTools, Logic, Reason, MPCs and any other piece of fine production equipment, you could wear the nicest necklaces, have the most intricate double/triple rhyme schemes in town... but if you are not pushing yourself, the genre, and your friends, then what do you have?

DC Performance

"We Can See Ghosts (una despedida a mi tio)"

2011-02-14T01:13:00.005-05:00

We can see ghosts

And talk to the dead in our dreams
We see events with our eyes closed
And learn of upcoming nows

We can also feel someone else’s pain
And receive messages using no sight or sound
We deny these cuentos out of fear
Yet, accept them when they happen to us

It scares me to know that we have family reunions in the dark
And there are conversations taking place around me
That my tia sits at the foot of the bed while I sleep
That we are loved by spirits

It scares me so much that I do not wish this on anyone else
Yet, I cannot help but take pride
That we can see ghosts
And talk to the dead in our dreams

RIP Tio Memo

A confession and cultural study sitting on the bus in DC and MD

2011-02-09T10:01:00.010-05:00

I moved back to Maryland, specifically to Wheaton, which serves as quite a unique study of the migration of Latinos and other immigrant communities from the city proper to the burbs. You can see the flow of immigrants and Latinos as the rings of a tree trunk, where core communities of DC moved away from former enclaves such as Adams Morgan or Mt. Pleasant in DC in the late 80s and early 90s, settling along the way, ending up as north as Clarksburg MD and as south as Manassas VA. These former centers have become ghost towns of enclaves and the current playgrounds of transients (and to many of us, ingrates and richies). Yet, as water moves through these rings, so many Latinos, Africans, and other immigrant populations take buses from the city where they labor, to hour and a half rides back home in the cheaper and cost effective suburban neighborhoods each day and night. I do not drive. I am a 100% rider of public transportation. And it is standing on freezing cold bus kiosks, crowded train platforms at 9am or 11pm, where I see chutes and ladders segregating off various socioeconomic classes, races, and levels of sobriety to their points of destination. I wonder how often do folks think of the other subcultures that use these trains or buses when they are not using them.

You can see all of this in one day. Yesterday morning, I hop on the bus to go to the community college for an appointment. The bus was packed with young Black and Latino suburbanites heading to the “Harvard on the Pike,” looking as cute and as hard as they can, listening to the latest Gucci Mane or Wisin y Yandel beats through their headphones. Later in the afternoon, I’ll head over to visit my girlfriend in a highly affluent neighborhood in NW D.C. with a horde of bleached blonde girlies and lacrosse playing white dudes sitting all around me as I catch the early trickle of red DC Capitals hockey jerseys heading over to the Verizon Center. Moving to the Green line, I pass through a series of train stops in predominantly Black neighborhoods, where Black youth walk up and down the train, blasting the latest music, complaining to their friends about other friends’ shadiness. Here is where I also see “down” hipsters who live in these “transition neighborhoods,” validating their hipsterdom by residing where all the “real shit” is. (There have been songs written about DC neighborhoods and trains where the Green line is called out as the line not to ride. When the Tea Partyers decided to grace us with their presence, one of their websites instructed them to stay away from that train line too). And, I was quite surprised when I began taking my hour and a half bus ride home from the community college in MD. At 11pm, I walk into a bus as packed as a Red Line commute in downtown DC at 5pm. Instead of iPads, iPods, suits and ties, pretty dresses and white faces staring away quietly; it was completely full of Latinos and Africans chatting on cell phones, and to each other, talking about paychecks, where to work, asking how their kids are doing. Moms and Tias, looking tired, hugging their purses in front of their bellies with their head down low. Men staring at people coming through the door. Someone sitting in the back on the phone, speaking French so loud, you figure he was teaching the entire bus. My albino ass self sits down, pulls his iPod and listens to the latest Indie Rock and Dubstep tunes.

I’m starting to feel like quite the anomaly traveling through these series of cables and channels. My family came from the center, from Adams Morgan, and headed up to Wheaton and Silver Spring MD. We have seen our people continue the push, heading further north towards Gaithersburg or Laurel. I’m thinking the Red Line will have a stop over in Pennsylvania soon. The further we move along the trajectory, the more I feel out of place in all of it. I’ve been spoken to in Spanish at bus stops, as folks try to get one over on me thinking I do not speak Spanish or am Latino. And when I do, I get the ususal, :? Donde aprendistes a hablar español?: :Que bien hablás!:, and from las viejas :!ay que lindo!:. I also sit on trains where folks talk about immigrants negatively in front of me, saying how “This is America” and “I ain’t here to hear Spanish and shit.” If it's not socioeconomic status that marks me as a weirdo, it’s the Albinism, it’s the nationality, it's my Salvadoran and Guatemalan culture, it’s the accent, and so on and so on. I know this happens to everyone else. But in my naiveté, I feel a connection to the old women in the bus, they are my grandmother. I feel a connection to the kids on the Green Line, I hail from DC (and not Washington). And, I also have my share of Banana Republic slacks and button up dress shirts in the middle-class jobs I’ve held. I connect with all these things, yet feel like an outsider in my own home.

The Irony of Learning

2011-01-29T15:48:00.005-05:00

Earlier this week, I began taking my first classes (Journalism and Editing) after 3 years of graduating with my Master's degree in Higher Education Administration. In light of the past two years of unemployment; specifically the opportunities I had to volunteer for an assortment of causes, teaching ESL, beginning a novice side hobby as a music journalist and script editor for theater, as well as a brief stint as a U.S. Census enumerator, and currently waiting for responses from the 5 Ph.D. programs I had applied to, I have this thought which I posted on FB. My limitation to this thought is that I am assuming "school" is defined by traditional buildings and places where you pay tuition, buy books, sit down, and listen to an "expert." But, the irony is there for you to think and ponder.

the irony, school is to prepare you for life, but it also takes you away from it... Are temporal moments of intense discipline and social institutionalization the appropriate means of learning? Specific subject matters yes, but what is seriously lacking is learning how to integrate this knowledge in a pluralist society... there, I said it!

My conclusion is, there are different types of schooling that occur outside of societal-christened classrooms that are not embraced or recognized as valid. What is scary is that our society emphasizes discipline-based learning with little attention paid to interdisciplinary thinking and integrated application of disciplines relative to other forms of knowledge and communities' cognition. It reminds me of somewhere I worked that preached such aspirations, but held onto hierarchal and traditional forms of leadership, communication, and organizational structure. I ended up getting laid off from this org. ha!

We have a long way to go.

Cherryade - Darq E Freaker & Wiley - Blue Bottle Kiwi Freestyle

2011-01-25T10:29:00.002-05:00

Its like Quincy Jones goes grime! Sometimes the simple things can go a long way... great sounds... I wish there was a full version out there...

Wiley can still be dope...

The Sound of Now - Lunice (Live Set) @ Osheaga '10 - Montreal

2011-01-22T13:36:00.001-05:00

Very cool! Lunice is sick...

What Latinidad looked like musically in the DMV during the 90s.. a playlist

2011-01-21T10:34:00.006-05:00

I'm not saying this was the DEFINITIVE playlist for Latinos in the DC area, but it represents what I was listening to (for better or worse). This was back in the day when our area was completely lacking in representation (not that it is any better). We were not confined to essentialist subcultures such as Chicanismo or overrepresented by a dominant ethnic group as you find in the Northeast, Southeast or the West. We had the pick of our choosing. Of course you had Latinos who weren't into Spanish Reggae, rather listen to Rock en Español or some Carlos Vives. And, this was back in the day when Rap music came across quite aggressive and not acceptable in all people's ears. You can see the pastiche of adding a breakbeat here and there, or using 70s Latino samples for nostalgia, pasted on top of new rhythms and styles. Our clothes were like that too, wearing West Coast cholo styles, Cross Colors, or grunge plaid. It wasn't until I went to La Mega Fest in the early 2000s where I saw young Latino youth from all over the DMV flexing out with more streamlined Latino style, a more cohesive representation, dancing their asses off to Reggaeton. Enjoy

Jamie Woon - "Night Air" (Deadboy Remix(=)===

2011-01-18T09:34:00.001-05:00

An R&B sub-bass soca jump-up flexout... swanky

Wowzers this is fresh! "Suite for Ma Dukes" Miguel Atwood-Ferguson

2011-01-13T12:05:00.002-05:00

Dope!

"Maya Talk" and "Rio Yañez" - Blogs I found in my search for Mayan Zombies

2011-01-07T11:09:00.008-05:00

I do not know this person, but ran across her blog as I was looking for pictures of Mayan Zombies, my latest obsession in light of falling birds and dead fish all over the planet, in preparation for 2012, aka "The Queztalcoatl Comeback Special." Maya Talk runs quite closely to my view and image of forward-thinking cultural production that is grounded in the social and identity.

I wasn't able to find Mayan Zombies, but I did find Rio Yañez's blog where he shares a whole array of photography, pics, comics, and other forms of art that brings Latinidad and expression SOOO forward to the now. Check it out! I'm really glad I found folks doing future-forward and present expressions that follow the AmericanPupusa vibe!

Cesar Chavez Zombie, quite dope

My musical and societal recap of 2010...

2011-01-06T10:11:00.010-05:00

As much as I'm a hater of them, end of year lists rock because they lead me to form my own zeitgeist of music/culture, people, and subcultures. I don't consider myself late in posting this as I took time to read through my favorite sites and blogs to see what they were into, and compared them to what I liked. I resisted posting a favorite list until yesterday, when I was listening to the NPR podcast of their "Favorite Music of 2010" (even though I do not consider NPR a go-to place for drawing music). They started off well, and by the end it became the typical NPR post-baby-boomer-hippie-sorta-the-cool-aunt-and-uncle-choices that you usually get from them. I was kinda disappointed, so I decided to do my own.

My time capsule for 2010 music would be summed up with the word "reaching." My favorite music reached to earlier times and foreign sources and what they came up with would not have existed in these origins, but could have if times were different. My favorite music reached for Detroit Techno, "ethnic sounds", Synthpop, Psychedelic, Booty, and Electro... reinterpreted (or misinterpreted for that matter) by technology, youth, ignorance, or postmodernism. The tunes I chose have a feel like stonewashed jeans; filtered, moved around, and set back, like a broken plate you glued together that still works, but lost that cleanliness of the original form. Vocals are a big thing for me this year too, each tune has some sort of filter or manipulation to them.

Personally, this parallels what I have been thinking about in my own development and the larger world. Before 2010, I felt very much in the modern of being a part of identities that I flourished within. Now, I consider myself a simultaneous modernist-postmodernist... exemplified by my understanding that framings and issues of race have changed in the last 5 years to that 2.0 and post-race thing... but I am still aware that disparities still exist and that institutional and personal discrimination are quite alive and well. We have examples of 2.0 and 1.0 race issues standing side by side. As I mentioned in my previous post, yesteryear's "Jim Crow" has now become "Prison Industrial Complex." I see interracial couples, same sex relationships, Albinism on MTV, and President Obama running the nation with less questioning and less essentializing (do you see any more TV show specials about Sally dating a Black guy, or an episode where Willis doesn't want to date a chick because she is in a wheelchair as much). Yet I still see a poor poor poor state of affairs with how we understand and relate to one another; xenophbia in Arizona, Tea Party bullshit, unemployment, minstrel show mainstream Hip Hop, the U.S. military takeover of Haiti post earthquake, the wack ass Word Cup's treatment of South Africans, G20, and so on and so on...

These social issues tie closely to music in this "reaching" thing. The difference is that music and art wants more, it reaches for something, looking for that vibe. Whereas the reframing of these social ills is about maintaining the status quo, not "progress" or "development" but maintain a stasis to trick and hide the fact that Western Civilization is quite stuck right now. On that happy note, here are my favs of 2010.

Twin Shadow - Slow (Reaching for 80s Synthpop)

Lone - Cloud 909 (Reaching for Detroit Techno)

Deehunter - Basement Scene (Reaching for Psychedelic Rock)

Ramadanman - Work Them (Reaching for Electro)

Addison Groove - Footcrab (Reaching for Chicago)

Mellowhype - Right Here (Reaching for De La Soul)

Acam Balab - See Birds (Moon) (Reaching for Burial)

Breach - Fatherless (Reaching for Ethnic)

Honorable Mentions: They were good, but didn't have that staying power as the stuff above... worth checking out tho... Rita Indiana y Los Misterios, Die Antwoord, Das Racist, Sleigh Bells, Caribu - Sun (Midlands Re-edit)

SANY PITBULL & DUDA do BOREL @ PORI JAZZ FESTIVAL 2007

2010-12-29T20:10:00.001-05:00

I haven't forgotten about you Baile Funk!!! Love this ikkle!

How being an Albino can shatter "Big Brother" and teach a lesson to all you traditional race-thinkers...

2010-12-29T05:05:00.012-05:00

Chris Scarborough (Nashville, TN)

As an Albino, I imagine myself liberated from assumptions that color is a part of race. The blood of my ancestors runs through me as much as any other Mestizo. My cheekbones, eyes, and nose tell me so, yet I do not have the dark hair or skin that my bloodline usually dictates for me. As a result, I see and feel my understanding of race as a true social construct. Therefore, I consider myself a somewhat victor over the device of separation that race was built upon.

It is a lonely place to be as an outlier. Many people feel sorry for me because of my "condition." But, I am also glad that I do not suffer their fate of normalcy that clips their wings of consciousness. A huge irony is that as I type this, I can't help but notice that the individuals that feel the most sorry for me are those who I would say have body, color, and facial structures that are "typical" of their race (obviously), and get shitted on from society because of it. I am outside of the games of "oh, they look white" or "damn, he's dark as shit" as many others are scrutinized over. Paper bag tests are pointless, and passing has been a device imposed upon me rather than chosen. Yes, there have been times where I chose to speak English over Spanish to Latinos and Spanish speakers, but that was more of an issue of acculturation and context rather than pretending to be something I am not. In the end, I speak English. And, there are plenty of Latinos that are as brown as the earth, but can't speak a lick of Spanish if a million dollars were placed on the table in case they pronounced their last name properly.

I do get jealous that I cannot represent on the outside the brownness and color celebrated by my brothers and sisters in poetry, books, and media. I feel left out on certain experiences that would draw me closer to my people. But trust me to the fullest when I tell you that racism and discrimination are some devious bastards and they will find a way to fuck up the day of the whitest colored Mestizos and Blacks. We all got our issues to deal with.

I began dating a white woman for the first time this year. As a person of color, I concerned myself of this notion of being "down" among my brothers and sisters for the very first time in my thirty-three years of life on this planet. These concerns go back to my earlier statement about wanting to feel a part of a shared experience with my brothers and sisters, not an indictment on who I am seeing. I spoke about this with a great friend of mine, another person of color and social activist who is seeing a white person. We shared how we feel a sense of scrutiny by our own people, perceived or real, from those who see racial identity from the function of their "typical" dark skin and hair. What I conclude is that obviously this should not be of any concern. My indictment towards those who think any less of me because of this, is that they are taking on the same act of purification and segregation their oppressors have imposed upon everyone. A preservation of social or cultural purity is completely nonsensical as each "race" has had social, genetic, cultural exchanges with one another since time began. The notion that my values will become affected, that my treatment of others will change, or that I feel that I am "moving up", is absolutely ridiculous. As I mentioned earlier, racism is a bitch. One if its keen tricks is taking on new forms to meet the nomenclature and framework of the day. The Jim Crow of yesteryear is the Prison Industrial Complex of today.

So after writing all this, maybe I do have my own crap to deal with. It may not be the same as the majority of Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans, or Asian Pacific Americans, but I think it provides an opportunity for all of us to expand our notions of what this race thing is about. I feel like living proof that race is made up on silly measures and rules. I challenge every white, Black, or Latino to think about their understanding of race, whether its based on seeing it as a social construct or a genetic and biologically based categorization system. In the end its about how you treat others and leaving enough room to know there are other ways of seeing things.

My quick thoughts on MTV's True Life: I am an Albino"

2010-12-27T23:06:00.006-05:00

True Life - MTV Shows

For once, my "man, fuck this shit!" meter wasn't as high as it usually gets with mainstream shows about Albinism. I don't watch MTV True Life series often, so I couldn't tell you if its approach is typical of other episodes, but I appreciated the large amount of airtime the three were given to explain themselves, and not a voice-over explaining what Albinism is in a medical-kinda-a-way (it eventually does later in the show). I connected strongly with the guy who went to the convention and his initial nervousness about being with so many other folks with Albinism. Overall it was as good as it can get from a commercial/MTV lens. It could have been worse.

This is the second time I've seen a white female concern herself about "passing," a topic I heard mostly among African Americans, which I find REALLL ironic. She also brings up the notion of being called "An Albino" versus "Someone with Albinism" and the implications it has on her esteem. IMO, we're screwed if you take it that way. I've been on some message boards and folks can really get into this particular topic. There may be some valid language and social identity politics at play, but as a Latino, I cannot see such discussions anywhere related in the same vein as ethnic groups going on about "Latino vs. Latin@" or "Black v. African American". In the end, uses of such terms are contextual. And, moving fluidly among these names is an act against the Eurocentric approach of rigid categorizations and psycho/social/identity segregation. I often play with the negative connotations when interacting with people, just to fuck with them a little... so no matter how I present myself, I keep in control of the naming at all times.. (oops, I gave away a secret).

I also found the lunchroom discussion quite fascinating as the African American male told Zack (the African American with Albinism) that he was shocked, and the white dudes were all "I just saw you as who you were man" SOOO much to be said right there about how this exemplifies the continued stagnation of how fucked up race issues are in 2010... As a Latino with Albinism/Albino Latino/Latino Albino (ha!), I had my share of acceptance and rejection by whites, blacks, and Latinos... too bad this wasn't explored more to show intra-group issues, and cross-group issues, and how it takes social anomalies to bring this out.

In all, its a decent episode, not the best... and not everyone has such a great ending to their lives as these folks do. Again, this calls for more exposure of Albinism, and a heightened complexity of understanding the identities of "others," which I doubt we'll see about Albinos again anytime soon.

Holidays 2010

2010-12-24T16:25:00.010-05:00

Rap of the year - "Right Here" by Mellowhype

2010-12-10T10:53:00.003-05:00

I notice that as much as I hate on Hip Hop, I sure post a bunch of it! I feel like Mickey to Rocky, pushing for my scarred champion to keep fighting. "Right Here" is a wonderfully placed punch. Even tho Kanye is getting the best reviews for 2010... nothing excites me more than this minimal funky loop of a track... its repetitive to absolutely hypnotic levels and succeeds in dropping clever words and imagery along the way. "Swag" is the word of the day and I think track beats Kanye.

Since I'm on a roll - here are some more books on that AmericanPupusa tip

2010-12-09T16:20:00.004-05:00

My thoughts on the recent piece on Rosa Parks, the passing of Elizabeth Edwards and making heros in the United States in 100 words

2010-12-09T15:58:00.005-05:00

After reading this recent piece on Rosa Parks's myth reframed to include her long work in social activism and the simplification of the legacy of Elizabeth Edwards' passing in mainstream media as "Mother", "Caring" and other singular nouns and adjectives, I'm noticing how pitiful we/media/society frame our American "Heroes." If having heroes means using small words, simplifying a person's actions to describe how great they are. Or reduce their character to a 1 positive word and remove the contradictions, faults and complexity, then I have no heroes. I'd rather admire people for being human beings than statues in a museum

The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip Hop - Dan Charnas

2010-12-09T15:47:00.004-05:00

The book got a feature on NPR.

I haven't read the book, but I am glad the thought is out there. Hip Hop is no different from any other cultural product in the sights of money making. What I find unique is the overt and covert relationship people in Hip Hop have with capitalism ranging along "Its not about a Salary its all about reality" and "Stacking Paper" and "Mo Money Mo Problems" No matter how you slice it yo...ur "revolutionary conscious" and "getting paper" rappers live on a continuum of ducket grabbing. I hope this phenomenon is explored thoroughly in this book. I think it's quite important to hold a mirror up to a genre that also contains aesthetics of social responsibility and "reality" to its audience.

An ill.selection Roots Mixtape – Movement of Afro Funk and Soul

2010-12-07T01:59:00.007-05:00

An hour and a half mix of organic, old-school 60s and 70s Roots music that spans genre, nationality, race, and language. They are all hybrids and manifestations of Afro musical influences that pay tribute to our African roots and transnational movements across land, sea, and social borders. Inside the mix you’ll find: Cumbia, Salsa, Funk, Afrobeat, Rara, Carnival music, Congotronics, Merengue, Calypso, Batucada, and Reggae from Africa, the Caribbean, and America.

This mix lets me pay homage several pillars of my musical vocabulary. The first is my tribute to my Latinidad and the rich and turbulent history that brought us here, the sounds of Merengue, Cumbia, and Salsa that make up a link and memory to my family and my cultural heritage. The second tribute is to the polyrhythm, bass, and syncopation these musical blueprints provide to current musicians and artists; amazing that with as much education of our past is ignored from our schools and books, I can still see how new urban dance music like Footwork, House, Jungle, and Hip Hop gather so much from their Afro and Afro-Latino past. The third piece this mix brings is my newest fascination with Transnationalism, the study of communication and movement among peoples beyond the boundaries and walls set by others. It’s the latest fad that strikes close to me as a 1st Generation U.S. Born, Segment-Acculturated, hybrid, pan-everything individual that I am

This is for those who know their past, but are not regulated by its rules and boundaries… the border-crossings I enjoy the most are found within cross-pollination, hybrids of hybrids of musical ideas and sharing found deep within the complex beat patterns and bass work. They may not be found individually, but when in groups they shine bright.

Download the mix here, Stream it at my Mixcloud, or just tune in below

A Roots Mixtape – A Transnational Movement Of Afro Funk And Soul by Illselection on Mixcloud

Gade Yon Rara - Roots Of Haiti
La Agarradera - Johnny Ventura
Who're You? - Fela Ransome Kuti & The Africa 70
Esto No Lleva Bata - Los Papines
Real Rock - Sound Dimension
Hankuri - Madman Jaga
Old Buzzard - Los Silvertones
90% Of Me Is You - Amral’s Trinidad Cavaliers Steel Orchestra
Cumbia Cienaguera - Conjunto Tipico Vallenato
Dom Sou Nare Bakh (feat. Youssou N'Dour) - Etoile De Dakar
Cherry Oh Baby - Eric Donaldson
Tito On Timbales - Tito Puente
Nana Nina - Bush Y Sus Magnificos
Together - Ray Barretto
Truths and Rights - Johnny Osbourne
La Piojosa - La Sonora Cienaguera
Give It Up and Turn It Loose - James Brown
Carnival Brass Band - Afro-Cuban musicians
Bam Bam - Byron Lee And The Dragonaires
Ba-Tu-Ca-Da - Par Ney De Castro
Cantos De Yuka - Afro-Cuban musicians
Unknown - Domincan Merengue
Salsa Na Ma - Fruko Y Sus Tesos
Rara in Haiti - Bizoton Unspecified
Mama Liza - Konono No.1

My latest ill.selection mix - "Mike's Got Dat Bassface - A Dubstep Mix"

2010-11-29T20:15:00.004-05:00

A recent trend of mine is making mixes with specific folks in mind. This one is for a cool buddy of mine, Mike Turner. He suggested I make a very aggro mix that might help draw folks who are on the Hip-Hop vibe to the ruff and tuff side of Dubstep. I tried to find as many tracks as I could but came up short as I didn't want to use Dubstep with blatant Hip Hop samples and references... but I went with what draws both genres IMO together, the sense of urban dread and chunky flow of pent up aggression and rage... I could've gone with the blatantly super-aggressive "Brostep" but decided not as it feels like the Clownstep was for DnB... a carbon copy x12 of what made sublow bass menacing to begin with...

So, you can download the mix or you stream off me mixcloud. Or just stream below!! Enjoy

Mike's Got Dat Bassface - A Dubstep Mix by Illselection on Mixcloud

Tracklisting

Words – Trim
King Pin – The Others
Insanity – 501
Eye Tunes - Benga
The Sound - Cluekid
Solid State - Emalkay
Hard – Breakage feat. David Rodigan & Newham Generals
Panpipes – Benny Page & Zero G
Rise the Temperature – Cotti feat. Doctor
Next Hype - Tempz
E!0 Riddim (Police Ar Come Run) - Rossi B & Luca (feat. Killa P.)
Debt – Coki & N-Type
Stop Dat – Dizzie Rascal
Violence – Newham Generals
Acid – Terror Danjah
Liquid Dancehall - Zomby
Tron - Joker
The Boxer - Pinch
Rhythm - Jakes
Oskillatah - Skream
Get Down Low - Rusko
Think Ur Greezy – El-B feat. Ita
Supa Dupe – Newham Generals
Poison Dart - The Bug feat. Warrior Queen
Kingfisher - RSD
Surgery - Kromestar

Resident Advisor Presents a Brief History Lesson on Footwork...

2010-11-19T15:10:00.003-05:00

What a co-inky-dink... just as I made my last post, this comes out on a feed earlier today... sweet. I felt quite informed afterward.

Worldwide Liberation Footwork - Chicago, DC, Angola, New York...

2010-11-18T19:22:00.008-05:00

All types of Footwork dancing is the hottness right now thanks to the Chicago scene getting some media hype. Being that Washington DC is my hometown, I feel like there is some connection and representation to be made with Beat Yo Feet.... Along the way, we have the classic Hip Hop breakin that took hold back in the 70's to kinda of put it all under one roof. And, Angloan Kuduro dancing to take it across the Atlantic. Ultimately, this little showcase highlights the intertextuality and transnationalism among urban dance music of Black/African origin.

What I find beautiful is how young people can create such abstract and experimental art (in particular Footwork dance and music) to the point that it reminds me of Free Jazz, despite the stereotypes and being frowned upon by 'high class' people. And this showcase also aims to show folks that things have progressed since Breakin'... Enjoy...

Washington DC - Beat Yo Feet

Angloa - Kuduro

Chicago - Footwork

And New York - Breakin'

Young Guru speaks truth on Hip Hop industry... makes me think about how I resent "Hip Hop Revolutionaries" in a postmodern way.

2010-11-17T11:06:00.004-05:00

Favorite quote: “The company doesn’t care… they care about money. If you look back in Hip Hop in 1989, righteous was selling, so they was down with righteous… but now nonsense sells, so they down with nonsense”

Lately, I've began to feel more and more annoyed by Hip Hop Progressives and Activists who believe the genre was somehow 'good for them' when record companies didn't get it. The so called 'conscious' Hip Hop came through to the populous, the so called "Golden Era" (Tribe, De La, PE, etc etc etc.)to revolutionize America. In my understanding of Hip Hop, there was no board meeting about that. Rappers and crews had differing approaches and interest in content; some wanted to get laid, others wanted to smoke spliffs, some wanted revolutions, and others wanted to show off wordplay. As a Hip Hop head of the mid 80s, I do feel there was something in the air about the music that changed our society, I saw it happen right before my eyes. But in the end, I agree with Young Guru that companies only wanted to stack duckets, and his quote took the words right out of my mouth.

His quote challenges me to question the validity of 'conscious' music, who's foundations are in a capitalist society, particularly the music of the "Golden Era". His view lays it out that Righteous and Nonsense are both commodities with a shared value of only making money. This cheapening of my prior purist views of Hip Hop as a revolutionary force feels similar to when I went to Latino conferences that were sponsored by Walmart, Target, and any other exploitative corporation seeking some positive spin in their exploiting and racist/classist practices. For me, it undermines the nuggets and jewels spat by MCs of authenticity, independence, power, and uplift. Sorry to say it, but it hurts.

Young Guru is right that it makes a lot more financial sense to DIY and make it on your own. And a lot of Hip Hop Progressives will tell me to look there for 'that real shit'. But I only ask that you share with me some good progressive hip hop artists... cause the lot I've heard so far sound like they all read the same books, use the same dictionary, and talk the same over and over again about issues that I heard in my younger days. You can be progressive and be artistic, innovative and experimental... which I don't see too much in the genre nowadays.

The last piece of advice that I'd like to give 'conscious Hip Hop" is to understand that you are working with a genre... a medium with a set of rules and regulations on what makes it what it is. Hip Hop WAS musically progressive as one of the first overtly 'cut n' paste' postmodern musics in recent history. The development of wordplay, DJing, and visual components challenged people musically. But that all changed over time as it should. Its not 'progressing' anymore when it is totally saturated in U.S. culture. You are the progressive, your actions are the progressive. Hip Hop is merely a tool to get the job done.

There was a time where I held onto Hip Hop as a 'revolution' and 'rebel' music. I held hard when the Jiggy era showed up, when Thug and Trap music came through, where regional Hip Hop ostracized me. I came to the conclusion I was holding onto rules of communication, a medium of art, who's revolutionary angle has since become co-opted and diluted to the larger society. Holding onto it like it is some revolutionary act looks silly to me: conformist, and old. Progressiveness and revolution are actions people make, and it would make a stronger case to be inclusive, open minded, and willing to listen to new things... seeing these mediums as vessels of change, and not change itself.

balam acab - see birds (moon)

2010-11-15T08:51:00.002-05:00

Chopped and Screwed meets dubstep, meets pop, meets, atmospherics, meets indie, meets Pitchfork meets.. "its gotta be cool right?"... Witch House - called "Post-Burial", and non-geographic based scene due to the internets... interesting... I'm not calling it a the 'next big thing' but this track is quite dope.

Future Sound - An Underground Music Documentary

2010-11-13T11:35:00.004-05:00

Future Sound - An Underground Electronic Music Documentary - HD from Jamie Whitby on Vimeo.

Goodbye SP1200's; everyone else, get over it....

2010-11-01T11:49:00.006-04:00

Fact magazine talks of how Technics are going to slow/stop the production of the Sp1200s.

So move on....

I understand how dope they are... I know how cool someone looks... countless pics of clubby girls behind decks smiling cause they look dope... the ugliest of people have gotten ass when sliding faders and cueing up needles for crowds... and yes rewinds and scratches are monsterous inside the mix...

but get over it...

I love the SP12's (and most turntables for that matter) ... it's one of the vessels which Hip Hop and other dance musics were created. What made them so interesting is that they gave a lesson in reappropriation, by not playing it correctly we came up with the nicest musical devices that carry on today. When Flash, Bambaataa, and Herc put these items together they were drawing from what was around them, from the technology made available, and making something out of it. They did not meander on the 'good ole days' of funk and soul where everything was done on tapes and analog machines... and that was one of the subtle ways Hip Hop was 'future' music, it dealt with the realities of the day, the present, what was around you right now and represented it in a way that no one had ever heard before.

and that is my point....

At the time when CDs, MP3s and the like starting coming through, we saw people throwing out names like "True school" "Sellouts" "Cheaters" and "real" when seeing a dJ using CDs, decks, or Serato, smothering the very reason why they were up there to begin with... to get people to bob heads, shake asses, or get in proper zones. And yes, it does feel funny that rewinds, scratches, are now generated using samples and computer programs... and finally, yes, hearing a vinyl record DOES sound different from a digital version. That warm sound is bass friendly and adds a sense of organic that digital cannot produce... but let me remind you again, were those the reasons our DJing pioneers decided to use turntables in the first place?

So...

We have built these temples based on innovation and change, and pushing things forward. But we have become victim to what we complained of our predecessors, that we moved from innovation to dogma, to doctrine... stagnating our ability to be creative. If you think the spirit of the turntable is dead, please don't fret. There are plenty of turntables out there. There are artists who stick with analogue and vinyl for their releases as that is what is tied to their craft (Digital Mystikz for instance). But what hasn't changed is the need for the oppressed, the underclass, the underserved to speak, to voice and reappropriate in their music. We see kids using cell phones and ringtones to make Kuduro beats, we see folks using free music production software making big tunes, we see folks creating scenes in DC, Chicago, Oakland, London, and so forth that are completely Do It Yourself... this is the legacy. When you place too much on technology to maintain 'realness' you are missing yourself from the equation. Technology changes, you should too...

District 5 Vol 1. By OKDC's Marcus Hedgpeth

2010-10-26T00:36:00.003-04:00

"Small art 'zine started as a school project. District 5 is slowly eveolving into a full on local art 'zine and possibly a website. I am proud to present my first attempt at a publication, but hopefully 1 of many to come. The 'zine explores the talents of 5 local artist from, or working out of Washington, DC, each working in a different medium. All photos, writing, and interviews are written by Marcus Hedgpeth, a graphic designer working out of DC, also a native Washingtonian. Meet the DC5"

See Marcus Hedgpeth's work here

Fact Magazine: Stream full audio from Red Bull Music Academy’s recent Culture Clash

2010-10-21T17:28:00.003-04:00

Fact has picked up all the rounds from Red Bull Music Academy's Culture Clash event... its all major genres of music that I enjoy from UK (Dubstep, DnB, Hip Hop, and Reggae) b2b2b2b in a soundclash stype... check it!

The Hip Hop counter-revolution has begun, Let me introduce Pitchfork's "The /b/ Boys: Odd Future and the Swag Generation"

2010-10-20T13:00:00.009-04:00

Pitchfork... as much as I want to hate them... they do bring heat. I've been talking to my friend about the death of Hip Hop and the rise of something new, something as rebellious, educational, yet absolutely bad for you at the same time... and here we go...

The backlash includes acts like Das Racist, and Die Antwoord exemplifying the piss-take against what Hip Hop has become (with maybe MF DOOM as their Godfather, and maybe even DE LA SOUL as the antecedent with "De la Soul is Dead"). There is also the rise of attention to subgenres such as "Jerk" "Hyphy" "Juke" and others as manifestations of a yearning for something else... THEN!! there is the Indie-rock/Hipster transformation of Hip Hop culture as of late (the skinny jeans massive) also signifying a sign that young youth are splintering off to find new directions and sounds... its about time that we rid ourselves of the vines and rule-sets that our rap forefathers and contemporaries have accepted...

I'm not saying the artists here represent a new phase in Hip Hop, but they sure as hell represent a serious backleash to the bullshit the genre has accumulated... to be rejected by 'indie' blogospherists tells me something. I kept wondering why bands like Little Brother, El-P, and Atmosphere really didn't grab me as much as other bands did earlier... I do love some of that indie stuff, but my favorites were acts that were on the emo side of things, as I found that talking about how badass you were, bling, or political rap became too cliche for me.

So if you read this and wonder what is going on, if you see clips and are disgusted by what you see... remind yourself of 1989 and where Rap music was then... it makes me smile to see some other shit going on... Looking forward to the future...

The /b/ Boys: Odd Future and the Swag Generation on Pitchfork found here

THE SHOWDOWN! Rita Indiana v. Maluca and the battle for Latin-Caribbean Futurism

2010-10-19T02:21:00.003-04:00

Santo Domingo v New York City

DR v PR/USA
Androgyny v Uber-Fem hetero
Homegrown riddim v Diplo~~'s/devil~~ ) exploitative produced neon
Grainy Old School v Hipsters disguised as Latinos
(dichotomy added for effect LOL)

I told you about Rita back in April, and now there is a full length in the works, I'm looking forward to seeing what she and the Misteros are about to do on Latinidad and music. And in light of this GREAT video below by Rita and my recent sights on Diplo, I figure its quite appropriate to put these two side by side and ask a couple of questions...

As of late Ive been tossing about ideas in my head about the role of identity and race in the midst of the Postmodernism/hipster/post-race/race 2.0 constructs. As my cultural consciousness was born out of the 90's Hip Hop/Grunge Gen X era, but now trekking onto the new ground of the postmodernist/Hipster 80s throwback world... I notice the disdain between the two camps. I would agree that I may have taken myself too seriously in the 90's (thats 1 pt for the Hipsters), but I also believe that issues of race and identity, and in particular racism, are alive and well amongst the Postmodern colonizers and cultural exploiters (1 pt for the Modernists) who are putting out more and more 'ethnic' music.

So here we have a very interesting set up.. two Caribbean women who the press feel will do big things, but represent a new dilemma in race and identity. Maluca is another in Diplo's Mad Decent stable of 'ethnic' artists doing 2.0 ethnic dance music. Then we have Rita, who comes from the island, was informed by other voices, but incorporated it into her music and presented it to the world on her own. Both tracks are the future, but one wiffs of repackaging from colonization techniques, and the other seems to be the classic exotic going 'global'...

Being an interloper between these worlds, I do think there is enough room for everyone here. Many of my comrades would think it weak of me to allow myself to shake my ass to exploited sounds and mashups by Diplo and his crew... but we have to be honest that we have been dancing to exploited music for hundreds of years already. Plus we don't give enough weight to the great strides made by music now where I can find some Kuduro, Baile Funk, Dancehall, and Grime without someone catering it to me. I feel comfortable to navigate both schools and still keep my soul.

So anywho, I talk too much again... but here they are for your own scrutiny and enjoyment...

2010 BET Hip Hop Award Cyphers

2010-10-13T11:11:00.004-04:00

It's nice to see that rappers can still rap... it hurts me tho that so many of them produce dumb music... telling me that I'm not part of their intended audience... I miss Hip Hop reaching higher as an empowering statement of perseverance and busting through, which I don't get in 95% of Pop-Rap/Hip-Pop... too bad.

Signed,
The Old Fart

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Red Bull Music Academy - Culture Clash 2

2010-10-11T17:33:00.005-04:00

Maybe my parents immigrated to the wrong country, cause i'd rather be here....