Jeremy Ellis performing on Maschine

My man Jeremy Ellis killing it on NI's Maschine. Seriously, he's that good.

Thanks Givends 2009-One of my Favorite events ALL YEAR

Fusicology • Walk Talkin • Root Down • Firecracker • Afro-Funke • Descarga • Universal Rhythm • I n I Sound • BounceRockSkate • Zulu Nation • Kiss N Grind • Concrete Grooves • Bridges • Mekanic • BOXmusic • Nitty Gritty LA • Do Over • StonesThrow • KCRW • Flavorpill • Garth Trinidad • DEEP • Beat Junkies • HVW8 • Sonido • Transit Events • Soul Sessions • Real • Art Don’t Sleep • A-Side Worldwide • Mochilla • Step up Media • DPsound • Plei • PowerofthePeople Culture • Nu Soul Mag • Power Tools • Boombox • Spirit LA • Soul People • Ladies First • Greenehouse Ent • Footlong Development • Plug4 • Anything Fresh • Strictly Social • Spectre Music • Blu Events • Rhythm Section • Bodega • A-Marketing • Mochilla • Flock Shop • Bach Marketing • One Track Mind • Transmissions • Quintessential PR • Pitch Blend Media • Anda • Internationalists • MC Studio Art • Dirty Freqs • Porkn’Beats • Royal Black • Oh! Snap Studios • A.M. Freqs • Sail Away Collective • 213 • Deeper Shades of House

present.......

the 11th Annual
THANKS GIVENDS Benefit
Wednesday November 25th
An annual effort benefiting select organizations and individuals that promote art and music programs.
(this year the party benefits the Mar Vista Family Center and Peace 4 Kids.)

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ALL PROCEEDS GO TO CHARITY SO PLEASE HELP US (and build some good karma for yourself as well) BY SHARING THIS INVITE WITH ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS.

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confirmed artists are listed below...but just so you know, it seems like every year there are always last minute additions...and big cats like Vikter Duplaix, Cut Chemist, Peanut Butter Wolf, etc., so don't be surprised when you bump into em.
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this event has gotten so big that it's now gonna go off at:

The Church
606 e. 6th St, LA. CA. 90021 (corner of crocker-downtown)
9-4am 21 w/id $10 suggested donation Cash Bar

• Secure parking Lot off 6th & San Pedro st.
• Overflow parking lot 111 S. Central Ave (corner of 1st-Little Tokyo) courtesy shuttle pick-up every 15 min.

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★★★★ AREA 1: HIP HOP SOUL FUNK ★★★★

Anthony Valadez • Sloe Poke • Inka One • Wyatt Case • Concise • Dj 7 • Destroyer • Remitch • Marvski • Plann B • Frank (e) • Cee Brown • Cid Hernandez • Expo • BZ • Ben Diggin • One Man Jazz - LP

★★★★ AREA 2: HOUSE DISCO ELECTRONICA ★★★★

Scott K • Rj Spinher • Tony Watson • Valida • Joplin • Gerry Meraz • David Delano • Robert Change • Alex Costillo • Future Paris • Babby Bubba • B Nasty

★★★★ AREA 3: WORLD REGGAE BOOGIE LATIN ★★★★

A.M. Freqs (Shakespeare/Taarach) • Jeremy Sole • Michelle Q • J-Heart • Bobby Soul • Mando Fever • Gazoo • Ervin Arana • Mexican Dubweiser • Burt Blackarach• Soluz • Knoe One

Hosts/Performers:
Aloe Blacc • Basicali • Azul 213 • Shania D • Chezere • Lady Copper • JimiJames • Nav

Artists/Visuals/Photo:
Augustine Kofie • Brian Smith • MC Studio Art
OH! Snap Studios • Lowski Jones

Sound/Lighting provided by:
Harmony Sound

Mar Vista Family Center, The mission is to provide low-income families with quality preschool education, youth enrichment, and educational tools to create positive change in their lives and in their communities. Every program adheres to the basic premise that it is critical to empower children, teens and adults to play vital and responsible roles as decision makers, community leaders, mentors, classroom volunteers, and fundraisers at MVFC.

Peace4Kids.org provides programs and services for foster and at-risk youth from ages 5-18, and after emancipation until age 24. Peace4Kids is truly on the front lines in addressing the needs of foster and at-risk youth in the South Los Angeles neighborhoods of Watts, Willowbrook and Compton. They create a strong foundation through programs focused on creative expression and life skills, allowing our kids to discover their unique voice and limitless potential for success.

For More info or to volunteer you can reach us at:
thanksgivendsinfo@walktalkin.com

Can't make it? You can still support!! Just Click to Donate!

Bobo Meets Rhettmatic

Last night my pare BJ gives me a call and lets me know that he and his girl had some friends visiting from out of town, and that they were heading over to the ROOT DOWN, and asked if I would like to join. If you've ever been to the ROOT DOWN, then you know that it was an easy decision to make. He had mentioned that RHETTMATIC & BOBO were going to be doing their thing, so I was in it to win it.

Right when we got there, you could tell that the night was well underway. No parking up on Sunset. Valet lot was full. Neighborhood parking was tight. Luckily we found a spot right by the lot, so it wasn't much of a hike. Right when we walked up to the front of the spot, we were greeted by a bevy of familiar friendly faces! My hermano Arturo was manning the door while Tina was keeping the box on lock. As we made our way to the bar, greeting friends,making introductions, (shout out to LOS, MIKE PARK, JEDI, ERVIN ARANA, ANALOG, ANTIQUE, DOLL ONE, NONSTOP, CHIKARA, PATEN), Slowpoke was on the stage rocking a full dance floor. The energy at the ROOT DOWN is usually good, but there was a little something different going on tonight. There was just a bit more electricity in the air. Whatever it was, it was building a beautiful vibe.

We went outside for some fresh air until Rhett and Bobo hit the stage. Damani was on the patio keepin it roots, Gregory Isaacs Night Nurse played as we walked out. Both levels of the patio were full of people, it was a good looking scene.

We went back in to catch Rhett & Bobo, and seriously...I figured out where the energy was coming from. Their act ranged from Ray Barretto's Pasttime Paradise, to Kraftwerk's Tour De France. With Rhett on the decks and Bobo on the congas, weaving, tempering, creating this intricate sound while playing off of one another, it was truly a beautiful thing to see and hear. There was a moment when Rhett & Bobo were just staring at each other's hands while playing as if to say, "I'm gonna follow you. No, I'm gonna follow you." Two masters at work, giving each other the space and respect they both deserve, and still living as instruments of music.

Ervin Arana captured the entire set on his trusty camcorder. I can't wait to see the footage and show it to Brandon. Conga was one of the first words that Brandon learned. Turntables & Congas, I think he's gonna lose his mind. I know I did.

Heroic?

I came home yesterday and my wife tells me how she, and our 18 month son, Brandon, went to Best Buy earlier in the day, and right when they got there, Brandon saw the DJ Hero display and beelined straight for it. Stopping short of running into the display, arms bent 90 degrees, hands balled up into fists, he proceeded to bounce to the beat. She said that while they were shopping around the store, at any given moment, Brandon would break, full speed to the DJ Hero and get up on the turntable controller. That's my boy!! It isn't his first time around a turntable. When dad is practicing at home, Brandon is quick to get up on the decks (having me pick him up), so he can explore the platters, cross faders, buttons, knobs, or any switch his little hands can reach. The force is strong in this one.

So when I got a call from DJ CONCISE, inviting me over to see the new pad, explore some music, and check out his newly acquired DJ Hero, I was all about it. I mean if the Prime Minister of Cool,(Brandon), was so heavily drawn, I had to check it out. He also told me that Analog and A1 was going to be there, so I jumped at the opportunity to hang out with my friends, and get some input of the game from DJ's with different styles.

As soon as I got there, Analog was at the controller, A1 was on his laptop, Concise was on his laptop, and Concise's brother was on the computer in the other room upping his music files. But the first thing I noticed was the sound coming from the 5 speakers connected to the 52" tv mounted on the wall. On a 1200, Analog is a master chef. Cutting, scratching, juggling, these are all things that come second nature to him. So seeing him playing the game, and playing it well, was no surprise at all. Concise, a well seasoned dj, who's style of dj'ing is completely different than Analog's got on the controller next. As he was playing he went over the basics with me about what certain things on the screen mean in terms of game play. After he finished a set, I got up on the controller, and for the first try, I must say...I SUCKED!!! As each song in the set went by, familiarity to the controller started to set in, and less and less mistakes were being made. What's this I'm starting to feel...is that my good ol' buddy FUN????

My main objective was to see how handling a real turntable and mixer was translated in the game. Here's what I found out. At the level I was playing at, MEDIUM, it doesn't. If anyone thinks that they can take the skills that they've acquired from this game, and apply them to two turntables and a mixer, they're going to be very disappointed. When I asked Analog and A1 how they felt about the translation, Analog said "The buttons on the platter, that doesn't matter to me." The way that the cross fader interacts with the actual scratch, non existent. A1 said, "If this game is any indication of my dj skills, I shouldn't be dj'ing"(probably because the game isn't advanced enough to understand A1's flares). The part that makes full sense though is the cross fader going full left of full right. For anyone to try to compare it to "real dj'ing"(whatever your definition of that is), is absurd until you get into the upper levels of the game. The makers of this game had to find ways to incorporate a game format into a turntable/mixer controller.

According to Concise, only when you get to the higher levels such as HARD and EXPERT, you see more of a correlation of directional scratching and patterns. There is more doubling up, and the pace moves much faster, so the HAND/EYE, or should I say EAR/EYE coordination is more apparent and "realistic". And even then, it's limited at best. But here lies the problem, where is the creative freedom? The true nature of a DJ is to be able to tweak, filter, scratch, and manipulate in order to express his own creativity. With DJ Hero, we must follow the patterns given. If there were a FREEPLAY mode where it would actually express what you were doing, I think we'd have a different beast on our hands.

Analog, the technician, put it best by saying "It's a game", and with that I agree 100%. Once I stopped comparing it with the true technical ability and freedom one needs to rock sets like these, as a game, DJ Hero is a success. HIGHLY ENTERTAINING, FUN, ADDICTIVE even. Conscise told me "I'm addicted to this game. I'm losing sleep because of it." And I can see why. The Mashups in it are well worked.(And believe me, this is NOT Concise's preferred genre) The skills taken to put the music alone together from a DJ standpoint is phenomenal. You can definitely hear the signature sounds of Z-Trip, Shadow, and Jazzy Jeff to name a few. At one point, A1 found a site where Z-Trip was selling the records of the songs for the game. For anyone out there that is dreaming to be THE DJ, this game is for you. Complete with big clubs and large crowds.

I will admit that even before playing it, I was judgemental of it, but after playing it, I will not turn down the opportunity to play again! I suggest you do the same and check it out for yourself. Concise's address is hAHHAAHA jk!

Final thoughts:

"Moral: we can kill it on real time dj'ing, but we still suck at DJ Hero. But it's still fun. hahaha"-Concise

My Take: Fun Fun game. It will definitely be a great party game. And if you want to be comptetive in that arena, it will behoove you to have it. If you don't have turntables and a mixer at home, this is a great substitute for fulfilling that inner dj that yearns to be heard. Who knows what kind of ideas or energies it will spark?

On a personal note....I'll get it for Brandon if he wants it, but I won't buy it for myself. If I have time to play, I have time to practice, and I'd rather get on my tables every time.

LIVE RE-MIXING 101

Urb Magazine presents Keys N Krates' new live mix, entitled Live Re-Mixing 101, that is slated for release on November 15, 2009. Live Re-Mixing 101 is a live recording showcasing the rising outfit's party rockin' performances including their signature deconstructed compositions of:Mos Def's Miss Fat Booty, Tribe Called Quest favorites, The Fugee's, Fu-Gee-La, Talib's Get By, Dr. Dre's, Next Episode, Simian Mobile Disco's We Are Your Friends and more. Live Re-Mixing 101 will be available for digital download the morning of November 15 at http://www.urb.com with physical releases available at select retailers nationwide. Keys N Krates will be touring throughout the U.S. to promote Live Re-Mixing 101 beginning November 15, 2009. Legs of their tour include Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Austin and New York City.

Through first hand experience, Keys N Krates is a superpower that commands closed eyed headnods, overhead hand bouncing to the beat, and all around aural captivity through their musical abilities. If you ever have a chance to catch these guys live, DO IT. No bullshit.

Besides putting on a great show, the members of the group, Adam Tune(drums), JR-Flo(turntables), and Matisse(keys) (just went in alphabetical order...no favorites here) are Grade A people! No egos here, just music lovers sharing an aweinspring experience.

Seriously if you don't yet know, get in the know now!!! Find out more at http://www.keysnkrates.com/